Best MKV Compressor to Reduce the File Size of Your MKV File

MKV files are Matroska video files, an open-source container format that can store multiple video, audio, image, and subtitle tracks in one file. Although MKV offers high-quality playback, large files can be difficult to store or share. Compressing MKV can reduce file size and save storage space.

MKV compression reduces the file’s data rate and file size, making it easier to store or share. Codecs are used to compress video data.

Compress MKV File with MiniTool Video Converter

• Use the Compress Video Feature
• Change Video Encoding Parameters

MiniTool Video Converter is a free MKV compressor with no watermark. It provides two effective methods to reduce the file size of your MKV files. First, it includes a fast video compressor to compress MKV files with a few clicks. This application can also compress videos in bulk to save you time and energy.

What’s more, it also gives you options to adjust encoding parameters, including encoder, bitrate, resolution, and frame rate. Therefore, you can adjust these settings to reduce the size of your MKV file.

MiniTool Video Converter

• Batch convert video/audio files among 1000+ formats.

• Quickly compress videos for easy storage and transfer.

• Accurately extract subtitles from video/audio files.

• Effectively enhance video quality.

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Option 1: Use the Compress Video Feature

Fast steps:

• Download the MKV compressor
• Open the compression tool
• Import your video
• Modify compression settings
• Preview before saving
• Start compression

Follow the detailed steps to compress a MKV video with MiniTool Video Converter:

1. Download the MKV compressor

Get the free MKV compression software for your computer. Follow the installation steps to complete the setup.

2. Open the compression tool

When you launch the software, switch to the Compress Video tab.

3. Import your video

Click the Add or drag files here to start compression area to upload your MKV file.

4. Modify compression settings

Click the Settings icon to open the compression options. Here, you can:

• Adjust the compression level: Drag the red slider to increase or decrease the compression as needed to control your file size.
• Select an output format: MP4, MKV, or WebM.

5. Preview before saving

Click Preview to watch the compressed video. If satisfied, click OK to confirm.

6. Start compression

Click Compress to begin. Once finished, the video will appear under the Completed tab, where you can play it or locate it on your computer.

Option 2: Change Video Encoding Parameters

Fast steps:

• Import MKV into MiniTool Video Converter
• Open the output format window
• Start converting and compressing MKV

1. Import MKV into MiniTool Video Converter

Go to the Convert Video tab, click Add Files to upload your MKV file.

2. Open the output format window

After uploading a file, click the settings icon to open the output settings.

You can reduce MKV file size by changing the encoder and lowering the resolution, frame rate, or bitrate. To do this, click the MKV format and click the + Create Custom button to open MKV settings.

• Encoder: MiniTool Video Converter provides 3 encoders for MKV, including H.264, HEVC, and Xvid. Choose HEVC for the best compression and H264 for superior compression and versatile compatibility.
• Resolution: Higher resolution videos mean larger file sizes. So, you can decrease the MKV video resolution to make the file size smaller. You can directly choose a profile like 1080p or 720p from the MKV menu list.
• Frame rate: Frame rate represents how many consecutive images (frames) are displayed or captured within one second of the video. A video with a high frame rate produces a large file size. Similarly, you can convert it to a lower frame rate to produce a smaller file size.
• Bitrate: Bitrate is also an important parameter that affects video size and quality. A high bitrate means higher quality video, but also results in a larger file size.

3. Start converting and compressing MKV

Check the video file size. If satisfied, choose the output path to save the compressed file and click the Convert button to start the compression task.

Compress MKV Files with HandBrake

Fast steps:

• Download and install HandBrake
• Upload the MKV file
• Choose compression settings
• Choose the output location
• Start encoding

HandBrake is a free, open-source digital video file transcoder compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux. It can convert videos from almost any format to MP4, MKV, and WebM, encoded using various codecs. It can also compress video without losing quality. Therefore, HandBrake is also a great MKV video compressor.

Here’s how to compress an MKV file with HandBrake.

1. Download and install HandBrake

Go to the official website to download and install HandBrake on your computer. After the installation, launch the application.

2. Upload the MKV file

Click File to upload a single MKV file. If you want to compress multiple MKV files in a batch, click Folder (Batch Scan) to open them. Here, we take an individual MKV file, for example.

3. Choose compression settings

After entering the main interface of HandBrake, you can see various settings, which may feel a bit daunting. Don’t worry, you can do one of the following to shrink the MKV file size.

Option 1: Choose a preset

HandBrake provides a variety of profiles optimized for your device. You can use one profile to compress MKV for your needs. In the right Presets section, click General, Web, or Devices to find the desired profile.

If you want to still keep the video in MKV format, under the Summary tab, choose MKV, and expand Matroska to select an MKV profile.

Option 2: Select an output format and a codec

You can select MP4 or MKV under the Summary tab. Next, switch to the Video tab, expand the Video Codec drop-down menu, and choose from the available video encoders, which will magically compress the file so it consumes less space.

H.265 is more efficient than H.264, but some devices, media players, or services don't support it. Some of the codecs here use software to encode, and some use graphics cards to encode. Here, we select the software encoding H.265 (x265).

Additionally, you can change the frame rate under video codec, but we recommend setting the frame rate to the same as the source.

Furthermore, you can move the "Constant Quality" slightly to set a desired quality factor or reduce the encoding speed to produce a smaller file size.

4. Choose the output location

Click Browse at the bottom to select a new destination path and change the file name for your video.

5. Start encoding

Click the green Start Encode button at the top to start the encoding process. When it’s done, you can see Queue Finished in the lower-left corner of the app.

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Best Online MKV Compressors

Apart from these desktop MKV video compressors, online MKV compressors are also a good option to compress MKV without installing any software on your device. Here is a list of online MKV compressors.

• VEED.IO
• YouCompress
• Video2Edit
• Video Candy
• FreeConvert
• OnlineConvert
• Clideo
• Kapwing
• Compress2go
• …

These tools are easy to access and use, but the only drawback is that most of them have upload file size limits for free accounts. The desktop compressor mentioned above, like MiniTool Video Converter, has no such limitation.

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Conclusion

With these MKV compressors mentioned above, you can shrink the MKV file size by changing the format and encoder and reducing the resolution, bitrate, and frame rate. MiniTool Video Converter offers simple compression and customizable encoding settings, while HandBrake and online tools provide additional options.

Finally, if you have any questions while using MiniTool Video Converter, you can send an email to support@minitool.com for help.

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