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This article is intended to help any Mac user pick out an MKV player. The MKV format poses an issue to many player apps, since these files can contain unexpected video and audio codecs. Moreover, QuickTime won't open MKV at all. Here, you'll find a list of software that can open any MKV configuration and decode every available track. We also took player interfaces and additional features into consideration.
MacOS doesn’t support many video formats by default. In order to open MKV files, a suitable video player for Mac is needed. An .mkv can contain codecs from FLV, MP4, WMV, MP3, and many other media file types. For this reason, the best MKV players are the ones that include a large variety of decoders. Depending on your preferences, a smooth UI may also be necessary. One of our suggested solutions may be just the thing you need.
Elmedia Player is optimized to open any media format, whether it’s audio or multi-track video with subtitles. It’s the best MKV player to date for many reasons. Convenience is one of them - for instance, there are several options that enhance subtitle search, opening local files and finding new tracks on the web automatically. For easier seeking, the timeline features optional preview thumbnails, and Time Jump hotkey intervals can be adjusted.
Customization is key to this MKV video player. Sound and video can be changed to your liking. The 10-band equalizer is a sure way to make your music sound great on any hardware. Audio visualization is included as well. The video tuner provides a wide selection of options, from color correction to screen flipping.
Playlists can include music files and videos of any format. No restrictions apply, and it can be easily exported into a universal .m3u. Bookmarks are present, too, and they’re a great aid with lengthy albums, audiobooks, and movies.
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Make yourself comfortable and press play!
Elmedia PRO is required to access the Audio EQ, Video Tuner, automatic subtitle search, and several other features. But, most importantly, it enables simple AirPlay/DLNA streaming. With this upgrade, you can easily stream and screencast to a wide range of Smart TVs, WiFi dongles, and similar devices, letting you get the most out of your media.
There are many ways to open Matroska videos on Mac, since it’s based on an open-source codec that doesn’t need to be licensed. Are you trying to find the best MKV player for Mac? There are many MKV software solutions to choose from. Each app offers its own unique combination of features and interface elements, so each one is worth taking a look at!
It’s a simplistic MKV file player that doesn’t provide the same amount of playback options as the average app. However, UniConverter makes up for it with an arsenal of editing and conversion tools. Crop, cut, rotate, flip, and more - apply these effects and share, upload, or simply enjoy the results. The range of available encoders and quality settings will let you produce any necessary media file, as long as you have the original.
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Cons:
Developed by Digiarty, this media player is capable of opening most MKV files. The sleek interface is easy to navigate, making the numerous features more accessible. These include DLNA streaming and DVD playback. Sadly, there’s a serious downside: 5KPlayer behaves similarly to malware, showing ads and refusing to uninstall. Backup your data and be prepared to face some inconveniences if you decide to try the app.
Pros:
Cons:
For VLC, MKV player role is made possible by its long list of supported formats. Conversion and recording are possible in VLC, even if they are difficult to set up. It’s totally free and safe, and the options allow any user to fully change it to their own liking, including the interface. The same options serve as a source of trouble, due to their vast number and, sometimes, unintuitive descriptions.
Pros:
Cons:
PotPlayer is an MKV player with advantages similar to those of VLC: namely, universal compatibility and a massive variety of settings. It also suffers from the same drawback, with most of the complaints stating that it’s hard to navigate. But there’s also something else: PotPlayer is a commercial, freeware product. Formerly, it included ads, which could return in the future. The installer is also burdened with bundleware, so users need to be wary.
Pros:
Cons:
Cisdem is extremely simple, and mostly free. It perfectly fits the purpose of an MKV video player. If you’ve been a user of other players, Cisdem may prove disappointing, due to its lack of features such as audio/subtitle delay adjustment, playback speed, etc. This is offset by its reasonable cost, the lack of any ads, and conversion capabilities. And it performs well when decoding Ultra HD.
Pros:
Cons:
While AnyMP4 is mostly focused on disk images and DVDs, it is still useful as an MKV player. These file categories are equally hard to open, so it’s nice to have a player with increased compatibility for both. Due to its prohibitive price, AnyMP4 should not be used unless you explicitly need to open ISO images and Blu-ray disks, since most other players will deal with ordinary media formats for less.
