Matroska, popularly known as MKV file format, is commonly used for playing high quality HD 720p or 1080p movies and videos. However, Mac users are not able to play MKV video files. The reason being Mac’s QuickTime Player doesn’t support MKV file format and its codecs.

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To address the issue, here we share, various methods to play MKV files on Mac:

1. Use QuickTime plugin to play MKV files on Mac
2. Switch to another media player
3. Use Stellar Video Converter to play MKV videos
4. Play MKV files on Mac using Handbrake

How to play MKV file on Mac?

1. Use QuickTime Plugin to Play MKV files on Mac

Perian, a QuickTime plugin, can help in playing MKV video files on your Mac. Perian is a free, open source plugin for QuickTime Player and is easy to install. It works automatically in QuickTime, once it is set up on Mac. Perian supports only QuickTime 7.6.6.

You can download Perian from http://www.perian.org/. Once the plugin is downloaded and set up, restart your computer and then play MKV files.

Download Media Codecs to Play MKV (PC & Mac) A codec is a computer program used to encode or decode any kind of digital media files. In our case, we need codecs that will let you play MKV videos with a default system player. There are a lot of free codecs online that you can use for this scope. All have their pros and cons. Here, we share two ways to play MKV files on PC and Mac easily. Solution 1: How to Play MKV Files with Best MKV Player. Both Windows Media Player and QuickTime cannot open MKV files. In result, you have to look for another media player compatible with MKV, such as AnyMP4 Blu-ray Player. Key Features of the Best MKV Player for PC and Mac. Solution Three: Play MKV on Mac with a powerful Mac MKV player. The third way we'd like to recommend for playing MKV on Mac is to install a QuickTime alternative player like MPlayer OS X or VLC. MPlayer OSX is a simple but powerful video player designed specifically for Mac and can handle MKV playback. VLC Media Player is one of the best.

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Note: Although Perian plays MKV files in QuickTime, it’s slow to load file in the player.

Are you receiving an error while setting up Perian on Mac?

While setting up the plugin, if you receive the error — ‘Perian can’t be opened because it is from an unidentified developer’, temporarily disable the security blanket of Mac’s GateKeeper.

Steps to disable Gatekeeper on Mac:

• OpenSystem Preferences from Apple menu
• Click onSecurity & Privacy
• Go to ‘Allow apps downloaded from’ and click on Open Anyway

2. Switch to another Media Player

Since it takes time to load videos by using Perian in QuickTime, alternative media player is a preferable solution to play MKV files on your Mac.

You can play MKV videos in other media players that support your macOS.

The best MKV Player for Mac is open-source VLC Media Player. You can also try MPlayerX, Elmedia Player, 5K Player, XBMC Player etc.

3. Use Stellar Video Converter to Play MKV videos

Convert MKV videos to file formats such as MP4 and MOV that are supported by QuickTime Player. You can use Stellar Converter for Audio Video to convert MKV videos to MP4, MOV, M4V and other formats that can be played on Mac systems. The software is safe to download and maintains original video quality after conversion.

Download the software on Mac and follow the below 3-step conversion process:

1. Select Add File: Add MKV video files that you want to convert.

2. Select Output Format: Select format and resolution/ bitrate of the output video file.

3. Select Convert: In dialog box, select destination path where you want to save the converted files and click ‘Save’.

4. Play MKV files on Mac Using Handbrake

Handbrake is an open-source application that converts MKV files to MP4 format. You can easily convert MKV file by using Handbrake and play the converted video on QuickTime or other media player on Mac.

To download Handbrake, visit https://handbrake.fr/.

The software supports Windows, Mac and Linux platforms.

Conclusion

If you want to play MKV videos in QuickTime Player on Mac, install Perian plugin. However, it is recommended to use another media player supported by Mac, because QuickTime plugin takes longer to download high-quality videos.

Another feasible way is to convert MKV file to another macOS-supported format. Use either Handbrake or Stellar Video Converter. Handbrake can convert MKV files to only MP4 format while Stellar Video Converter converts not only to MP4 but also to other formats such as MOV, MPEG, AVI, FLV etc.

Stellar Video Converter software gives you greater control over the quality of output video. You can optimize MKV videos for TV, PC, Mac, Android phone, iPhone and other devices. It’s available for free trial to help you ascertain the effectiveness.

“I have downloaded several movies from the internet, and they are saved in MKV format, but my computer cannot open them, how to play MKV files?” MKV is a popular video format, partly because it is open source. However, it is not as compatible as MP4. Windows Media Player, for example, does not support MKV by default. Moreover, MKV is able to store multiple tracks and video codecs. That makes MKV playback more difficult. This guide will show you how to play MKV files on Windows and Mac easily.

How to Play MKV Files

Part 1: Brief Introduction of MKV

MKV is a multimedia container but not a simple video or audio format. An MKV file can contain audio, video and subtitles. As MKV stores lossless multimedia contents, many HD movies are saved in MKV files. Plus, MKV can save more than one tracks into a single file, so it is a good choice if you wish to edit it later.

Part 2: How to Play MKV Files on PC/Mac

The biggest downside of MKV is compatibility. Chances are that you cannot play MKV files if you do not have the right media player. Here, we share two ways to play MKV files on PC and Mac easily.

