VideoLAN, VLC, VLC media player and x264 are trademarks internationally registered by the VideoLAN non-profit organization. VideoLAN software is licensed under various open-source licenses: use and distribution are defined by each software license. Feb 23, 2021 MKV Player is a free video and media player that’s basic in design and function, making it easy to use. The application is basic, providing only support for audio and video files that are stored as commonly used file types such as MP3 or MP4.

VLC is indeed a good MKV Player for Mac, it can almost play all video, however, if you want to sync your videos to other Apple products such as iPhone, Apple TV, iPad mini, you need to convert them to some proper formats, what i use is the Video Converter, it can convert all videos to Mac and other Apple products comptible formats. So, as it turns out, VLC media player isn't only limited to video playback. If you're looking to make the most of the program, try using it to convert videos too. Part 2: How to Fix: VLC Won't Convert MKV to MP4. VLC is free and open source media player featuring ability to process media files into various supported formats. VLC 2.0.10 is the best VLC media player for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. The version VLC 0.9.10 has proven to be the best fit for Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. For Mac OS X 10.3 Panther, the VLC 0.8.6i should be used.

Have some MKV video files and want to play them on your Mac? Here two free MKV players for Mac: VLC Media Player and MPlayer OS X are recommended to play MKV on Mac. These 2 great free media players not only allow you to play MKV on Mac for free, but also enable you to play virtually any regular formats. With them, you don't need to worry about can't playing any MKV videos on Mac any more.

Part 1. The Best Free MKV Player for Mac
Part 2. Play MKV on Mac by converting MKV to Mac acceptable format

Part 1. The best two free MKV players for Mac

1. VLC Media Player

VLC Media Player is one of the best free MKV player for Mac. Apart from MKV, it can also play various other regular video/audio formats, including AVI, WMV, MP4, MOV, FLV, MPEG, etc. and even DVDs and CDs. With it, you don't need to install any codecs or filters to play MKV videos on Mac. Just add the MKV videos to VLC playlist and play them on your Mac freely.

(Tips: If you don't want to install too many players on your Mac and want to watch MKV videos with iTunes or QuickTime player, you can take Aimersoft Video Converter for Mac to convert your MKV files to Mac compatible format. Learn how to convert MKV format on Mac>>)

2. MPlayer OS X

Media Player Classic is another great free MKV video player for Mac users. But to play MKV files with it, you need to first install the updated Matroska Pack: run Media Player Classic and click View > Options to disable Matroska and then install the latest Pack. After that, you can add the MKV videos to it and start playing them on your Mac without any troubles. In addition to MKV, MPlayer OS X can also play AVI, MOV, RM, MPEG, DVD, etc. files.

Though MPlayerOSX is powerful on playing any video files, it occupies large resources and may also sometimes crash. And another disadvantage is that you can't edit videos or embed subtitles to MKV movies with it. In this case, a versatile video editor and player are in need. Aimersoft Video Converter for Mac is such an excellent program that combines video converter, video editor, video player and video downloader. Read on to have a look at how to convert MKV videos to Mac friendly format.

Part 2. Play MKV with QuickTime or iTunes on Mac by converting MKV format

Since QuickTime and iTunes are perfect for playing videos on Mac, you may want to view MKV files on Mac with them. However, MKV format is not supported by neither QuickTime or iTunes. Luckily, there are some ways to make MKV playable in QuickTime and iTunes. What you need to do is to convert MKV on Mac to QuickTime supported MP4 or MOV format. To do this, you can use Aimersoft MKV Converter for Mac to help you. With it, you can easily convert MKV to MOV, MP4, M4V, AVI, WMV, ASF, FLV, etc. popular video formats on Mac while keeping the video quality. After the conversion, you ca easily play MKV using QuickTime on Mac.

Free download MKV converter for Mac:

The main interface of the Mac MKV converter is as below. As you can see, it can also serve as a good MKV player for Mac since you can preview the loaded video files on the viewing window.

1 Convert MKV to QuickTime or iTunes supported format

To convert MKV on Mac, simply click Add Video Files to import the MKV videos to the program. Then choose Video Formats and select MP4 as output format. When all the settings are done, press the Start button to convert MKV on Mac for playing and sharing the videos anywhere you like.

2Edit MKV files as you like

This video converter for Mac also allows you to edit videos as per needs. The supported video editing functions include trimming videos, rotate the video to fit different devices, append special visual effects, and adding movies titles.

Below is the video tutorial on how to convert MKV file format on Mac:

Download MKV converter for Mac:

Summary: find best MKV video player for macOS here after you read the unbiased review of top 6 free MKV media player.

Windows reportedly got the native support of MKV file format through the new built-in codec in the video app 3 years ago. While Mac seems to have no update plan for the open-source container format. This makes it hard to play MKV on Mac with its QuickTime player or iTunes, unless you download a MKV codec pack to ensure proper playback, especially when Quicktime component Perian has been discontinued for 6 years, failed to work with OS X Lion or later versions.

Calm down. Free MKV video player for Mac is your way out. Before reviewing the apps for playing MKV files on Mac, there is a word or two about the best MKV player for Mac, which shall:

• Support an extensive list of video/audio formats without any codecs installed.
• Cope with 4K/HD videos without bugs, time lags or slowdowns.
• Adjust parameter settings in a flash, such as manage subtitles, choose the track, etc.
• Come with intuitive Mac-style interface to play MKV at your fingertips.
• Be free of pops up, ads, malware or spyware.

Table of Contents

Top 5 Free MKV Players for Mac 2021

Since most posts focus the features while underestimate the user feedback and media sites review while compiling the best MKV media player for Mac list, here we do a new compilation and include the 2021 best free MKV player for Mac software, with their pros, cons, ratings and reviews all listed below.