Pros:
Cons:
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Top features
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VideoDuke
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Elmedia
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5KPlayer
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VLC
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Cisdem
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JustPlay
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IINA Player
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Omni Player
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Complete support for several video formats
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Complete support for several video formats
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yes (AVI, FLV, SWF, MP4, WMV, MOV, DAT, M4V, MPG, DivX, MKV.)
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yes (MKV, M2TS, MP4, AVI, WMV, FLV, etc.)
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yes (MKV, MP4, VOB, WMV, MPG AVI, etc.)
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yes (MKV, AVI, FLV, AVCHD, WMV, etc.)
|
yes (MP4, AVI, MOV, SWF, DAT, MKV, etc.)
|
yes ( AVI, MP4, FLV, SWF, WMV, MKV, M4V etc.)
|
yes ( AVI, MP4, FLV, SWF, WMV, MKV, M4V, etc. )
|
|
Plays many different audio formats
|
Plays many different audio formats
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yes (MP3, WMA, AC2, MKA, OGG, FLAC, AAC)
|
yes (MP3, AAC, AC3, WMA, FLAC, ALAC)
|
yes (AAC, AC-3, FLAC, MP3, ALAC)
|
yes (MP3, OGG, ACC, WMA, AIFF)
|
yes (FlAC, AAC, MP3, WMA, etc.)
|
yes (AAC,FLAC, MP3, WAV, WMA, etc.)
|
yes (AAC,FLAC, MP3, WAV, WMA, etc.)
|
|
Supports local file streaming of several different formats to TVs and other streaming-enabled devices
|
Supports local file streaming of several different formats to TVs and other streaming-enabled devices
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yes (PRO)
|
yes
|
yes
|
no
|
no
|
no
|
yes (PRO)
|
|
Create and edit playlists
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Create and edit playlists
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yes
|
yes
|
yes
|
no
|
yes
|
yes
|
yes
|
|
Features a video tuner
|
Features a video tuner
|
yes (PRO)
|
yes
|
yes
|
no
|
yes
|
no
|
yes (PRO)
|
|
Built-in audio equalizer
|
Built-in audio equalizer
|
yes
|
no
|
yes
|
no
|
yes
|
yes
|
yes
|
|
Includes support for Subtitles
|
Includes support for Subtitles
|
yes
|
yes
|
yes
|
yes
|
yes
|
yes
|
yes
|
|
Supports Picture-in-Picture
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Supports Picture-in-Picture
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yes
|
yes
|
yes
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no
|
yes
|
yes
|
yes
|
|
Enables screen recording
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Enables screen recording
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no
|
no
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yes
|
no
|
no
|
no
|
yes (PRO)
|
|
No-cost version
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Free option
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yes
|
yes
|
yes
|
yes
|
no
|
yes
|
yes
|
You can use free online services to convert .mkv videos to formats that can be opened in other players, including QuickTime. This is not a viable substitute for an MKV file player, however, since recoding can take a while, and the process is made even longer by the upload and download time.
Websites like video-converter.com are plentiful, so it’s best to look for another one if your current service is suboptimal. Each site has its individual restrictions on bandwidth, simultaneous conversions, max file size, and supported file types. Some of the better sites may limit the amount of daily conversions. Choose wisely!
MKV stands for “Matroska Video”. It’s a container format, which may hold audio, video, and subtitles. MKV is compatible with many different codecs, both lossy and lossless, but the container itself does not provide any compression.
Matroska formats are often chosen for their flexible metadata, which can incorporate anything, ranging from chapters to DVD menus. It’s not an established format like MP4 or WMV, but it’s likely to see mass adoption. For instance, Windows 10 ships with native .mkv support. Nonetheless, a third-party MKV player is still commonly required to decode the contents.
Pros:
Cons:
Despite its unusual nature, MKV is easily opened in modern media players. While choosing, your attention should be directed towards their level of comfort, additional utility, aesthetics, and such. Elmedia Player is balanced in this respect, so go with it if you aren’t certain. Watching .mkvs is also a good way to decide if you’d prefer this format when encoding. In the worst case, you can always convert your video library to MP4 or something else.
FAQ
MKV is natively supported on Windows 10, so all you need in most cases is Windows Media Player. It should be sufficient to open Matroska videos and switch between available tracks, but the odd interface may leave you wishing for a better app.
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