Skip to main content

How to convert MKV to MP4

While it’s not as popular as MOV or even FLAC files, you might occasionally encounter an MKV, or Matroska, file. When you’re dealing with subtitles on an audio or video track, an MKV file can come in handy.

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

5 minutes

What You Need

  • Internet connection

  • A PC

  • A web browser

When it’s time to convert an MKV file into something your device will support, like an MP4 file, it’s important to make sure you follow these steps to prevent any data loss.

The CloudConvert desktop website.
screenshot / Digital Trends

CloudConvert

The best way to convert an MKV file to an MP4 file is by using an online service. There are plenty to choose from, but we think CloudConvert is the best. It’s simple and supports a wide variety of file formats. It’s a hosted service, so you’ll have to upload your video files to their server. You may have privacy concerns, and if you do, you can simply use software to edit them on your own device.

Otherwise, you have the choice to immediately delete your file as soon as it converts. Just select the X icon next to the Download button to do so. Be warned that it can take up to 24 hours, but your videos should be deleted from their servers permanently.

Here's how to use CloudConvert:

Step 1: Go to the CloudConvert homepage and click Select file to choose a file from your computer. If you select the Drop-down arrow within the Select file button, you can choose from files you keep in Google Drive, Dropbox, or other storage options.

Step 2: Select the Arrow next to Convert to and then choose MP4 from the video formats list. Select the Convert button to start the process.

The MKV to MP4 Converter on CloudConvert's website.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 3: The conversion doesn’t take too long, and you know the process is done when the option to download appears. (CloudConvert may automatically playback your newly converted video for you, so that you can see if the conversion went well before you download the new file.)

Select the green Download button to download your new video. Once you download your MP4 file, you can use it on any compatible device or platform.

Online-convert.com's MKV to MP4 converter

Another online converter option we like is Online-convert.com's MKV to MP4 converter. It's just as easy to use as CloudConvert. Here's how to use it:

Step 1: Open up your web browser and go to the Online-convert.com's MKV to MP4 converter website.

The MKV to MP4 converter from Online-convert.com.
screenshot/Anita George / Digital Trends

Step 2: Select the Choose file button to pick a file from your PC. Or you can select the Down arrow to the right of Choose file for more upload options, such as: Dropbox, Google Drive, or uploading from a URL.

Step 3: Once your MKV file is uploaded, you can either immediately select the green Start button to begin your conversion or adjust the optional settings below and then select Start.

(These optional settings include picking a preset, changing the screen size, adjusting the bitrate, or even trimming the video.)

Step 4: Once your MKV file is converted to MP4, you'll be presented with the Done page, which features several ways to save your new MP4 file, including uploading your file to a cloud storage service or downloading your file to your PC.

To download your file, select the green Download button. Your new file should immediately appear in your PC's Downloads folder.

Editors' Recommendations

Kizito Katawonga
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kizzy brings four decades of gaming, technology, design and geek culture to Digital Trends. He writes about games and the…
How to change the default apps on a Mac
Change your Mac’s default apps in three easy steps
MacOS Catalina Hands-on | Macbook Pro

Apple products come loaded with software designed to work seamlessly with the macOS operating system. For example, Safari is the default software used to load websites, Preview is used to view pictures, and Pages will open documents. But if you're not a fan of the built-in software, Apple doesn't lock you into using it. However, you'll need to know exactly where to look if you want to change the default apps on a Mac.

Thankfully, the process is largely the same whether you're running macOS Sonoma 14, Ventura 13, or other macOS versions. It's also easy to reverse the process and go back to using default apps.

Read more
How to change file associations in Windows 11
Windows 11 set up on a computer.

Have you ever tried to open a file in Windows, only for the completely wrong application to fire up and start loading it? That’s pretty frustrating, right? Well fortunately, there’s a cool little workaround we’d like to teach you that will prevent this issue from occurring altogether. Your key to success is a setting called file associations, and we’re going to teach you where to access this tool, and how to use it.

Read more
How to convert Google Slides to PDF
Google Slides with a PDF image on a MacBook.

Google Slides is very convenient, but sometimes a PDF is more useful. Luckily, you can save a Google Slides deck as a PDF from both your computer or when you use the smartphone app. The format is more universal. You can easily print a PDF or even throw it into your custom GPT to have conversations based on the contents. The best part is that you can convert any Google Slides file into a PDF easily using these instructions.

Read more