{"id":1084,"date":"2026-08-02T15:13:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-02T19:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/?p=1084"},"modified":"2026-06-27T02:18:59","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T06:18:59","slug":"compress-an-mkv-file","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/compress-an-mkv-file","title":{"rendered":"How to Compress an MKV File (Keep It MKV)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A 2-hour movie rip in MKV can easily run several gigabytes, and a screen-recorded gameplay session can be larger still. The reason is rarely the container itself \u2014 it\u2019s what the container is holding: high-bitrate, high-resolution video, often alongside several audio tracks and a stack of subtitle languages. MKV is one of the most flexible containers there is, so you have real levers to pull: re-encode to an efficient codec, lower the bitrate or quality, scale the resolution, and drop tracks you don\u2019t need \u2014 all while keeping the file as MKV. We verified the Matroska container facts against <a href=\"http:\/\/matroska.org\">matroska.org<\/a> and the codec-efficiency numbers against the standards institutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> MKV is a <strong>container<\/strong>, not a codec \u2014 it\u2019s usually large because of what\u2019s inside it, not the wrapper. To shrink it: <strong>re-encode the video to a more efficient codec<\/strong> (H.265\/HEVC is ~50% more efficient than H.264; AV1 is more efficient again), <strong>lower the bitrate or raise the CRF<\/strong>, <strong>reduce the resolution<\/strong>, and <strong>drop extra audio\/subtitle tracks<\/strong> you don\u2019t need. The file <strong>stays MKV<\/strong> the whole time \u2014 compressing is not the same as converting to MP4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Jump to a section<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"#why-big\">Why MKV files get so big<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#levers\">The four levers that shrink an MKV<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#stays-mkv\">Compress vs. convert: MKV stays MKV<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#decision\">Which lever to pull when<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#tool\">Compress an MKV on xconvert<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#faq\">FAQ<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"why-big\">Why MKV files get so big<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Matroska (MKV) is a <strong>container format<\/strong>, not a compression format. As <a href=\"http:\/\/matroska.org\">matroska.org<\/a> puts it plainly, it is \u201cNOT a video or audio compression format (codec)\u201d but rather \u201can envelope in which there can be many audio, video, and subtitles streams.\u201d It\u2019s built on EBML (Extensible Binary Meta Language), a binary cousin of XML, and it\u2019s designed to hold a complete multimedia production \u2014 video, multiple audio languages, multiple subtitle tracks, chapters, and metadata \u2014 in one file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That flexibility is exactly why MKV files balloon. The size comes from two places:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>The video stream.<\/strong> Almost always the dominant cost. A long, high-resolution, high-bitrate video \u2014 a movie, a 4K recording, a long gameplay capture \u2014 carries an enormous amount of data. If it was encoded with an older codec like H.264 at a generous bitrate, there\u2019s a lot of slack to recover.<\/li><li><strong>Extra tracks.<\/strong> MKV is the container of choice for media that bundles everything, so a single file commonly carries several audio tracks (original language, dub, commentary) and a pile of subtitle tracks. If you only ever watch one of each, the rest are dead cargo.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So \u201ccompress an MKV\u201d really means \u201cshrink what\u2019s inside the MKV.\u201d The container barely matters to the size; the streams do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"levers\">The four levers that shrink an MKV<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are four independent levers, and you can combine them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>1. Re-encode the video to a more efficient codec.<\/strong> The biggest lever for most files. Matroska can hold a broad range of video codecs \u2014 H.264\/AVC, H.265\/HEVC, AV1, VP9, MPEG-4, and more \u2014 and the newer the codec, the more quality it packs into each bit:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>H.265 \/ HEVC<\/strong> targets roughly <strong>50% bit-rate reduction at the same subjective quality<\/strong> versus H.264 \u2014 the design goal the standards community quotes (Fraunhofer HHI, one of the institutes behind the standard). In practice the saving is a <em>range<\/em> \u2014 commonly 25\u201350%, closer to 50% on detailed 4K footage.<\/li><li><strong>AV1<\/strong> is more efficient again. The Alliance for Open Media positions AV1 at around <strong>30% better compression<\/strong> than the previous generation, and it\u2019s royalty-free \u2014 at the cost of much slower encoding and narrower hardware-decoder support today.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If your MKV is already H.264, switching to H.265 or AV1 is often the single highest-impact change. (For the codec decision itself, see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/h264-vs-h265-which-to-use\/\">H.264 vs H.265: which to use<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>2. Lower the bitrate, or raise the CRF.<\/strong> Even within the same codec, you control how many bits the video gets. A <strong>lower target bitrate<\/strong> produces a smaller file; <strong>constant-quality (CRF) encoding<\/strong> lets you target a perceptual quality level and let the bitrate float \u2014 a higher CRF number means a smaller file and lower quality. This is the precision lever: nudge it until size and quality balance where you want them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>3. Reduce the resolution.