MP4 is the most commonly used format in daily life because of its high compatibility with different systems of PC, all mobiles, and other portable devices. But if you want to enjoy movies with multiple video and audio tracks in high quality, you'd better convert MP4 videos to MKV files. Moreover, MKV files support external subtitles in different languages, which can provide a better viewing experience for you. In this case, this article will introduce 2 easy ways to convert MP4 to MKV format on Windows/Mac. Moreover, you can learn more about the differences between MP4 and MKV formats.
Part 1: MP4 V.S. MKV: What are the Differences between Them?
MP4 and MKV are both video container formats that contain many video, audio, and subtitle files. However, the codecs contained in these two formats are different, which makes them suitable for playing different kinds of videos. You can learn more about them and why should you convert MP4 to MKV format in the following table:
| Container Format | MP4 | MKV |
| Supported codecs | -video codec: MPEG, H.264/x264, H.265, HEVC -audio codec: AAC, MP3, AC3 -subtitle codec: only the text without any format | -video codec: almost all the video codecs, including XVID, VP9 with high quality -audio codec: almost all, including the lossless codec FLAC -subtitle codec: SRT, ASS, and any external subtitles |
| Supported media players | All media players on computer, mobiles, and chromes | Most media players on the computer |
| Pros and Cons | -compatible with all devices. -easy to be spread on the Internet. -limited video and audio codecs. -relatively has lower quality than MKV. | -support multiple video, audio, and subtitle tracks. -sometimes has higher quality than MP4 with special codecs. -high quality will make the videos larger. |
Part 2: The Best Way to Convert MP4 to MKV Videos Easily
- Convert MP4 videos to MKV files with simple clicks.
- Support more than 300 formats to import and export.
- Able to adjust the video codec, resolution, and frame rate to keep high quality.
- 30X faster processing speed to convert a batch of MP4 to MKV format in a few minutes.
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Step 1Download AVAide Video Converter for free on your Windows/Mac. Click the Add Files button to choose the desired MP4 videos. You can also drag and drop the desired files to add to this MP4 to MKV converter.
Step 2Click the Convert All to menu to choose the MKV format in the video list. Then you can choose the resolution according to your need. You can just click the Same as Source option to keep the original quality. To increase the video quality, you should click the Custom Profile icon and choose the XVID or HEVC codec and FLAC lossless audio codec.
Step 3Go back to the main interface and choose the desired storage path. Then click the Convert All button to start converting MP4 to MKV videos.
Part 3: How to Convert MP4 to MKV Format on Mac for Free
VLC Media Player is a video player that can also convert MP4 to MKV format for free on PC. Although it's a free MP4 to MKV converter with simple steps, it can't adjust the video resolution and other settings. If you don't care about the video quality, you can follow the next steps to convert MP4 to MKV videos with VLC:
Step 1Launch VLC Media Player on your Mac. Click the Media menu to choose the Convert/Save button to start the converting function.
Step 2In the popping-up window, you can click the Add button to select the desired MP4 videos. Then click the Convert/Save button to go to the next step.
Step 3Now you can choose the MKV format with the desired codec in the profile menu. After that, you should click the Start button to start converting MP4 to MKV through VLC Media Player.
AVAide Video Converter
The most comprehensive media converter to convert video & audio & DVD without quality loss.
Part 4: FAQs of Converting MP4 to MKV Format
1. How to convert MP4 to MKV files online for free?
There are so many online MP4 to MKV video converters for free, including Convertio, Anyconv, CloudConvert, etc. You just need to upload your files and do some clicks. But you should note that most free video converters don't support converting big MP4 files to MKV format online.
2. Do MKV videos have higher quality than MP4 files?
Not always so. Sometimes when MKV files are encoded by XVID or VP9 codecs that have high quality, the MKV files have higher quality than MP4. But MKV format also has H.264 codec as the MP4 format. Thus it depends on the codec.
3. Can I play MKV video on Windows Media Player?
Of course, you can. Most media players support playing MKV files on Windows/Mac. But if the MKV file is encoded by VP9, you should download the VP9 codec for Windows Media Player in advance. You can also try other professional video players, including VLC Media Player, PotPlayer, etc.
MP4 and MKV formats are both commonly used in daily life. When you download videos from websites, YouTube, and other platforms, you will find most videos are save in MP4 or MKV files. But when you want to enjoy movies in high quality but only get MP4 videos, you'd better convert MP4 to MKV format. And you have learned two easy ways through MP4 to MKV converters in this article.
Your complete video toolbox that supports 350+ formats for conversion in lossless quality.
