[Newly Update] How to Compress MKV Files Without Losing Quality

Better quality always means bigger sizes when it comes to video and audio formats. As compared to mp4 which is widely accepted because of its compatibility and compressed size, MKV is of better quality with the ability to contain more than one audio and subtitle track. However, this means that sharing, uploading, or downloading MKV files becomes a nightmare. Different social media have their video size limits, so, there is a need to know how to compress MKV. If you enjoy watching your videos in high-quality, then you need to know how to compress MKV without quality loss. This article highlights a few of the best MKV compressors for Windows and Online to compress MKV video without loss in quality.

Compress MKV Files With EaseUS Video Converter

EaseUS Video Converter is a powerful video editing tool with great compressing capacity. This audio converter works with hundreds of different audio formats, including MP3, M4A, MAV, M4R, AIFF, APE, FLAC, ACS, AAC, OGG, AMR, MP2, etc. Whether you want to convert audio to audio or extract audio from video, it will be your great choice.

 

Free Download

Windows 11/10/8/7

 

Free Download

macOS 10.13 or later

Also, this media converter makes 8k/5k/4k/HD video conversion a piece of cake. By decoding and encoding videos with advanced conversion technology, it enables flawless video conversion – the converted videos can maintain 1:1 or get higher quality than the original files. In addition, this video converter can also convert multiple video files simultaneously to save your time and efforts.

For example, you may follow these simple steps to compress MKV files:

Step 1. Launch EaseUS Video Converter on your computer, and then click “Video Compressor.” 

Choose Video Compressor

Step 2. Click “Choose Files” to select one or multiple video file(s) you wish to compress. 

Add files

Step 3. Click the “File Size” option from the bottom menu bar to choose the file size you want. You can change the saving path by clicking the down arrow icon next to “Save to. Then, click “Compress” or “Compress All” to compress your video(s).

Choose file size

Step 4. Once done, you can check and view your converted files in the “Finished” tab. 

Compress completed

Compress MKV Video Files with Handbrake

Handbrake is an open-source video converter and compressor, and although it doesn’t have any overly advanced features it has just simple features that can convert and compress videos well and quickly and without loss in quality. Handbrake video compression deals with compression at the codec level. So, when compressing or converting, it is better to just stick to the steps and not mess with any of the settings else you might lose a lot of video quality.

To Compress Video with Handbrake:

Step 1. Upload Video

The home screen of Handbrake has the instructions to upload video, you can drag and drop video or a whole file folder.

Step 2. Set Compression settings

Go under “Video” select Video codec and change to h.265; h.265 has a better compression rate and better quality enhancement than the fairly common h.264. You can also use any of the compression presets available.

Step 3. Start Encode

Click on the preview to see if the settings are just as you want them. Rename and change the save location at the bottom of the screen. Click on Start Encode and wait for the compression to finish.

handbrake

Reduce an MKV File to a Smaller Size in VLC Media Player

VLC Media Player is well known among movie lovers as one of the best video media players out there. It is available on most of the popular platforms. However, its features when it comes to video editing are a bit lacking, although it does compression well for software that was not mainly made for video editing. Its compression involves editing the MKV video codec, so you can be sure that there is only little quality loss, barely even noticeable most times. The compression speed is okay and the upload speed is at least fast. The best part is, it supports upload of the same number of formats supported by VLC, and we know VLC supports almost all video formats and some major audio formats.

To Compress MKV using VLC:

Step 1. Upload Video

To start, click on Media, then Convert. In the next pop-up box, click on Add and select your video from your local disk.

Step 2. Change Resolution

You can upload as many videos, when you are done, click on the arrow beside Convert/Save and select Convert from the options. Next, click on the settings icon and go to Video Codec>Resolution on the next screen. Downscale the resolution and click on Save.

Step 3. Compress

To change save location, click on browse and select a save location. Click on Start to begin to compress the MKV video file.

vlc

Make an MKV File Smaller with Online Compressors

If you just want a casual MKV compressor for simple video compression, then use online tools. They work completely online and do not require you to download any software. Regardless of their limited capabilities, they still perform well and some perform on the level of standard video editing software. You can try;

1. VEED.IO

VEED.io is without a doubt one of the leading online video editors. It can convert, compress, and edit video and audio. The compression option is a bit more advanced than most online converters. It has features like “pasting URL” which makes it easy to upload and compress video from any website. What’s more? VEED.io uses the drag and drop feature so you can just pick the video from your file explorer and drop it in the VEED.io interface and start editing.

veedio

2. Clideo

Clideo is another rare online video compressor that can compress video to at least 70% of its original size. It supports over 50 formats and has a breakneck compression speed, although uploading might take a little time depending on your video size. You can upload videos from your local drive or the cloud.

clideo

In Conclusion

This article has gone through some of the most simple methods to compress files video files. Using VLC, Handbrake, EaseUS Video Converter, and a series of online tools, you can reduce MKV file size with little to no quality loss.

 

Free Download

Windows 11/10/8/7

 

Free Download

macOS 10.13 or later

FAQs on Compressing MKV Files

Apart from the information given above, you may also want to know:

1. Why are MKV files so big?

MKV files are incredibly larger than your typical MP4 video files because they can contain a lot more features than MP4. While they both use the same h.265 or h.264 codec and HEVC, MKV can contain multiple subtitles and audio tracks.

2. Can you zip MKV video files?

Yes, you can compress and zip MKV files.

Although this may affect the quality so you will need the converters to convert without quality loss

3. How to compress MKV to MP4?

On your computer, you

  • Download a reliable zip software popular ones include 7Zip, WinRAR etc.
  • Launch the software, navigate to the video location and select the videos you want to zip
  • Click on zip files to zip and compress videos into one file

Zipping files will minimally compress them to make them easy for sharing.