More than once we have downloaded a YouTube video, either a tutorial or a song that we like very much and it turns out that after downloading when trying to play the file, it does not work due to a problem of compatibility with the player.
After investigating the reason for this situation we discovered that what we have downloaded is in Mastroka Video File format and simply the player we use is not able to open it.
That is why this time we will show you a bit how the files with MKV extension work, how to play them according to your computer, with which programs to open them and also how to convert them to others if necessary.
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What is it and what are formatted files used for? MKV?
A file that has the MKV extension at the end of its name, is a video and audio container file, hence the name without abbreviation of this format is Matroska, which refers to the name of the Traditional Russian dolls called Matrioska, as you uncover they leave more of the same model, but smaller.
The files have the particularity that a single file can contain one or more streams of video, audio and subtitles in unlimited quantities, which can cause the weight or size of the file to be higher than normal.
For example, when a single file has several audio and subtitle streams, it can be witnessed by users of different languages and nationalities, just choose the language in the preferred player.
Another feature is that since it is a multimedia container file and not a multimedia file as such, what developers are looking for is that it becomes a universal format, and this allows the different videos contained are in different extensions.
How to open and play .MKV format files on smartphones or computers?
Next we will see how we can play a file in MKV format according to our device and operating system.
On Windows PC
On Windows computers we should not complicate our lives, since the Microsoft team, in recent generations, has made sure that its default players are capable of running many video formats , among these the MKV extension.
All we have to do is have it updated and right click on the file in MKV format, we will click on “Open with” and select “Movies and TV”, but to avoid these steps we can only locate the file and double click on it to execute it immediately.
On Mac computers
On Mac computers there are several ways to play the files in MKV format, since Apple products are naturally not compatible with this format. The native Mac player is QuickTime MOV and although it is true that it does not play MKV, there are two small tricks that can help you reproduce this and many other formats with your native player.
The first thing you can do is download an earlier version of your player, which is the QuickTime MOV 7 version , this particular version if you can play them , so if you have no problem with having two versions of the same program then this is your solution.
The next way is to install a plugin that allows the native Mac player to reproduce these types of formats, all you have to do is enter the official website of Perian.org where you will find the plugin for free.
Once downloaded and installed, you just have to close the QuickTime MOV, in case you have it open, so that the program updates and assimilates the component. Finished this we can open our videos with this extension on the computer without any inconvenience.
On Android mobile phones
On a mobile device with Android operating system the thing gets even easier, this because we only need to download an application that meets the requirements and is able to play the format Matroska without problems .
For this task we have chosen the following application that you can find in Play Store for free, this works perfectly with SRT formats, perfect when watching a series or subtitled movie.
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The application is BSPlayer Free and just download it on our device to start watching videos in this extension.
On iPhone devices with iOS
When it comes to an iPhone or an iPad you just have to download from the App Store some multimedia playback application that is compatible with the Matroska format, because natively you will not be able to see this type of videos.
While there are too many apps of this type in the store that are capable of fulfilling the required functions, only a few can do it correctly, and there are fewer that we can find for free, so we have to recommend the next tool, PlayerXtreme, with which you can play files with the MKV extension. This is free and works perfectly on your iPhone or any iOS device.
List of the best applications and programs with alternative videos .Mkv format without cuts or breaks
Now we will show you a few options when playing files in Matroska format, alternatives that will be useful regardless of the operating system you have or the equipment you have.
Media Player Classic
This is one of the best media players that exist, it is capable of playing almost any video format and when it comes to MKV it is the best, you can even say that this It is its native format. It is currently an open source project and accepts a large number of codecs external to it.
VLC Media Player
This is a monumental video and audio player compatible with any device and operating system, developed by Video LAN . Its people are constantly working to deliver a product with all possible codecs, can play virtually any video and audio format, among these is the Matroska.
BS Player
Another excellent player very useful in both mobile phones and computers when playing videos and audios in different formats. It was launched by the Webteh company and is a very robust one, compatible with MKV and many others.
Cyberlink Power DVD
PowerDVD was designed as the name implies for reading and playing DVDs, but as everything in the industry changes are on a daily basis, and the people of Cyberlink in view of this panorama he did not want to be left behind, that is why this is an excellent program to watch movies and series that are in MKV format.
Real Player
It is an open source program and an excellent universal range video and audio player, functional with many formats and operating systems. It was launched in 1995 and since then is an icon in terms of movies and videos refers.
How to convert videos with .MKV format to .MP4 or. AVI quickly and for free?
To convert files in MKV format to any other format such as MP4, we only have to access a free online converter from this link and once we are there we will click on “Add your files” and choose the one you want from our computer.
As we see in the image, the option to convert to MP4 is already predetermined, so you don’t have to do anything else, just click on convert and wait for the process to run. 
Now to do it from MKV to AVI format we just have to go to the following link of the same people from Online Uniconverter and repeat the same procedure. As you can see the option is already predetermined, in this case it is converted to AVI.
This is the best and fastest way to convert files in MKV format to others for free.