Video conversion
Convert M4V to MKV
Updated Jul 2026
M4V is the video format iTunes uses, and MKV is a container built to hold video, audio, and subtitles without repacking them. To convert M4V to MKV, open the file in a converter and export it as MKV. If the video inside isn't re-encoded, the swap is quick, and doing it on your own computer means the file never has to be uploaded anywhere.
- Extension
- .m4v
- Type
- Video
- Typically
- iTunes / Apple video
- Compression
- Lossy
- Extension
- .mkv
- Type
- Video
- Typically
- High-quality video containers
Convert M4V to MKV on your own computer. Nothing uploads.
How to convert M4V to MKV
- Open Morphjet and drag in the M4V file, or a whole folder of them at once.
- Choose MKV as the output format.
- Convert. Morphjet repackages the video and audio into an MKV file, and it's written next to your original with nothing sent anywhere else.
M4V vs MKV: what actually changes
| M4V | MKV | |
|---|---|---|
| Plays natively on | Apple devices, QuickTime, iTunes and the Apple TV app | Windows, VLC, Android, and most non-Apple media players |
| File size | Original size | About the same, since the video and audio aren't re-compressed |
| Quality | Original quality | Identical, the streams are repackaged, not re-encoded |
| Subtitles and audio tracks | One subtitle track, limited audio tracks | Room for multiple subtitle and audio tracks in a single file |
| Copy protection | Purchased iTunes videos can carry DRM that blocks conversion | No DRM once converted, plays freely |
When to convert, and when not to
Convert M4V to MKV when you want to play the video on a Windows PC, Android device, or a media player outside the Apple ecosystem, or when you need a file that can hold several subtitle or audio tracks together.
Keep the M4V if you're staying on Apple devices and using Apple TV, QuickTime, or iTunes, since M4V already plays there without any conversion.
Why not just use an online converter?
M4V files are often home movies exported from an iPhone or iMovie, not just store-bought video, so they're personal by default. An online converter means uploading that footage to someone else's server and hoping it gets deleted. Converting on your own computer keeps the file, and whatever's in it, on your machine the whole time.
Questions
Does converting M4V to MKV lose quality?
No, if the video and audio codecs inside the M4V are ones MKV can hold, the conversion is just a repackaging into a new container, not a re-encode, so there's no quality loss.
Can I convert an M4V I bought from iTunes to MKV?
Only if it isn't copy-protected. Videos purchased through the iTunes or Apple TV store are usually locked with DRM, and that has to be removed before any converter can touch them. Personal M4V files you created yourself, like exports from iMovie, don't have this problem.
Will the MKV play on my iPhone or Apple TV?
Not natively. Most Apple apps don't open MKV files, so if you plan to watch on Apple devices, it's simpler to keep the M4V.
Does converting keep multiple subtitle and audio tracks?
Yes. MKV is designed to hold several subtitle and audio tracks in one file, so if your M4V has them, they carry over.
Can I convert M4V to MKV without uploading the file?
Yes. A desktop app like Morphjet converts the file on your own computer, so it never travels over the internet, even with wifi turned off.
Morphjet converts M4V, MKV, and 1,800+ other formats, all on your machine. Launching this July.