CONVERT MKV → AVI (MKV to AVI)
Fast, secure MKV to AVI conversion. No registration required.
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HOW TO CONVERT MKV → AVI
Upload the MKV
Drop your MKV onto the uploader. Files up to 25 MB run on the free tier without registration; paid plans go up to 2 GB.
Stream-copy or re-encode
FFmpeg probes the codecs; if compatible, it stream-copies (no quality loss). Otherwise it transcodes at matching bitrate.
Download the AVI
Fetch the converted AVI as soon as it is ready. Both files auto-delete within two hours.
MKV stores video inside an EBML-based container (Matroska) that was designed in 2002 to hold an arbitrary number of video, audio, subtitle, and chapter tracks in a single file. AVI is Microsoft's RIFF-based container from 1992, built around the assumption of exactly one video stream and one audio stream interleaved in fixed-size chunks. Converting from MKV to AVI is almost always driven by a specific hardware or software constraint: an older Blu-ray player, a car head unit, a game console without a Matroska firmware update, or legacy Windows software that calls DirectShow codecs and never acquired an MKV splitter. On modern desktops and phones MKV plays natively, so the conversion only makes sense when the destination device genuinely cannot read Matroska — at which point the compatibility gains are real and the format losses, though significant, are a known trade-off worth accepting.
Why convert MKV to AVI
Devices without Matroska support are the primary driver. Many Blu-ray players released before 2012, factory-installed car AV systems, and older Android TV boxes expose only an AVI, MP4, or MPEG-PS parser in their firmware. Windows XP and Vista systems without third-party codec packs cannot split MKV natively. Some linear video editing tools (particularly older Avid and Vegas project templates) accept AVI as an interchange format without requiring a container remux plugin. In those specific contexts AVI is not a worse choice — it is the only choice the device will accept.
MKV vs AVI — Technical specifications
Side-by-side comparison of the technical details.
MKV
- MIME type
- video/x-matroska
- Extensions
- .mkv, .mka (audio), .mks (subtitles)
- Container structure
- EBML (Extensible Binary Meta Language)
- Related
- WebM (restricted MKV subset)
- Max tracks
- Practically unlimited
- MIME Type
- video/x-matroska
- Extension
- .mkv
- Category
- Video Files
- Full Name
- Matroska Video
- Conversion Engine
- FFMPEG
AVI
- MIME type
- video/x-msvideo
- MIME Type
- video/x-msvideo
- Extension
- .avi
- Category
- Video Files
- Full Name
- AVI Video
- Conversion Engine
- FFMPEG
- Container
- RIFF
- Max file size
- 2 GB (original); 4 GB (OpenDML extension)
- Codec support
- Any codec via FourCC identifiers
| Specification | MKV | AVI |
|---|---|---|
| MIME type | video/x-matroska | video/x-msvideo |
| Extensions | .mkv, .mka (audio), .mks (subtitles) | — |
| Container structure | EBML (Extensible Binary Meta Language) | — |
| Related | WebM (restricted MKV subset) | — |
| Max tracks | Practically unlimited | — |
| MIME Type | video/x-matroska | video/x-msvideo |
| Extension | .mkv | .avi |
| Category | Video Files | Video Files |
| Full Name | Matroska Video | AVI Video |
| Conversion Engine | FFMPEG | FFMPEG |
| Container | — | RIFF |
| Max file size | — | 2 GB (original); 4 GB (OpenDML extension) |
| Codec support | — | Any codec via FourCC identifiers |
MKV vs AVI — Strengths and limitations
What each format does best, and where it falls short.
MKV Strengths
- Carries virtually any codec — H.264, H.265, AV1, VP9, Opus, FLAC, AAC, you name it.
- Multiple audio and subtitle tracks, chapters, and menus in one file.
- Patent-free container — no licensing fees.
- Attached fonts and metadata ride along for self-contained playback.
- Streamable and seekable with built-in index/cue tables.
Limitations
- Not natively supported in Apple's QuickTime or Safari without third-party tools.
- Windows needed codec packs (or "Films & TV" app updates) to play it out of the box.
- Hardware decoders on older TVs and streamers often reject MKV.
AVI Strengths
- Simple, well-documented format — trivial for any video library to parse.
- Universal Windows playback since Video for Windows in 1992.
- Low encoding overhead — interleaved structure is fast to write.
- Works with any codec technically, including modern ones.
Limitations
- Aging container — no native support for chapters, subtitles, or multi-audio selection.
