How to play .mkv files in Windows

This article will guide you through the steps to play mkv music files in Windows.

There are two main methods that I will cover here. If you have used Windows Media Player Classic to watch movies, you may want to use it to test it. If you don't want to install another media player, you can use VLC.

Method 1: Use VLC to play .mkv music files

1. Download and install VLC. After installing, run it and select Media -> Open File .

2. Locate the .mkv file, select it and click Play

3. And then, your video will be played. Very simple, right.

Method 2: Use Windows Media Player Classic

1. If you used Windows Media Player Classic to make a music player, watch movies, you can also use it to play .mkv files, it takes more steps than VLC. When you try to open a .mkv file in Windows Media Player Classic, it may or may not play and has an error similar to the image below:

2. To resolve this issue, navigate to the Windows Media Player Classic option by selecting View -> Options . Here, select Internal Filters from the left window, and delete the checkmark in the box labeled as Matroska in the right window. Click Apply and then OK .

3. Now go to the Combined Community Codec Pack page , and download a package for your Windows version. The installer is very simple, just press Next and Continue a few times. When you come to a section that allows you to customize the installation, delete the check box in the box labeled Players - You won't need it.

4. At the Select Additional Tasks screen, uncheck all boxes except the Set Perceived Types box .

5. Make sure all FFDShow Video Decoders and FFDShow Audio Decoders boxes are selected.

6. At File Association , make sure that Windows Media Player Classic is selected, or if it is the program that is opened when you double-click the .mkv file, No Change will be selected.

7. The remaining step, select a .mkv file and double click on it. It will be played with Windows Media Player Classic.