How to Play MKV Videos on Your iPhone or iPad

BY Rajesh

Published 3 Apr 2022

iOS 15 features

Did you ever want to play MKV videos on your iPhone or iPad, only to be prompted that your device doesn’t support them? Many of us have been in this frustrating situation at some point. However, the good thing is, there is a reliable workaround that allows you to watch MKV videos on your iPhone without hindrance. That’s exactly what we will talk about in this hands-on guide.

Several third-party media players allow you to stream MKV videos on your iPhone or iPad. However, the ones I have tried and found most efficient are VLC and AVPlayer. They are both available for free and support many video formats, including MKV. In this guide, I will walk you through the steps using the VLC app. So, make sure to download it before getting started.

Download

Play MKV Videos on your iPhone and iPad

Step 1: Launch the Files app on your iPhone or iPad and select your MKV video.

Tap the MKV video

Step 2: Now, tap the Share icon located at the bottom left corner of the screen. 

Tap Share button

Step 3: Next, select the VLC app in the share sheet. 

Voila! Your MKV video will start playing in the VLC app.

Select VLC app on iOS

Share MKV Videos Between Computer and iPhone/iPad

It’s also equally straightforward to share MKV videos between a computer and iPhone or iPad.

Step 1: Connect your iPhone/iPad and your computer to the same Wi-Fi network. Then, open the VLC app on your iPhone and tap the Network tab.

Select Network tab in the VLC app on your iPhone or iPad

Step 2: Now, turn on the toggle next to Sharing via Wi-Fi to generate a unique URL.

Turn on the toggle Sharing via WiFi

Step 3: Next, launch a browser on your computer, type this URL in the search bar, and press Enter

Step 4: Next up, you should see Add (+) icon on the resulting webpage. Click on the (+)  button to add the video file. 

Step 5: Now, wait for a few moments until your video has been successfully added to your VLC playlist.

Step 6: Finally, launch the VLC app and tap the Video tab in the bottom left-hand side corner of the screen. After that, tap the video you want to watch, and you are all set!


So, that’s how you can watch MKV videos on your iPhone or iPad. While it would be better if Apple made the stock Photos app compatible with this video format, many third-party apps fill the void. Do you have any questions related to this topic? If yes, we would love to help you out in the comments section.