VLC is undoubtedly one of the oldest yet most reliable media players available for Windows and many other operating systems. It is an open-source media player that supports almost all audio and video formats. However, some users encounter issues playing MKV files with VLC on Windows 11.
To that end, users report that while other video formats work fine, the MKV format doesn’t play at all, or only the audio plays. Corrupt video files, incorrect input or codec settings, and corrupt VLC installation can be reasons behind the unplayable video file. Try these seven methods to fix VLC errors and play MKV files seamlessly.
1. Update VLC
An outdated version of VLC lacks support for new codecs and can contain bugs. Now’s the time to update it if you haven’t in a long while.
Repeat the following steps:
Step 1: Press the Windows key to open the Start menu. Type vlc in the search bar and press Enter.
Step 2: Click on the Help option and select the Check for updates option.
Step 3: Click on the Yes button and install the update.
Step 4: Relaunch VLC and try to play the MKV file.
2. Rename the Folder Containing the MKV File
If the directory where MKV files are present has an unusually long name, VLC might face an issue in playing it. Some users fixed the issue by renaming the directory (folder) in which the files were present.
Right-click on the folder and select the rename option. Type a shorter name and press Enter to apply the change. You can also rename the MKV file if its name is too long.
3. Change the Extension to AVI
VLC can fix issues with AVI files by repairing them. But since you have an MKV file that doesn’t play, you must first change the file extension to AVI.
Repeat the following steps to repair the file in VLC:
Step 1: Press the Windows key + E to open the File Explorer.
Step 2: Navigate to the folder location of the MKV file.
Step 3: Click on the MKV file name and replace the .mkv extension with .avi. Press Enter.
Step 4: Click on the Yes button to complete the extension change.
Step 5: Open the VLC media player.
Step 6: Click on the Tools option. Select the Preferences option.
Step 7: Switch to the Input / Codecs section.
Step 8: Go to the ‘Damaged or incomplete AVI file’ option. Select the Always fix option.
Step 9: Click on the Save button.
Step 10: Play the MKV video file.
4. Increase the File Caching Value
If the MKV files still don’t play and you get the “unidentified codec: VLC could not identify the audio or video codec” error, try adjusting the file caching value. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Open the VLC media player.
Step 2: Click on the Tools option. Select the Preferences option.
Step 3: Switch to the Input / Codecs section.
Step 4: Click on the All option under Show settings.
Step 5: Click on the Input / Codecs option.
Step 6: Type 1000 in the ‘File Caching (ms)’ text box. Click on the Save button.
Step 7: Restart VLC and check if the MKV file plays or not.
5. Disable Hardware-accelerated Decoding
Hardware-accelerated decoding leverages your GPU to handle video decoding, but this feature can cause issues with playback in VLC. So, disable it and check if the MKV file plays or not. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Open the VLC media player.
Step 2: Click on the Tools option. Select the Preferences option.
Step 3: Click on Hardware-accelerated decoding. Select the Disable option from the list.
Step 4: Now, click on the Save button.
Step 5: Restart VLC and play the file again.
6. Reset All Preferences
You need to reset all preferences if you accidentally changed too many settings that caused the video playback feature to break. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Open the VLC media player.
Step 2: Click on the Tools option. Select the Preferences option.
Step 3: Click on the Reset Preferences button.
Step 4: Click on the OK button.
Step 5: Restart VLC to apply the changes.
7. Reinstall VLC
If it is corrupt, VLC can encounter errors and be unable to play MKV files or other formats. To fix this, you must reinstall it to remove the corrupted files and replace them with an updated version. Here’s how:
Step 1: Press the Windows key to open the Start menu. Type appwiz.cpl in the search bar and press Enter.
Step 2: The Programs and Features window will launch. Right-click on VLC and select the Uninstall/Change option.
Step 3: Follow the on-screen instructions to remove the program.
Step 4: Download VLC Media Player for Windows.
Step 5: Run the setup file and complete the installation.
Step 6: Launch VLC. Browse for the MKV file and check if it plays now.
Play MKV Files in VLC
These were the seven methods to fix the ‘VLC not playing MKV files’ in Windows 11. Try shortening the file name and rename it to AVI format. Adjust File caching settings and disable hardware-accelerated encoding. Reinstall VLC as a last resort. Do tell us which method helped you fix the error in the comments.