How to Play MKV on Mac in QuickTime [or Other Ways]

The Matroska or also known as the MKV file format is known to be one of the most popular formats of videos there is nowadays. Through this format, you will be able to watch any videos or movies in HD or high definition. This is actually the reason as to why those HD files that contains 720 or 1080 pixel are commonly made on a .mkv file extension.

How to play MKV on Mac? For Windows devices, it can easily play MKV file format because of the reason that it has the built-in codec. But does Apple support MKV files? Not, MKV can't be supported on iOS. For a Mac to be able to play an MKV file format, you will be needing some options in order for you to do. Some of these options are the following.

• Getting a Plugin for your Mac’s QuickTime.
• Getting a third-party application.
• And lastly, converting your MKV file format into a format that is compatible with your macOS.

So, for you to know more about how to play MKV on Mac, here are some of the best ways that you can definitely consider doing.

Contents: Part 1. Does VLC Support MKV on Mac?Part 2. Why Can't I Play MKV Files in QuickTime?Part 3. How to Play MKV on Mac Using Handbrake?Part 4. What Is the Best Video Player for Mac for MKV?

Part 1. Does VLC Support MKV on Mac?

The VLC media player is known to be as one of the most popular media players nowadays. And because it is consistent and its reliable work that comes with a wide range of formats and codec, its popularity just grow more and more. This media player is also capable with many different types of devices such as your macOS, Android device, Windows and iOS devices.

And for you to play MKV on Mac, then you can definitely download the VLC player and not needing to get any plugins to do the job. Here is what you need to do.

1. Go to the VLC website and download the most recent package available. Simply click on the “Download VLC” button and the process will then start.
2. Double-click on the package from Download folder to install it on your Mac.
3. Drag down the cone icon towards your applications folder and you will see a message on your screen.
4. From that message, hit on the “Authenticate” button from the pop-up message and the installation process will then start.
5. Enter your username and password if in need. After that, hit on the “Modify Settings”.

Then after completing all the steps, the VLC media player will then completely be installed on your Mac. And with that, you can play MKV on Mac using this player. And in order for you to do, all you have to do is to right-click on the MKV format video and then choose “Open with”. Then from there, just choose the VLC icon.

PROS:

• It can support a large variety of Plugins
• It comes with native support to use o MKV files.
• It has a Sleek UI

CONS:

• There are some issues with a 4K playback

Part 2. Why Can't I Play MKV Files in QuickTime?

QuickTime Player is one of the built-in applications that you can play MKV on Mac. This is known to be as one of the videos players that you can use to watch movies or videos. However, it is true that it actually has some lack of features that other video players have. That is why we will be needing a plugin to make this work on your Mac.

One plugin that we can use on QuickTime Player is the Perian and here is how you can use the Perian plugin with QuickTime Player to play your MKV file videos on your Mac device.

Step 1. Download the Plugin setup file from their official website.

Step 2. Then, view the downloads by hitting on the downloaded button from the tray. And from there, choose “Perian.dmg” to start the setup process.

Step 3. Then on your screen, you will see a message that says “Perian can’t be opened because it is from an unidentified developer”. You need to temporarily disable the barrier of your GateKeeper. Here is what you need to do.

• On your Mac, launch your Spotlight application located from your Apple menu.
• Then choose System Preferences.
• From there, choose Security & Privacy.
• Then, you will see an option saying “Allow apps downloaded from”. You will also see a button that says “Open Anyway”. So from there, just hit on that button.
• Then, just enter your Admin password and then hit on “Modify Settings”.

Step 4. One that you are done disabling your GateKeeper, you can launch the installer. So all you have to do now is to hit on the “Perian.prefPane” to start with the installation process.

Step 5. Then you can see a warning message on your screen. So from there, just simply click on the “OK” button for you to disregard it.

Step 6. Then you can close the window on your screen because the Plugin is already installed successfully.

PROS:

• There is no add on player needed.
• It is very easy to install on Mac.
• It is an open-sourced.
• It can convert your MKV file format to mp4 file format.

CONS:

• The loading process of the videos is a bit slow.

Part 3. How to Play MKV on Mac Using Handbrake?

While the first two ways that we have mentioned above is already great, there is somewhat a better option that you can do. And that is by converting your MKV file format videos to the format that is supported by your Mac device.

And with that, the Handbrake is one of the open-sourced tools that is actually commonly used for people to rip DVD videos. And at the same time, you can actually convert your MKV file format video to MP4 format which is supported locally by your Mac device.

And getting Handbrake on your Mac is very easy to do. Just follow the steps below.

1. Go to its official website and then hit on the download link to get the package for installation, click on the downloaded file from your Downloads folder.
2. After that, you will see its contents. Click on the Handbrake icon that you see on your screen.
3. choose the MKV file that you want to convert. Just hit on the option “Open Source” located at the upper left corner of your window.
4. Choose the preset and as well as adjust its duration. You can also make some edits such as on its filters, video, audios, dimension, and as well as the output of the file.
5. After that, hit on the Start button.

And once that the conversion process is complete, the file will then be automatically be saved on a certain folder on your Mac. Then, you can open the converted file and have it played on any video that you have on your Mac. Or, you can also send the video with the use of your iTunes to other devices such as your iPhone, iPad, and more.

PROS:

• You can convert two or more files at the same time.
• There are several presets offered.
• You can control the dimension, audio, and other aspects of your videos.

CONS:

• It can only convert files to MP4 format

Part 4. What Is the Best Video Player for Mac for MKV?

If you want to convert your MKV files quickly, even without losing quality, and you also want to edit the videos and play your files directly, you should use a powerful all-in-one tool - the iMyMac Video Converter.

The iMyMac Video Converter is not only made as a converter to convert your videos or audio files to another file format, but it is also made to have the ability to edit and play your media files.

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With this tool, you can simply convert, edit and play your MKV files on Mac or Windows PC. The iMyMac Video Converter can also let you stream your MKV files, converted or not, using their app.

If you are looking for ways to play your MKV file format video on your Mac, this post will show the best 4 ways how to play MKV on Mac. Hope they can help you!