<\/strong> A 4K source downscaled to 1080p drops the pixel count to a quarter, which slashes the bitrate needed for the same visual sharpness on a normal screen. If nobody\u2019s watching on a 4K display, downscaling is free size savings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>4. Drop extra audio and subtitle tracks.<\/strong> This one is unique to multi-track containers like MKV, and it\u2019s pure savings with zero video-quality cost. If your file carries five audio languages and a dozen subtitle tracks and you only need one of each, removing the rest shrinks the file with no re-encoding artifacts at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"stays-mkv\">Compress vs. convert: MKV stays MKV<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A common point of confusion: people often \u201ccompress\u201d an MKV by converting it to MP4. That reduces size, but it\u2019s a different operation with a catch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Compressing an MKV keeps it as an MKV \u2014 same container, smaller streams. <strong>Converting MKV to MP4 changes the container<\/strong>, and because MP4 doesn\u2019t support every track type MKV does, some content can be lost. MKV\u2019s rich subtitle support (SSA\/ASS styled subtitles, multiple text and bitmap formats) and its easy multi-audio handling don\u2019t all carry cleanly into MP4 \u2014 which is often <em>why<\/em> an MP4 ends up smaller: it left tracks behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Want a smaller MKV with all its tracks intact?<\/strong> Compress it (re-encode\/bitrate\/resolution\/track-pruning) and keep the output as MKV.<\/li><li><strong>Want maximum playback compatibility \u2014 phones, browsers, smart TVs, editors?<\/strong> That\u2019s a container question, and MP4 wins it. See <a href=\"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/convert-mkv-to-mp4\/\">How to convert MKV to MP4<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/mkv-vs-mp4\/\">MKV vs MP4<\/a> for the full comparison.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Compressing is about size; converting to MP4 is about compatibility. You can do both \u2014 compress, then convert \u2014 but know which one you\u2019re after.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"decision\">Which lever to pull when<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Just want it smaller, no quality fuss?<\/strong> Re-encode to <strong>H.265\/HEVC<\/strong> \u2014 for most H.264-sourced MKVs the single biggest win, and natively supported on Apple devices and modern phones.<\/li><li><strong>Want the absolute smallest file and modern players?<\/strong> Use <strong>AV1<\/strong> \u2014 more efficient than HEVC, royalty-free \u2014 and accept a slower encode.<\/li><li><strong>Need a specific size<\/strong> (to fit a drive or upload limit)? Target an exact output size and let the tool work out the bitrate.<\/li><li><strong>Quality is sacred, size secondary?<\/strong> Use <strong>constant-quality (CRF)<\/strong> encoding \u2014 best quality-per-byte, no bits wasted on simple scenes.<\/li><li><strong>Fat because of extra tracks, not the video?<\/strong> Drop unused audio and subtitle tracks first \u2014 lossless for the video, and sometimes that alone is enough.<\/li><li><strong>Not watching on a 4K display?<\/strong> Downscale the resolution; you\u2019ll barely notice and the size drops sharply.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In practice these stack: a 4K H.264 MKV with five audio tracks might go to H.265, downscale to 1080p, <em>and<\/em> shed four audio tracks \u2014 each lever multiplying the last.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"tool\">Compress an MKV on xconvert<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/compress-mkv\">xconvert MKV compressor<\/a> keeps the output as MKV and exposes every lever above in one place:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/step-01-control-69.png\" alt=\"Set the video codec to H.265\/HEVC \u2014 ~half the size at the same quality\" class=\"wp-image-1353\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/step-01-control-69.png 1600w, https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/step-01-control-69-300x234.png 300w, https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/step-01-control-69-1024x800.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/step-01-control-69-768x600.png 768w, https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/step-01-control-69-1536x1200.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Open <a href=\"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/compress-mkv\">xconvert.com\/compress-mkv<\/a> and click <strong>Upload<\/strong> to add your file \u2014 <strong>From my Computer<\/strong>, <strong>From Google Drive<\/strong>, or <strong>From Dropbox<\/strong>.<\/li><li>Open <strong>Advanced Options<\/strong> (the gear icon), or <strong>Show All Options<\/strong> to reveal everything.<\/li><li>Choose how to control size: <strong>Target file size (%)<\/strong> (the default \u201cBest\u201d mode) or <strong>Specific file size<\/strong> for an exact target; or pick a quality method \u2014 <strong>Constant Quality<\/strong>, <strong>Constant Bitrate<\/strong>, or <strong>Variable Bitrate<\/strong>.<\/li><li>Pick the <strong>video codec<\/strong> if you want to change it \u2014 <strong>H.264<\/strong> for compatibility, <strong>H.265\/HEVC<\/strong> for ~50% smaller at the same quality, or <strong>AV1<\/strong> for the smallest output on modern players.<\/li><li>Optionally use <strong>Auto Scale<\/strong> to downscale the resolution, and <strong>Trim<\/strong> (Time Range) if you only need part of the video. Multi-audio and subtitle tracks are preserved as long as the output stays MKV.<\/li><li>Click <strong>Compress<\/strong>, then download your smaller MKV. H.265 and AV1 encode slower than H.264, so allow extra time.