Matroska Video

The Matroska multimedia container format is open source and was initially released in December 2002. It is similar to the .AVI , .ASF , and .MOV formats and can contain any number of video, audio, image, and subtitle tracks. Multimedia files that utilize the Matroska container format and store one or more video tracks are known as Matroska Video files and are distinguished by the .mkv file extension.

In addition to storing short video clips, TV shows, and movies, it has become popular in the anime fan-subbing community for saving multimedia with subtitles. The MKV format is especially helpful since it supports multiple audio and subtitle tracks in the same file.

NOTE: The Matroska name comes from the Russian Matryoshka doll, which contains numerous more miniature, nested dolls of the same shape.

You can open MKV files with various media players, including:

You can also create, edit, split, inspect, and mux/demux MKV files with MKVToolNix, a set of open-source tools developed primarily by Moritz Bunkus.

Many video conversion tools, including VideoLAN VLC media player , HandBrake, and Wondershare Video Converter Pro, can convert MKV files to other video formats. For example, VLC can convert MKV videos to:

Programs that open MKV files

Updated: March 17, 2026