USB Network Gate
Remote access to USB devices
Virtual Serial Port Driver
Creation and management of virtual COM ports
FlexiHub
Shared access to personal, team, and corporate devices
Serial to Ethernet Connector
Remote access to COM-port devices
Donglify
Reliable connection to remote USB security dongles
Serial Port Monitor
Reading and recording of serial port data
HelpWire
Remote Support Service
Explore All Solutions
YouTube downloader
Best YouTube downloaders for Mac
Download manager for Mac
Top download managers
Torrent client for Mac
Overview of the best torrent clients
AVI player for Mac
Top apps to enjoy your AVI files
YouTube to MP3 converter
Best YouTube to MP3 converter apps
Music player for Mac
Best music players for macOS
MKV player for Mac
Top MKV players for Mac
FTP client for Mac
Overview of the best FTP client solutions
Explore All Articles
Olga Weis
Jan 10, 2023
QuickTime is the default player for Mac that can handle most file formats. However, there are compatibility issues with certain codecs and file formats, and MKV is on the list. So, in order to play MKV files on Mac, you need to look for other workarounds. In this article, we have shown you several options to choose from, namely using a third-party video player for Mac or converting the file to a supported format.
Installing additional codecs and plugins used to be a great alternative method to make QuickTime Player play MKV files. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work with the release of QuickTime X. Luckily, there are quite a few tools that can easily open such files directly. For your convenience, below we have compiled the best MKV players for Mac along with their features, pros and cons, and step-by-step instructions.
The first player that we’d like to recommend is Elmedia Player. It is a versatile and powerful MKV file player Mac users can get. Elmedia supports a variety of formats, from MP4 to FLAC and SWF, so you won’t have any problems with compatibility. Besides, it is equipped with useful features like built-in subtitle search, different video/audio playback options and flexible settings.
Elmedia Player is compatible with the latest macOS, Ventura, and Apple M1 and M2 series. Among other things, the player is capable of streaming local files to Smart TV, Apple TV, AirPlay, DLNA and Chromecast devices, as well as supports surround sound with AC3/DTS hardware passthrough to ensure the best sound quality.
Pros:
Cons:
Supported OS: macOS
Price: free to use, PRO upgrade priced at $19.95
Launch the app and open the MKV file using one of the following ways:
Movist Pro is another excellent app that can help you seamlessly handle MP4 on Mac. The app was originally developed based on QuickTime is an easy-to-use and powerful media player that can easily play MKV on Mac.
It offers a number of options to cuztomize playback to your liking. For example, you can set the preferred video quality, use filters and an equalizer. Among other things, Movist lets you view subtitles in several languages at the same time, and also provides the ability to watch videos directly from the browser with the Safari extension.
Pros:
Cons:
Supported OS: macOS
Price: free, PRO version costs $4.99
MKPlayer is another Mac player with a standard set of features and video adjustment options. It is capable of playing media container files like MKV with multiple audio tracks and subtitles. MKPlayer allows its users to select any audio and subtitle file and change them during playback. In addition, the app comes with a responsive control panel and includes AirPlay support. However, it is limited to AirPlay-compatible formats.
Pros:
Cons:
Supported OS: macOS
Price: free, PRO version costs $6.99
Another decent option when it comes to playing MKV on Mac. VLC (formerly VideoLan Client) can play almost all video and audio formats on all platforms. It is compatible with macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android. The player is free and open source, meaning everyone can contribute to it. Besides, there are a number of additional features such as video editor, and subtitle synchronization. Using VLC, you can easily customize every aspect of video playback.
However, sometimes you may experience issues and glitches when playing videos. In this case, it is better to look for VLC alternative for Mac.
Pros:
Cons:
Supported OS: macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
Price: free and open-source
Apart from these two methods we have already covered, there is another one that you can confidently use to play MKV on Mac. These are converters. By changing the MKV video to another popular format like MP4, you will be able to open it in any player on Mac.
Stellar Video Converter allows you to convert audio and video files to various popular formats. With it, you can convert MKV videos to MP4, MOV and other formats supported by your player and play them in QuickTime. The app supports batch conversion and includes editing features.
Pros:
Cons:
HandBrake is an open source cross-platform application for converting videos. If you are wondering how to play MKV files on Mac, you can simply convert them to any other format with HandBrake and then play in QuickTime.
Pros:
Cons:
You may come across this method on the Internet more than once, however, it’s always forgotten to note that it is among the outdated ones. We are talking about using plugins for QuickTime to make it open not only MKV files but also other QuickTime non-compatible formats. One of the popular plugins is called Perian.
It used to be a great solution until its support and updates were stopped by the developer. Nowadays, it is available for QuickTime version 7, but even if you somehow manage to download and install this version of the player on your Mac, you will face the “QuickTime player not working” issue, as this version of the video player was compiled for 32-bit OS.
MKV (stands for Matroska Video) is a multimedia container format created in 2002. A file with the .mkv extension can include audio, video, and subtitle tracks in the same file, even if those elements use a different codec. An MKV file can also store images and file metadata.
This file type is commonly used for high definition videos. However, not all media players and programs can play MKV correctly. To open it, users need to install additional applications or codecs.
There are many ways to open MKV on Mac, so you can definitely choose the one that suits your requirements. If you often work with this format, we recommend using a third-party media player. With that in mind, you can also learn about the AVI player for Mac. Alternatively, you can convert the MKV file to any other popular format using a converter, or install a plugin to make QuickTime open that type of file. No matter which method you choose, each one will help you play MKV on Mac flawlessly.
Frequently Asked Questions:
There are many media players that can open MKV. You can try any of the apps described in our article and choose the best one.
There is no exact answer to which is better. Each MKV player for Mac has its own pros and cons, and the choice depends on the needs of the user. However, we would recommend Elmedia Player as the most worthy and reliable.
