VLC Won’t Play MKV? Main Reasons & How to Fix VLC Playback Issue

Does VLC Support MKV Format

Yes. VLC supports MKV files along with MP4, AVI, ASF, M2TS, MOV, and other video formats. However, VLC may sometimes fail to play an MKV file or experience issues such as no sound, choppy or skipping video, missing subtitles, a black screen, sudden stops, or crashes.

Why VLC Won’t Play MKV Files?

• Outdated VLC version: If you’re using an out-of-date version of the VLC media player, you might encounter some issues when playing videos.
• Missing codecs: If the required codec for MKV is missing from the VLC media player, VLC won’t play the file because it can’t identify the video or audio codec.
• The MKV file is corrupted: VLC won’t play MKV files if the file itself is damaged.
• Improper playback settings in VLC: Improper playback settings in VLC can also be the reason for VLC not playing MKV, such as hardware decoding.

It must be disappointing when VLC won’t play your MKV files or has problems during playback. To help you play MKV videos smoothly in VLC, you can try the following tips.

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How to Fix VLC Won’t Play MKV Files Issue

• Close and Restart VLC
• Update VLC to the Latest Version
• Increase the File Caching Value
• Change the Video Output Setting
• Disable Hardware Decoding
• Disable MKV File Preloading
• Install VLC Codec for VLC
• Convert MKV to MP4
• Use Another MKV Player
• Repair MKV Files
• Reinstall VLC

Fix 1: Close and Restart VLC

When VLC isn’t working properly, you can close it and restart it. When it has issues playing MKV files, the simplest solution is to restart it and try again.

Fix 2: Update VLC to the Latest Version

If you haven’t updated the VLC media player for a long time and are still using an older version to play MKV files, try to update VLC to the latest version to fix the problem.

To update VLC, open this application, click Help in the top menu bar, and select Check for Updates.... If a new version is available, click Yes to continue.

Fix 3: Increase the File Caching Value

If the playback is choppy or skips when playing MKV in VLC, you can increase the file caching value to fix the issue. Follow these steps:

1. Open the VLC media player and select Tools > Preferences.
2. In the bottom-left corner, select All for Show settings
3. Click Input / Codecs under Advanced on the left side.
4. Scroll down and go to the Advanced section and change the value of File caching (ms) to a higher value, like 1000. Click Save to save your changes.

After that, restart VLC and open your MKV file and check if it can play MKV video files correctly. If not, continue to try the next method.

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Fix 4: Change the Video Output Setting

Follow the steps below to change the video output settings in VLC.

1. Launch the VLC media player, and click Tools > Preferences.
2. Click the Audio tab at the top, make sure the Enable audio option is selected, and click Save.
3. Move to the next Video tab, make sure the Enable video option is selected, change the Output setting from Automatic to OpenGL video output, and click Save.

Fix 5: Disable Hardware Decoding

When VLC won’t play MKV files, you can disable the hardware decoding feature in VLC to make this application work better. This might also fix the MKV file not playing on VLC.

1. Open the VLC media player and click Tools > Preferences.
2. Click All in the bottom-left corner.
3. Expand the Input / Codecs tab, click Video codecs, and choose FFmpeg.
4. On the right side, change the Hardware decoding setting from Automatic to Disable.
5. Click Save to save your changes. Relaunch VLC and load your MKV file again.

Fix 6: Disable MKV File Preloading

Another possible solution to MKV file playback issues is to disable MKV file preloading in VLC. Here’s how:

1. Open the VLC media player and click Tools > Preferences.
2. Click All at the bottom left corner.
3. Click on the Input / Codecs tab, click Video codecs, and choose Demuxers > Matroska.
4. Deselect Preload MKV files in the same directory on the right side, and click Save.

Fix 7: Install VLC Codec for VLC

When you’re trying to play MKV in VLC, if an error message says VLC could not identify the audio or video codec. You can install the MKV codec for VLC to address the issue.

K-Lite Codec Pack is recommended here to install new codecs. It has a collection of video and audio codecs for Windows to help users play various video and audio formats that are not supported by the Windows operating system.