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your file uploads over an encrypted connection, is processed on our servers, and is automatically deleted a few hours later. Nothing stays around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"faq\">FAQ<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How do I reduce the size of an MKV file without losing quality?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The biggest no-perceptible-loss win is to <strong>re-encode the video to a more efficient codec<\/strong> \u2014 moving an H.264 MKV to H.265\/HEVC can roughly halve the size at the same visual quality. After that, <strong>drop audio and subtitle tracks you don\u2019t need<\/strong> (lossless for the video), and if you\u2019re not on a 4K screen, downscale the resolution. For fine control, use <strong>constant-quality (CRF)<\/strong> encoding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Does compressing an MKV convert it to MP4?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>No.<\/strong> Compressing keeps the file as MKV \u2014 same container, smaller streams. Converting to MP4 is a separate operation that <strong>changes the container<\/strong>, and MP4 can\u2019t carry every track type MKV supports (some subtitle and multi-audio content can be dropped). If you need broad playback compatibility, see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/convert-mkv-to-mp4\/\">convert MKV to MP4<\/a>; if you just want a smaller MKV, compress it and keep the container.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why is my MKV file so big?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">MKV is a <strong>container<\/strong>, not a codec, so its size comes from what\u2019s inside it: a high-bitrate, high-resolution video stream (the dominant cost), plus the <strong>multiple audio and subtitle tracks<\/strong> MKV is famous for bundling. A movie rip with several language tracks and subtitle sets carries a lot of extra weight beyond the video itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What\u2019s the best codec to compress an MKV to?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For most people, <strong>H.265\/HEVC<\/strong> \u2014 about 50% more efficient than H.264 at the same quality, and natively supported on Apple devices and modern phones. If all your devices are modern and you want the smallest possible file, <strong>AV1<\/strong> is more efficient still (and royalty-free), at the cost of a slower encode. Stay on <strong>H.264<\/strong> only if you need older-hardware playback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can I make an MKV smaller by removing audio or subtitle tracks?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Yes \u2014 and it\u2019s lossless for the video.<\/strong> MKV commonly holds several audio languages, a commentary track, and many subtitle tracks. If you only watch one audio track and one subtitle language, removing the rest shrinks the file with no re-encoding and no quality cost. Sometimes that alone gets you the savings you need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Will compressing the MKV keep my subtitles and multiple audio tracks?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Yes, as long as the output stays MKV.<\/strong> Matroska is built to hold many audio and subtitle streams, so a same-container compression preserves the tracks you keep. It\u2019s only when you convert to a different container like MP4 that some track types may not carry over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Last verified 2026-06-25.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.matroska.org\/technical\/basics.html\">Matroska \u2014 technical basics<\/a> \u2014 MKV is a container (\u201cNOT a video or audio compression format\u201d), an \u201cenvelope\u201d for many audio\/video\/subtitle streams, based on EBML.<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.matroska.org\/technical\/codec_specs.html\">Matroska \u2014 codec specs<\/a> \u2014 the broad range of video (H.264, H.265, AV1, VP9, MPEG-4\u2026), audio, and subtitle codecs MKV can contain.<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hhi.fraunhofer.de\/en\/departments\/vca\/technologies-and-solutions\/h265-hevc.html\">Fraunhofer HHI \u2014 H.265 \/ HEVC<\/a> \u2014 \u201cHEVC achieves about 50% bit-rate reduction at the same subjective video quality\u201d vs. H.264\/AVC.<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/aomedia.org\/av1-features\/\">Alliance for Open Media \u2014 AV1 features<\/a> \u2014 AV1\u2019s ~30% better compression and royalty-free positioning.<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Compress an MKV file without converting to MP4: re-encode to H.265\/AV1, lower the bitrate, downscale, and drop extra audio and subtitle tracks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1355,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to-guides","category-tools"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to Compress an MKV File (Keep It MKV)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Compress an MKV file without converting to MP4: re-encode to H.265\/AV1, lower the bitrate, downscale, and drop extra audio and subtitle tracks.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/compress-an-mkv-file\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Compress an MKV File (Keep It MKV)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Compress an MKV file without converting to MP4: re-encode to H.265\/AV1, lower the bitrate, downscale, and drop extra audio and subtitle tracks.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/compress-an-mkv-file\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"XConvert Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/xconvertcom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-02T19:13:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/featured-224.