by Christine Smith • Jul 23,2019 • Proven solutions
As many Mac users have noticed, they can't play or open MKV files on Mac. What's the matter? MKV is a free, open source container format that holds different types and unlimited number of video, audio, picture or subtitle tracks, making it unrecognizable by a single player like QuickTime. Then how to watch MKV files on Mac? Don't worry, we collect 3 methods for you to successfully play MKV Mac.
Part 1. Play MKV with All-in-one Wondershare MKV Player & Converter
Using the Best MKV player for Mac can allow you to watch the videos you want. The 5 Best MKV Players for Mac OS X to Download in 2016 Here are a total of 5 MKV players for you to choose from.
Without further ado, I'd like to recommend you Wondershare UniConverter (originally Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate), which combines MKV player and MKV converter into one allowing you to free play MKV, MP4, MOV and over 1000 popular video formats and easily convert MKV formats to other supported formats for playing back on any player.
1. Play MKV on Mac with Wondershare Free MKV Player
Step 1 Add MKV to Wondershare Free MKV Player
Open Wondershare MKV player, drag and drop your MKV video to the MKV video player. Then the added MKV file will be loaded in video thumbnail.
Step 2 Play .mkv on Mac
Move the mouse over the MKV video thumbnail, you'd see a Play icon in the middle just as the screenshot shows.
Click the Play icon and you'll see the loaded MKV video starts playing immediately.
2. Convert MKV to MOV or Other Formats Supported with Wondershare MKV Converter Mac
Here we take converting MKV to MOV as example, see the detailed steps below.
Step 1 Add MKV Files to Convert to MOV
Launch Wondershare MKV Converter Mac, click + Add Files to browse your Mac and add your target MKV video to the program.
Step 2 Choose MOV as Output Format
Click the icon beside Convert all tasks to: to get the full list of the output formats, select Video > MOV and choose a video resolution in the right.
Tips
If you have a lot of MKV files and want to play them on other Apple devices like iPhone, iPad or iPod, you'd better convert MKV to optimized device. In short, you can choose any format or device you want (most popular format or devices are also supported here).
Step 3 Convert MKV to MOV Easily
Hit Convert All or Convert to start converting MKV videos on Mac. Once the MKV conversion completes, you can click the folder-like icon beside Convert in the bottom to get the converted .mov file. Now you can freely play MKV video with QuickTime player.
Part 2. Convert MKV to Mac-compatible Formats with Free MKV Converter Online
Here is an easier way for you to free convert MKV to other supported formats on Mac. With the online MKV converter tool AConvert, you don't need to install any program but start MKV conversion directly online.
- Open AConvert, click on Video from the Control Panel located on the left side first.
- Click on File > Browse button to add your MKV file.
- On Target Format, click on the down arrow and search for MOV or other format.
- Click on Convert Now to initiate MKV conversion. Once finished, you can find the converted MKV files under Conversion Results.
Part 3. Install Perian Plugin for QuickIime to Play MKV on Mac
Perian is a free, open source QuickTime component that adds native support for many popular video formats like the MKV. When you've had Perian installed, you have to quit QuickTime completely and then restart it.
Note that you don't realy close the QuickTime Window, actually it's still running in the background. Since only that way, QuickTime can update its format and encoding library. See the detailed steps below.
- Download Perian for QuickTime and double click to launch it.
- Drag and drop QuickTime components to Perian.
- Restart all programs related to QuickTime, including iTunes, QuickTime Player, your browser, etc.
Now you'll find that QuickTime now can magically support more diverse video formats: AVI, DivX, DivX 3.11 alpha, XviD, MS-MPEG4 v3, 3ivX, MS-MPEG4 v2, MS-MPEG4 v1, Truemotion VP6, Sorenson H.263, FLV and formats that an AVI file contains--AC3, AAC Audio, VBR MP3, mpeg4, and h.264. In short, feel free to play MKV files on Mac.