Fix 8: Convert MKV to MP4

Fast steps:

• Install MiniTool Video Converter
• Import the video
• Choose the MP4 output format
• Convert and find the video

Alternatively, you can convert the MKV file to another format like MP4. To convert MKV to MP4, you can try MiniTool Video Converter. This software allows you to complete various conversion tasks between video and audio files.

MiniTool Video Converter is simple to use and won’t add a watermark to your video.

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• 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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1. Install MiniTool Video Converter

Download and install MiniTool Video Converter on your PC. After installation, launch it.

2. Import the video

Click the Add or Drag files here to start conversion area to browse for the video you want to convert. Select this file and click Open.

3. Choose the MP4 output format

Click the gear icon. Then, go to Video, click on MP4, and choose HD 1080P.

4. Convert and find the video

Click Convert to start the conversion task. Once done, go to the Completed tab and click the folder icon to locate the converted file. Then, open the MP4 file with VLC.

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Fix 9: Use Another MKV Player

When the VLC media player can’t play your MKV videos, you can try other MKV players like 5K Player, KMPlayer, and more.

Please note that if you want to use Windows Media Player to play MKV, you have to install an MKV codec on your PC, or you can’t play MKV in Windows Media Player, as MKV is not a format supported by Windows Media Player.

Fix 10: Repair MKV Files

If you still can’t play the MKV file with other media players, that’s probably because the MKV file is damaged. Repair it to fix the VLC not playing MKV problem. You can directly use VLC to fix the corrupted MKV file. Here’s how:

• Open the VLC media player and click Media > Convert/Save.
• Click +Add to add the corrupted MKV file and click Convert/Save.
• Choose a profile like Video – H.264 + MP3 (MP4).
• Browse for the folder to save the video and click Start.

In addition, you can use other video repair tools like Stellar Video Repair software to fix corrupted MKV videos.

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Fix 11: Reinstall VLC

To fix VLC not playing MKV, you can also uninstall and reinstall the VLC media player on your computer.

How to Fix VLC Pixelated MKV/AVI/MP4

When playing MKV, AVI, or MP4 files in full-screen mode, the video may become pixelated. Try these ways to fix it:

• Disable Hardware-Accelerated Decoding
• Change the VLC Buffer Settings

Way 1: Disable Hardware-Accelerated Decoding

Fast steps:

• Open VLC Preferences
• Reset VLC preferences
• Restart VLC
• Disable hardware-accelerated decoding
• Save the changes

1. Open VLC Preferences

Open the VLC media player and click Tools > Preferences.

2. Reset VLC preferences

Click Reset Preferences in the bottom-left corner and click OK.

3. Restart VLC

Close VLC, restart it, and click Tools > Preferences.

4. Disable hardware-accelerated decoding

Click on the Input / Codecs tab, click the drop-down menu next to Hardware-accelerated decoding, and choose Disable.

5. Save the changes

Click Save to save your changes. Relaunch VLC and try to play your video again.

Way 2: Change the VLC Buffer Settings

Fast steps:

• Open VLC Preferences
• Open Stream Output Settings
• Increase the Stream Output Muxer Caching

1. Open VLC Preferences

Open the VLC media player and select Tools > Preferences.

2. Open Stream Output Settings

Select All in the bottom-left corner and click on Stream output.

3. Increase the Stream Output Muxer Caching

In the right menu, change the value of the Stream output muxer caching (ms) to 1500, and click Save.

Way 3: Change the Video Output Module

Fast steps:

• Open VLC Preferences
• Open Output Module Settings
• Select OpenGL Video Output

1. Open VLC Preferences

Launch the VLC media player, and go to Tools and Preferences.

2. Open Output Module Settings

Click the All switch, expand Video options, and choose Output modules.

3. Select OpenGL Video Output

Set the Video output module setting to OpenGL video output, and click Save.

Hope the 3 methods can help you resolve the VLC player pixelated video issues. Alternatively, you can use other video players to play your video.

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Conclusion

When VLC won’t play MKV files properly, you can try the above ways to fix the MKV file not playing in VLC, whether VLC stops playback or pixelates the video file. Hope these solutions can help you enjoy smooth playback.

Finally, if you have any problems while using MiniTool Video Converter, you can contact the MiniTool support team via support@minitool.com.

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