- File-size limits (2 GB original, 4 GB with OpenDML) break for HD content.
- Variable-framerate video causes sync drift.
Quality & Compatibility
No quality is lost in the video stream if the codec already stored in the MKV is MPEG-4 Part 2 (Xvid or DivX FourCC) or a codec the destination player supports, because the elementary stream can be copied without re-encoding. If the MKV holds H.264 or H.265, the player receiving the AVI must support that FourCC, and many legacy devices do not — in that case re-encoding to MPEG-4 ASP introduces generational loss. Audio encoded as AAC, Opus, DTS, or TrueHD must be transcoded to MP3 or AC3 for reliable AVI playback, which means a lossy re-encode even if the original was lossless. All subtitle tracks are silently dropped — AVI has no subtitle stream specification in its base RIFF structure. Extra audio tracks beyond the first are dropped. Chapter markers are dropped. If the source MKV contains HDR metadata (BT.2020 color primaries, PQ or HLG transfer function), that metadata is not preserved in AVI and tone-mapping is not applied automatically, so HDR sources converted to AVI will appear washed out on SDR displays unless the encoder handles tone-mapping explicitly.
Tips for Best Results
- Keep the source MKV after converting — AVI cannot store subtitle tracks, extra audio streams, or chapter markers, and those are permanently absent from the output file. If you need subtitles on a legacy player, check whether it supports an external .srt file in the same folder with the same base filename, which many devices do.
- Check what codec the AVI consumer actually supports before converting. If the device manual lists DivX or Xvid under supported formats, you can often copy the existing H.264 stream into an AVI wrapper without re-encoding only if the device also lists H.264 AVI support. Many do not — requesting a copy when the device needs Xvid will produce a file that plays as a grey screen.
- AVI files using the original RIFF spec hit a hard 2 GB ceiling on file size. A long MKV encoded at high bitrate will produce a single AVI that some players refuse to open past the 2 GB mark even if the file appears complete. For content over 90 minutes at standard definition bitrates, check the expected output size before starting the conversion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Only when it has to. If the codecs inside MKV (usually H.264 or H.265 for video, AAC for audio) are accepted by AVI, we stream-copy — the bytes are repackaged into the new container with zero re-encoding and no quality loss. When the source uses a codec the target does not support, we transcode at a matching bitrate to keep the visual quality close to the original.
With stream copy, expect the job to finish in seconds to tens of seconds regardless of video length — the work is mostly rewriting the container. Transcoding is slower (roughly real-time: a ten-minute clip takes about ten minutes) because every frame must be decoded and re-encoded. The progress bar shows which mode applies.
Yes. Resolution, frame rate, colour space and bit depth are preserved by default; stream copy is literally bit-identical on these parameters. If you explicitly pick a lower bitrate or a different codec in Advanced, the output is rebuilt to those settings, but the default is always "match the source".
Matroska Video
Source formatMKV is a flexible, open-standard container format that can hold unlimited video, audio, subtitle, and metadata tracks. It is popular for high-definition video and supports virtually any codec.
AVI Video
Target formatAVI is a legacy Microsoft multimedia container that stores audio and video data. While largely superseded by modern formats, it remains widely recognized and is produced by many older devices and screen recorders.
Going the other way? Convert AVI back to MKV with the same engine.
Common Use Cases
Share across platforms
Send AVI files to anyone without worrying about whether they have the right software for MKV.
Embed in documents
Drop AVI output into Word, Google Docs, PowerPoint, Notion or a website without conversion warnings.
Optimize size
AVI often produces smaller files than MKV for web, email and storage.
Archive & future-proof
Store in a widely-supported format that will still open on future operating systems without legacy plugins.
MKV vs AVI — Typical file sizes
Approximate file sizes for common scenarios.
- 45-min episode (H.264 1080p) 800 MB - 1.6 GB
- 2-hour movie (H.265 1080p) 1.5-3 GB
- 2-hour movie (4K HDR H.265) 15-40 GB
- 10-min video (XviD / MP3) 100-200 MB
- 45-min TV episode (DivX) 350-700 MB
- 2-hour movie (DVD rip) 700 MB - 1.4 GB
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High-throughput enterprise pipeline for files up to 2,048 MB, 50-file batches, ISO PDF/A, and priority processing.
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10-bit color grading workflows, Apple ProRes mastering, and automated watch-folder queues.
Related comparisons
See these formats side by side to understand which fits your use case best.
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