How-ToTech

7 Fixes for VLC Not Playing MKV Files in Windows 11

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.

7 Fixes for VLC Not Playing MKV Files in 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An outdated version of VLC lacks support for new codecs and can contain bugs.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.

open vlc

Step 2: Click on the Help option and select the Check for updates option.

update vlc

Step 3: Click on the Yes button and install the update.

install vlc 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.

rename folder of the mkv file

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.

Change the Extension to AVI 1

Step 4: Click on the Yes button to complete the extension change.

Change the Extension to AVI 2

Step 5: Open the VLC media player.

Step 6: Click on the Tools option. Select the Preferences option.

open preferences vlc

Step 7: Switch to the Input / Codecs section.

open inputcodecs in vlc

Step 8: Go to the ‘Damaged or incomplete AVI file’ option. Select the Always fix option.

fix Damaged or incomplete AVI file in vlc

Step 9: Click on the Save button.

fix Damaged or incomplete AVI file in vlc 2

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.

open preferences vlc

Step 3: Switch to the Input / Codecs section.

open inputcodecs in vlc

Step 4: Click on the All option under Show settings.

Increase the File Caching Value

Step 5: Click on the Input / Codecs option.

Step 6: Type 1000 in the ‘File Caching (ms)’ text box. Click on the Save button.

Increase the File Caching Value 2

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.

open preferences vlc

Step 3: Click on Hardware-accelerated decoding. Select the Disable option from the list.

Disable Hardware accelerated Decoding

Step 4: Now, click on the Save button.

Disable Hardware accelerated Decoding 2

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.

open preferences vlc

Step 3: Click on the Reset Preferences button.

Reset All Preferences in vlc

Step 4: Click on the OK button.

Reset All Preferences in vlc 2

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.

open control panel 21

Step 2: The Programs and Features window will launch. Right-click on VLC and select the Uninstall/Change option.

uninstall vlc

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.

open mkv file in vlc

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.


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