Media Player · Windows 10 and 11
Play MKV files on Windows
MKV is a box that can hold any kind of video, several sound tracks, subtitles and chapters, which is why some apps refuse it or play it without sound. Octoolo's Media Player opens it, lets you pick the language and subtitles, and repackages it as it plays without changing the file.
How to play an MKV file
- 1
Open the Media Player
Open Media Player in Octoolo. The first time, it downloads FFmpeg (77 MB) and keeps it.
- 2
Drop the MKV in
Drag the file onto the window, or press Open files. It plays at once; the line under its name says how.
- 3
Choose the language
Press Sound track, the note button on the bar, and pick a track. Each shows its language, its name and its channels (stereo, 5.1).
- 4
Turn on subtitles
Press Subtitles and pick one of the file's own, or an SRT or ASS file beside it. Forced and default subtitles come on by themselves.
Why MKV files play without sound elsewhere
The picture inside an MKV is usually H.264 or HEVC, which most computers decode easily. The sound is often what fails: films keep their Dolby Digital (AC-3), Dolby Digital Plus or DTS tracks, and not every app or browser engine can decode them.
The Media Player looks at each stream. A picture your PC decodes is passed on as it is; sound it cannot decode is turned into AAC as it plays, mixed down to stereo. The film keeps its full picture quality, the computer does very little work, and the MKV itself is never changed.
Sound tracks, subtitles and chapters
- Sound tracks: switch at any moment; the film carries on from the same place in the new language.
- Subtitles: the MKV's own text subtitles (SRT, ASS, WebVTT) are read out of the file the first time you pick them. Picture subtitles from Blu-ray and DVD (PGS, VobSub) are listed but cannot be shown yet.
- Chapters: marks on the seek bar, the chapter's name beside the time, and a Chapters menu to jump between them.
Need subtitles that are not in the file? Put an SRT next to it with the same name, or press Add subtitles….
When you need an MP4 instead
Playing never changes the file. If a TV, a phone or a website needs MP4, MKV to MP4 in Convert video files copies the streams into an MP4 in seconds when they fit, and re-encodes only what does not. To keep only the sound, see MKV to MP3.
Questions, answered
Is my MKV converted or changed?
No. It is read as it plays and never written to. Nothing is saved on your disk while you watch.
Will a 4K HEVC MKV play?
Yes. If your PC decodes HEVC, the picture is passed on as it is. If not, it is turned into H.264 as it plays, on your graphics card when it has an encoder, at up to 4K (1080p when the processor does the work).
Can I skip to any point of a long film?
Yes. Click anywhere on the seek bar: FFmpeg starts again from there, usually within a second or two.
Why is there no sound track menu?
The menu shows only when the file has more than one sound track.
Does it play MKA (Matroska sound) files too?
Yes. They play like any other sound file, with their tags.
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