1. 5KPlayer

User Rate: ★★★★★ | License: Free

When it comes to free MKV player for Mac in 2021, 5KPlayer is the one you can never miss. Despite of a newly emerged app, the lightweight app has ranked no.1 with the most Mac downloads on the tech sites CNET, receiving a chunk of thumbs up from customers worldwide for its ease of use and tremendous DVD/video/audio playback ability. Specifically, you can play Matroska videos all at your fingertips with perfect HD experience.

Except for supporting DVD, MP4, MOV, AVI, WMV, MKV, H.264, MPEG4, FLV, M2TS, AVCHD, 3GP, WebM, etc, the free MKV video player for Mac also adds the latest HEVC/H.265, VP9, etc into its supported list. That means it will be hassle-free to even play 4K MKV videos in HEVC on your Mac QuickTime. Extra features such as downloading MKV movies and mirroring are icing on the cake.

Pros:

• Minimalistic interface.
• Support UHD videos up to 4K/5K/8K.
• Support HEVC.
• Support online video download.

Cons:

• No problems found

2. VLC

User Rate: ★★★★★ | License: Free

VLC is a world-famous cross-platform free media player running on Windows and Mac. It accepts a wide range of formats, ranging from HD Matroska, QuickTime file format, MP4, OGG, AAC, to DVD, Blu ray, without having to install any extra codecs or filters. You can preview the MKV file you are downloading and experience a stable MKV video playback on your Mac, even it is damaged, incomplete, or unfinished. It also features abilities to add subtitles to MKV files, organize and operate the video/audio/subtitle tracks of MKV easily, loop or deinterlace MKV videos, etc. However, In our test of playing MKV files in VLC, we experience some problems like VLC stuttering or grey screen. You can click here to troubleshoot VLC won't play MKV error.

Besides serving as the best free MKV player for Mac, VLC is the first to support playing encrypted DVDs on Mac by using the libdvdcss library and is available to create screencasts, record the desktop and even convert MKV into various formats.

Pros:

• No additional codecs required.
• Free, open-source and cross-platform.
• Support Blu-ray playback.

Cons:

• Lack advanced music player features.
• MKV playback sometimes won't work.

3. Elmedia Player

User Rate: ★★★★ | License: Paid

Elmedia Player is not as famous as VLC but it remains my personal preference for the best free MKV player for Mac for the extensive support of nearly any video format imaginable, including FLV, SWF, WMV, AVI, MOV, MP4, MP3, MKV, MPG, etc, without extra codecs required.

Elmedia is much more than just a MKV video player for Mac that offers a friendly and pleasant Matroska video playback experience on Mac, it is a full-fledged media server app that can set your MKV video on the loop, manage the subtitles, convert Flash projectors to SWF and even make screenshots from the MKV video as PNG, TIFF or GIF, watch YouTube videos without ads, adjust playback speed, visualizes different events, tweak the brightness, contrast, saturation, etc.

Pros:

• Convenient video settings.
• Play online videos without ads.
• Build-in web browser.

Cons:

Mkv Player Mac Vlc Converter

• Doesn't support RTSP stream.

4. Mac Blu Ray Player

User Rate: ★★★★ | License: Free

Mac Blu-ray Player is put atop the list of 2021 best free MKV file player for Mac simply because it can play virtually any video file you throw at it, even for the oddball video formats, ranging from AVI, DVD, Blu-ray, Video CD, MOV, FLV, MPEG, AAC, MP4, MP3, to RMVB, AC3. You can watch videos of high definition up to 4K. That means you have no troubles playing MKV videos at 2610p, 1080p, 720p, etc.

With high compatibility with Mac version and proprietary hardware acceleration technology, it promises you an instant playback of MKV files even on the latest Mac OS, without burdening the RAM or CPU usage.

Pros:

• Play all file types, whether physical or digital.

Cons:

• High CPU usage required.

5. MPlayer X

User Rate: ★★★ | License: Free

MPlayer X delivers the perfect balance between simplicity and performance when it comes to play MKV on Mac, thanks to its Mac-style minimalistic interface. It's the best choice on Mac to play HD MKV videos, along with advanced subtitles in ASS format, supporting an impressive amount of imaginable file types and other uncommon formats like ASF, WebM, etc, without extra plug-ins or codec packs.

However, MPlayer X is reportedly bundled with virus and adware that harm your computer and consume a lot of CPU resources.

Pros:

• Pleasant Mac style view.
• Smart multi-touch control.

Cons:

• High CPU usage.
• Frequent system crash.
• No proper playlist feature.

6. MKPlayer

User Rate: ★★★★ | License: Free & Paid

Available in App Store, this MKV video player offers you with two options: free or paid for pro features. If you choose free version, you can free play MKV video files on macOS (macOS 10.10 or later). If you purchase MKPlayer with $4.99, the TV playback feature is unlocked. More pro features gets accessible after you finish in-app purchase at $6.99, including Safari Extension (easily open videos found on websites), MKV multi-track audio and multilingual subtitles playback and video adjustment feature (brightness, contrast, saturation...).

Pros:

• Play MKV video with multi-track audio and multi-track subtitles supported.
• AirPlay feature to stream MKV videos from macOS to TV for bigger screen playback.
• Conveniently configure video adjustment parameters

Cons:

• Pro features need to be paid.
• MKV video playback is not smooth (kind of jittered) sometimes and the audio would fade out every few seconds.
• Unable to move backward or forward in the file being played.

Mkv Player Mac Vlc Converter

Hope the afore-mentioned MKV video player freeware would help smoothly playback MKV multi-track videos without image or sound issue. You're welcomed to share your recommendations with us if you've ever used any better MKV player.