In order to add that support, you’ll need to install some support files known as codecs (the name is shorthand for compression/decompression). If you would prefer to use Windows Media Player or another Windows player that doesn’t already support MKV files, you can. Alternative Option: Download Codecs for Compatibility (But Do It Carefully) If it doesn’t suit you, the Matroska website offers a few suggestions for media players for Windows with built-in support. Of course, not everyone likes VLC player. To watch an MKV file using VLC, right-click the MKV file, point to “Open With,” and then choose “VLC Media Player.” Note that, while VLC does associate itself with all supported video and audio formats during the installation-including MKV-it does not register itself as the default app for those file types. The entire installation process should take no more than two or three minutes.Īfter the install is done, you’ll be able to watch any of your MKV files. Simply run the downloaded file to install VLC. RELATED: 10 Useful Features Hidden in VLC, The Swiss Army Knife of Media Players
Beware of going anywhere else, because a lot of crapware vendors have fake VLC download sites. Begin by navigating to the official download page at .
Downloading and installing the program is easy if you follow these directions. Our favorite choice for playing MKV files is VLC media player-mostly because it has built-in support and doesn’t require that you install anything else. For example, you could have a MKV file that contains H.264 video and something like MP3 or AAC for audio. An MKV container can incorporate audio, video, and subtitles into a single file-even if those elements use different types of encoding. MKV files are actually multimedia container formats. What Are MKV Files?Ĭontrary to popular belief, MKV files are not an audio or video compression format.
As time went on, the format was improved and in 2010, it became the basis for the WebM multimedia format. The company also has a lot of resources on their website, including a list of playback options.
The Matroska project was developed as an open standards project, which means that it is open source and completely free for anyone who wants it for personal use. RELATED: What Is Open Source Software, and Why Does It Matter? It got its name from the Russian word for Nesting Dolls, matryoshka. The lead developer, Lasse Kärkkäinen, worked with the founder of Matroska, Steve Lhomme, and a team of programmers to create this comprehensive multimedia container file format. MKV files, also known as Matroska Video files originated in Russia in 2002. From Humble Beginningsīefore we talk about what MKV files are, let’s look at a little history. Let’s talk about what they are and how you can use them on your computer. Whether you are downloading videos from the Internet or getting them from other people, there is a high chance that you will come across MKV files.