Solution 1: How to Play MKV Files with Best MKV Player

Both Windows Media Player and QuickTime cannot open MKV files. In result, you have to look for another media player compatible with MKV, such as AnyMP4 Blu-ray Player.

Key Features of the Best MKV Player for PC and Mac

• 1. Open MKV files on PC and Mac without extra codec.
• 2. Support almost all video and audio codecs in MKV files.
• 3. Fully control the MKV playback and keep the original quality.

Needless to say, it is the easiest option to watch your MKV files on Windows and Mac.

How to Open and Play an MKV File on PC

Step 1: Install the best MKV player

The MKV player is compatible with Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP and Mac OS X 10.6 or later. Install the latest version to your computer and launch it when you want to open an MKV file.

Step 2: Open MKV file

There are two ways to open your MKV file. Click on the Open File button in the main interface to trigger the open-file dialog. Find the MKV file and click the Open button. Alternatively, click File menu on top ribbon choose Open File, and open the MKV file. If prompted, choose a proper subtitle.

Step 3: Control MKV playback

Then the MKV file will play in the media player. The buttons at the bottom let you control the playback quickly, such as Stop, Pause, and Play. To make a screenshot at important frame, click the Camera icon. You can play the MKV file in full screen by hitting the Fullscreen icon or adjust the volume at the bottom right side. If you need other options, like more screen size or audio channel, set then on the top menu bar.

By the way, you can also use this player to play FLV, MOV, AVI, and other popular videos effortlessly.

Solution 2: How to Play MKV Files with Windows Media Player Codec Package

Though Windows Media Player does not support MKV files, there are extra codecs can meet your need. However, this method is a bit complex since an MKV file may contains more than one codec.

Step 1: Firstly, open Windows Media Player from the Start menu at the bottom left corner.Click Tools menu, choose Options. Go to the Player tab, and select either Once a day or Once a week under Automatic updates.

Step 2: If it is not enough, download Media Player Codec Pack from https://www.mediaplayercodecpack.com/. Then install it to your PC.

Step 3: Next, go to the Videos tab, drag and drop the MKV file into the main interface. Then click the video to start playing MKV file in Windows Media Player.

Here you may like: 100% Working Tutorial of Playing MKV on PS3 by Converting MKV for PS3

Part 3: Ultimate Solution to Play MKV in Any Media Player

Another way to play MKV files on Mac and PC is to convert them to MP4 or MOV. However, it is not simple to convert MKV files since it contains multiple codecs. From this point, we recommend AnyMP4 Video Converter Ultimate. It lets you to edit and adjust your MKV files before converting.

Main Features of the Best MKV Converter

• 1. Lossless convert MKV to other video formats, like MP4.
• 2. Support a wide range of video and audio formats.
• 3. Offer extensive custom options and bonus tools.

Briefly speaking, it is the best option to play MKV files in any media player on computer and mobile devices.

How to Convert MKV Files for Playback on Any Device

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Step 1: Import MKV files

Launch the best MKV converter after you install it on your PC. There is another version for Mac. Then go to Add Files menu and choose Add File or Add folder to import the MKV files you want to play. Alternatively, open a file explorer, locate the MKV files, drag and drop them into the main interface. The MKV converter is able to process multiple files at one time.

Step 2: Set the output format

Click the format icon at the right side to open the profile dialog, go to the Video tab, choose the proper video format and preset. You can adjust the parameters, such as resolution, bitrate, and more by hitting the Gear icon. If you want to play the MKV files on mobile device, go to the Device tab and select your device model on the list. Go back to the main interface, and you can edit the video file, by hitting the Edit and Cut buttons next to the thumbnail.

Step 3: Set the output format

Select audio track and subtitle in the Subtitle and Audio options to each title. Next, locate the bottom area, and click the Folder icon to set a specific folder for saving the output. Finally, click on the Convert All button to start converting MKV files. A few seconds later, you can play the MKV files on Mac, PC, iPhone or Android.

Part 4: FAQs about How to Play MKV Files

Why is my MKV file not playing in VLC?

This is because MKV may contain the video or audio codec that VLC does not support. To solve this problem, you can install MKV codec package in VLC or convert MKV to MP4.

What apps can play MKV files on PC?

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The media players support MKV files include:
1. VLC Media Player
2. KM Player
3. DAPlayer
4. FreeSmith Video Player
5. SMPlayer
Bear in mind that MKV is a multimedia container and stores multiple video and audio codecs. If any codec is not supported by your media player, you cannot open MKV files.

Does converting MKV to MP4 lose quality?

The answer is depending on how you convert MKV to MP4. Most video converter software only supports lossy conversion. If you are afraid of quality loss, you’d better look for a powerful video converter.

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Conclusion

This guide has talked about how to open and play MKV files on PC and Mac. As a multimedia container, MKV is widely used for storing high quality movies. However, many people find it difficult to open it. In such situation, forget the default media player, and use AnyMP4 Blu-ray Player directly. Another solution is to convert your MKV files with AnyMP4 Video Converter Ultimate. If you have other questions, please leave a message.