4 Ways to Fix VLC Not Playing MKV Files on Windows 11

Abhishek stuck to the Windows operating system ever since he bought the Lenovo G570. As obvious as it is, he loves to write about Windows and Android, the two most common yet fascinating operating systems available to mankind. When he is not drafting a post, he loves to binge OnePiece and whatever Netflix has to offer.

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Basic Fixes

Fix 1: Repair the MKV File Using VLC

The VLC media player has an in-built feature to repair damaged AVI files. By renaming a non-playable MKVextension fileto AVI, you can use VLC to repair and play it without errors.

Step 1:Press the Windows + E shortcut to open the File Explorer app, navigate to the folder containing the MKV file, and pressF2to rename it.

Step 2:Replace the.mkvextension with.avi, and press Enter. ClickYeswhen prompted to change the file extension.

Step 3:Open VLC, clickTools, and selectPreferences.

Step 4:Select theInput/Codecstab, set theDamaged or incomplete AVI filetoAlways fix, and clickSave. Double-click the video file to play it.

Fix 2: Increase the File Caching Value

If VLC isn’t playing MKV files, throwing an ‘unidentified codec: VLC could not identify the audio or video codec’ error, adjusting the file caching value should fix it.

Step 1:Open the VLC Media Player, clickTools, and selectPreferences.

Step 2:Select theInput/Codecstab and setShow settingstoAll.

Step 3:ClickInput / Codecsin the left sidebar, type1000in theFile caching (ms)option under ‘Advanced’, and selectSave. Retry playing the MKV video file.

Fix 3: Disable Hardware-Accelerated Decoding

Hardware-accelerateddecoding in VLC leverages your GPU to handle video decoding. However, this feature is known to create video playback issues. Disable it from the VLC app settings and retry playing the MKV file.

Step 1:Open the VLC media player Preferences (check the above steps).

Step 2:Click theInput / Codecstab, setHardware-accelerated decodingtoDisable, and hitSave.

Fix 4: Reset All Preferences

Lastly, if nothing works, reset all VLC preferences to fix MKV files not playing on Windows 11.

Step 1:Access the VLC media player Preferences.

Step 2:Select theInterfacetab and clickReset Preferences. SelectOKwhen prompted to confirm it.

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Last updated on 07 August, 2024

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