How to Play MKV files on Mac?

“I’m having issues playing MKV files via airplay on Macbook Pro to Apple TV. Can someone tell me which app I should use to play MKV videos?”

MKV is short for Matroska Video, a commonly used video streaming format. It is an open-source container format that packs audio and video tracks and subtitles in a single file. MKV is used to play high-quality HD 720p or 1080p movies and videos.

However, Mac users often complain that they cannot play MKV video files. This can be due to incompatible video format and codec, faulty video player apps, or file corruption.

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

1. Use the QuickTime plugin to play MKV on Mac
2. Switch to another media player
3. Play MKV files on Mac using Handbrake

How to play MKV files on Mac?

1. Use QuickTime Plugin to Play MKV files on Mac

Perian, a QuickTime plugin, can help play 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. Unfortunately, Perian supports only QuickTime 7.6.6.

Note: Perian support and updates have been stopped by the developer. However, the plugin can still play MKV and other formats not supported by QuickTime Player.

You can download Perian from here. Once the plugin is downloaded and set up, restart your Mac and play MKV files.

Note: Although Perian plays MKV files in QuickTime, it takes a long time to load MKV files 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.

Gatekeeper is a security feature of the macOS that helps ensure that only trusted software runs on Mac.

Steps to disable Gatekeeper on Mac:

• Go to Finder > Applications > Utilities to open Terminal.
• Type sudo spctl –master-disable and hit Enter.
• Enter your Administrator username and password, then press Enter again.
• Gatekeeper is now disabled.

2. Switch to another Media Player

Since loading videos using Perian in QuickTime takes time, an alternative media player is preferable to play MKV files on your Mac.

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

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

Here’s how to open MKV files on Mac using VLC Media Player:

• Free download VLC media player for Mac version from its official website.
• Next, go to Downloads, click and hold the VLC cone icon, and drag it to the Application folder.

• Click Authenticate to start the installation process.

• You will then be prompted to enter the administrator username and password. Next, click Modify Settings.

• The VLC Media Player will get installed on your Mac. Next, you can drag and drop an MKV file on VLC to play it.

Let’s see how to play MKV files on a Mac using Elmedia Player

Elmedia Player is a fully-featured media player that plays multimedia files, such as MKV, MP3, AVI, MP4, etc., without additional plugins or codecs. You can use this media player to play MKV files on Mac; here’s how:

• Download and install the Elmedia app from its official website or the AppStore.
• Launch the application, open the menu bar, go to File > Open.
• Choose the MKV file you want to play.

3. 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 files using Handbrake and play the converted video on QuickTime or another media player on Mac. The software supports Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms.

Follow these steps to see how to use Handbrake on Mac:

• First, to download Handbrake, visit here.
• Then install and launch the software on your Mac.
• In the home screen, click Open Source and select the MKV file you want to convert.

• Now, select MP4 or other Mac-supported formats as the output file. Next, adjust the duration, add filters, and edit the video and audio of the output file.
• Once done, choose the destination of the output file and click Start to initiate the conversion process.

Once the conversion of the file finishes, go to the destination folder and play the converted video in any media player on Mac.

Still unable to play MKV files on Mac? Your Video may be corrupt

When converting video format or switching to another media player doesn’t help, your MKV video file is corrupt. Try to repair corrupt, distorted, or inaccessible MKV files using video repair software, such as Stellar Repair for Video.

This DIY software repairs corrupt videos not playing on any media player. The repair process is simple — Add a file, select ‘Repair’, ‘Preview’ and ‘Save’. You can repair multiple videos at a time.

The MKV video repair software can fix corruption in the sound section, frames, header, etc. The software supports common video formats, such as MKV, MP4, MOV, HEVC, AVI, M4V, 3GP, F4V, and other file types used on iPad, iPhones, Android, Apple devices, digital cameras, etc.

Follow the below steps to repair MKV Files:

• Download and install Stellar Repair for Videos on your Mac system.
• Launch the software and on the home screen, click Add File to add corrupt or unplayable MKV files.

• Click Repair to start the repair process.

• Once the process completes, preview the repaired videos.

• Select the video and click Save Repaired Files at any desired location on Mac or external drive.

Now try playing the repaired video using any media player on the Mac system.

Conclusion

If you want to play MKV videos in on Mac, install the Perian plugin. However, use another media player as the Perian plugin takes longer to load videos in the QuickTime player.

Another feasible way to convert the MKV file to another macOS-supported format is using Handbrake. If these solutions don’t work, check if your MKV video file is corrupted. You can use Stellar Repair for Video to fix corrupt MKV files and play them perfectly on Mac. This tool can deal with all kinds of video corruption issues, including compression issues, broken file headers, frame corruption, slider movement problems, etc.

FAQ

1. How do I play MKV files on VLC Mac?

You need to install the latest version of VLC Media Player on your Mac and then try to play your MKV files. If it doesn’t work, check if the required plugin is installed.

2. How do I play MKV files on QuickTime Mac?

Install a plugin called Perian for QuickTime to play MKV files. Moreover, use different media player that supports MKV.

3. Can I convert MKV to MOV?

Yes, you can. Read this article to learn how to convert MKV to MOV files.

4. VLC is not playing the MKV file. What to do?

To fix VLC not playing MKV files, you can – use a different media player to open the file, change the Preferences in VLC settings or use MKV file repair software to repair the video.

5. How to Repair Corrupt MKV video files?

Use Stellar Repair for Video to repair a broken, corrupt, jerky, choppy, or truncated MKV video. Read More.

6. How to fix MKV No sound on Android Phones?

There can be many reasons why your downloaded MKV files may not have any sound while playing on an Android Phone because of unsupported or missing codec, file corruption, unwanted cache, cookies, etc. To fix this issue, you can go through this blog.

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About The Author

Sumona Chatterjee

Sumona is a tech blogger, avid photographer, & technogeek with vast experience in writing about media file recovery tips and tutorials. She has over 10 years of experience in media file recovery/media file repair technology. She is passionate about Photography, Creative Designing, Music, and Exploring lesser-known destinations.