How to Play MKV Files on Mac with 5 Mac MKV Players

Matroska video files, commonly known as MKV files, are widely used for their ability to store high-quality audio, video, and even subtitles in a single file. However, unlike Windows users who enjoy broad compatibility with various formats and codecs, Mac users often face challenges when trying to play MKV files. This is because macOS doesn’t natively support the MKV format, leaving many users searching for a reliable and best Mac MKV player. To help you out, we’ve compiled a list of the top 5 tools that will play and convert MKV files on your Mac.

Part 1: Can You Open MKV Files on Mac

MKV is an open-source format and relies on codec that aren’t integrated into macOS. So in short, no, you can’t open or play MKV files on a Mac using the default media playback tool, i.e., QuickTime player. It supports only video formats such as MOV and MP4. If you want play MKV file on Mac, you have to turn your attention towards third-party tools.

Part 2: How to Play MKV Files with 5 MKV Players on Mac

Let’s now move on to the part you’ve all been waiting for eagerly. To play MKV files on Mac, we have provided 5 useful tools below.

• 1. Play and Convert MKV Files with Edimakor

  HitPaw Edimakor is an amazing tool. While its main domain is being a video editing tool powered by AI, we can’t overlook the fact that it has other functions too. Edimakor is not only an MKV format player for Mac, but also allows you to change convert MKV into other formats, and even edit the MKV video if needed.

  

  

  

  • Step 1. Install HitPaw Edimakor on your Mac. Once installed, launch Edimakor and click on Create a Video. Next, import the MKV file you want to play on your Mac.

  • Step 2. You’ll see a small mini player in the centre. Click on Play to start the video, and if you want to view it in full screen, click on the full screen button.

  

  • Step 3. You can also edit the video file if you want. And many users want to convert MKV to other formats like MP4, MOV, WEBP, and etc. To do that, click on the Export button in the top right corner of your screen.

  

  • Step 4. Change the format to MP4 or others you want, and you can also adjust the resolution and other settings. Then hit Export.

• 2. Play MKV Files with VLC

  The second method on our list is using VLC Media Player. This tool doesn’t exactly need much introduction. VLC is a free and easy-to-use media playback tool that supports almost all of the modern formats. To open MKV on Mac with VLC is very easy. Just follow the directions below:

  1. Download and install VLC on your Mac computer. Once installed, drag the VLC Media Player icon to the Applications folder.

  2. Now double click to open the MKV file, and it will automatically open with VLC, or right click on your MKV file, go to Open with and choose VLC.

  

• 3. Play MKV Files with Elmedia

  Elmedia is third MKV Player on Mac here. It actually supports more than 70+ audio and video formats . With advanced playback and streaming options and the ability to cast to Chromecast, Roku, AirPlay and DLNA compliant devices, Elmedia is a great option.

  Install Elmedia on your Mac. Setup is required when you launch Elmedia for the first time. Open Elmedia, drag and drop the MKV file onto Elmedia and it’ll automatically begin playing the video.

  

• 4. Play MKV Files with MKPlayer

  If you’re looking for a simple video playback tool that allows you to watch videos, then you should choose MKPlayer. Install and set up MKPlayer on your Mac computer. Now, go to your MKV file, double click on it or right click to open the options and go to Open With > MKPlayer. Your MKV movie file should now begin playing seamlessly.

  

• 5. Convert MKV Files with HandBrake

  Last on our list of Mac MKV Players is HandBrake. One thing should be kept in mind is that you can’t really play a video on HandBrake as it’s not a video playback tool, rather a video transcoder that will convert your MKV files to MP4 or MOV that is compatible with macOS.

  1. Download HandBrake on your MacOS, launch it and import the video.

  2. Click on Format and choose MP4 as this is playable with MacOS default video playback tool i.e., QuickTime Player.

  

  3. Click on the Start button to convert. Once converted, the file is saved to the selected destination folder. And you can play it with QuickTime.

Part 3: FAQs on Mac MKV Players

• Q1. Is MKV compatible with Mac?

  A1: No, by default, MKV isn’t compatible with macOS and Mac’s default video playback software, QuickTime, doesn’t support playing MKV video files.

• Q2. How to play MKV files with QuickTime?

  A2: If you want to play MKV files with QuickTime, you can’t do it without additional software. One way is to use a plugin like Perian, and the another way is to convert MKV to MP4 with tools like Edimakor.

• Q3. How can I watch MKV files on my Mac?

  A3: To watch MKV files on your MacOS, we recommend using Edimakor that can play the MKV file and convert it to a Mac-friendly format like MP4 or MOV.

Conclusion

Video files stored in MKV have better quality but what they lack is the native support of macOS. Although we can not directly play the MKV files on macOS, there are many MKV players for Mac, which cannot just easily play these files, but also convert them to other formats. In this article, we have explored all of the famous, free and ready- to-use tools like HitPaw Edimakor to play and convert MKV files on Mac.

HitPaw Edimakor (Video Editor)

• Create effortlessly with our AI-powered video editing suite, no experience needed.
• Add auto subtitles and lifelike voiceovers to videos with our AI.
• Convert scripts to videos with our AI script generator.
• Explore a rich library of effects, stickers, videos, audios, music, images, and sounds.