How to play MKV on Mac?

For the new Mac users, you might have below questions: Can you play MKV on Mac? How do I convert MKV files on Mac? How can I play MKV files on Mac QuickTime? What Mac apps can play MKV? What is the best MKV video player on Mac? Can VLC convert MKV to MP4?

You can get the answer to all of these questions in the article below. MKV is commonly used for playing high-quality HD 720p or 1080p movies and videos. However, by default, Mac OS doesn't support MKV file format and its codecs.

QuickTime can play mkv after you install Perian Plugin.

Perian, a QuickTime plugin, can help play MKV video files on your Mac. And it is an open-source plugin for QuickTime. After installation, you can open MKV files in QuickTime.

The only limitation is Perian only supports a specific version of QuickTime, like 7.6.6.

The best 3rd party Media Player on Mac

Plenty of great video players on Mac; they are the best alternative media player to QuickTime. Here is a few of them. You can also read The Best 6 Video Players for Mac to find the one suitable for you.

• Omniplayer is the most stable video player. It supports all video/audio formats and local streaming to the TV. You can mirror your video to your TV to watch it on a big screen. And other features like video/audio equalizer, subtitle auto-download, and picture-in-picture feature. Even the video recording to gif. This is the best of the best.

• VLC is the most famous video player in the world. Although the UI is very old-fashioned, the user experience is strange, but it is the most stable video player for all platforms, whether for Windows/Mac or Android/iOS.

• IINA, The modern media player for macOS, IINA is born to be a modern macOS application, from its framework to the user interface. It adopts the post-Yosemite design language of macOS and keeps the pace of new technologies like Force Touch, Touch Bar, and Picture-in-Picture. This is the description in the home of IINA, so you know this is an open-source tool to give a different experience on Mac.

• Other tools like MPlayerX, Elmedia Player, 5K Player, XBMC Player, etc. You all can find the package on the internet and have a try; it is almost the same as Omniplayer and IINA.

Video Converter converts the MKV to MP4, MOV, M4V, or any other format.

This is the alternative way to play MKV files. As we all know, QuickTime Player supports MP4 & MOV. You can use OmniConverter to convert the MKV files, and OmniConvert provides a default template for you to convert to any device's default format, like iPhone, iPad, or Mac. You do not need to figure out the detailed settings; choose what kind of device you want to play this media file, then you will set everything for yourself.

Conclusion

There are already plenty of solutions for you. Maybe five years ago, there was no qualified media player on Mac AppStore. Still, in 2021, all the apps in this article can play the MKV files without any issue on Mac.