If you downloaded an MKV file, opening it with an earlier version of Windows Media Player 10 may not work. This is because previous versions of Windows Media Player did not support MKV files.
Even if you have a newer version of Windows Media Player installed, there is no guarantee that you still won’t run into problems. Your file can be loaded, but you can only hear the sound and the video will not be visible.
In this post, let’s see how you can use Windows Media Player to play MKV files. We will also talk about some alternatives for playing MKV files on Windows.
It is worth noting that MKV (Matroska Video) files are a container format for multimedia, not any compression format. They are mostly future oriented as they can contain video, audio and subtitles in one file with different encodings (H.264, H.265, MP3, AAC, etc.).
Convert the file to a format supported by your version of Windows Media Player
Convert the file to a format that your version of Windows Media Player supports
If the program can’t play your MKV file, one of the fixes is to make the file playable by converting it. So, in this case, switching from an acceptable format for Windows Media Player is an easy solution.
The file you are looking for has a .wmv extension. It stands for Windows Media Video and it is a video file based on Microsoft’s ASF (Advanced Systems Format).
So, what you need to do is find a reliable converter that converts your MKV file to WMV. Wondershare UniConverter is the tool you can use to do this.
- First, open the program and select “Add Files”.
- Go to the “Convert all files to:” section and select WMV as the output format.
- This tool is just one of many tools that can convert your MKV files to WMV files. You can also choose AVS Media Converter, Handbrake and others. All three tools are free of malware and spyware.
Use alternative media players
Use alternative media players
Windows Media Player is a great built-in media player. However, if it cannot play your MKV file, a quick solution is to use other media players.
The best option we recommend is to use VLC Media Player If you prefer a different media player, you can check the list on the Matroska website. They recommend other great media players as well, including MPC-HC and BS.player.
VLC Media Player
VLC is a free open source multimedia player that can play almost all multimedia file formats.
It also comes with a suite of tools that can enhance your viewing experience. This includes menus for media, playback, , and video.
- The first step to using the VLC media player. is to download and install the program.
- Then select the MKV file. Right-click it and select Open With.
- Select VLC media player. from the list.
- You can also launch the media player. Then go to the “Media” section and select “Open File” from the drop-down menu.
Install the codec
The last option, if you really want to play MKV files using only a media player like Windows Media Player, is to download the codec. CODEC, short for compression / decompression, is used to give a program the ability to play a file format that it does not natively support.
The main thing about CODEC “packages” is that they usually come from shady websites and install a bunch of malware on your system. The safest place to get the codec we need in this case is Ninite
It is a secure website from which you can download a lot of free Windows software without any bundled software. You can choose any other program you like, in addition to the CCCP option, which stands for Combined Community Codec Pack
It’s just a Windows codec pack that will let you play almost any video format, including MKV. Using one of the three above methods, you will be able to play MKV file on Windows without any problem.
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