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"840\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Stephanie Taylor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@xconvert_com\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@xconvert_com\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Stephanie Taylor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/compress-an-mkv-file#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/compress-an-mkv-file\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Stephanie Taylor\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ae9300506c0e9e85f1a6ece4d762980d\"},\"headline\":\"How to Compress an MKV File (Keep It MKV)\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-02T19:13:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/compress-an-mkv-file\"},\"wordCount\":1818,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/compress-an-mkv-file#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/featured-224.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"How To Guides\",\"Tools\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/compress-an-mkv-file\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/compress-an-mkv-file\",\"name\":\"How to Compress an MKV File (Keep It MKV)\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/compress-an-mkv-file#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/compress-an-mkv-file#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/featured-224.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-02T19:13:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ae9300506c0e9e85f1a6ece4d762980d\"},\"description\":\"Compress an MKV file without converting to MP4: re-encode to H.265\\\/AV1, lower the bitrate, downscale, and drop extra audio and subtitle tracks.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/compress-an-mkv-file#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/compress-an-mkv-file\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/compress-an-mkv-file#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/featured-224.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/featured-224.png\",\"width\":1600,\"height\":840,\"caption\":\"The xconvert MKV compressor at \\\/compress-mkv with the Upload button highlighted \u2014 add your MKV and shrink it while keeping the MKV container.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/compress-an-mkv-file#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How to Compress an MKV File (Keep It MKV)\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"XConvert Blog\",\"description\":\"Blog for XConvert file converter\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ae9300506c0e9e85f1a6ece4d762980d\",\"name\":\"Stephanie Taylor\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/af9a54599087d3f3dd2d0ea950291c9e18fcc503af09b136b37fa52c418fe467?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/af9a54599087d3f3dd2d0ea950291c9e18fcc503af09b136b37fa52c418fe467?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/af9a54599087d3f3dd2d0ea950291c9e18fcc503af09b136b37fa52c418fe467?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Stephanie Taylor\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.xconvert.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/stephanie\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Compress an MKV File (Keep It MKV)","description":"Compress an MKV file without converting to MP4: re-encode to H.265\/AV1, lower the bitrate, downscale, and drop extra audio and subtitle tracks.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/compress-an-mkv-file","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to Compress an MKV File (Keep It MKV)","og_description":"Compress an MKV file without converting to MP4: re-encode to H.265\/AV1, lower the bitrate, downscale, and drop extra audio and subtitle tracks.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/compress-an-mkv-file","og_site_name":"XConvert Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/xconvertcom","article_published_time":"2026-08-02T19:13:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1600,"height":840,"url":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/featured-224.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Stephanie Taylor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@xconvert_com","twitter_site":"@xconvert_com","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Stephanie Taylor","Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/compress-an-mkv-file#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/compress-an-mkv-file"},"author":{"name":"Stephanie Taylor","@id":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/ae9300506c0e9e85f1a6ece4d762980d"},"headline":"How to Compress an MKV File (Keep It MKV)","datePublished":"2026-08-02T19:13:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/compress-an-mkv-file"},"wordCount":1818,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/compress-an-mkv-file#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/featured-224.png","articleSection":["How To Guides","Tools"],"inLanguage":"en-CA"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/compress-an-mkv-file","url":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/compress-an-mkv-file","name":"How to Compress an MKV File (Keep It MKV)","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/compress-an-mkv-file#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/compress-an-mkv-file#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/featured-224.png","datePublished":"2026-08-02T19:13:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/ae9300506c0e9e85f1a6ece4d762980d"},"description":"Compress an MKV file without converting to MP4: re-encode to H.265\/AV1, lower the bitrate, downscale, and drop extra audio and subtitle tracks.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/compress-an-mkv-file#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-CA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/compress-an-mkv-file"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-CA","@id":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/compress-an-mkv-file#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/featured-224.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/featured-224.png","width":1600,"height":840,"caption":"The xconvert MKV compressor at \/compress-mkv with the Upload button highlighted \u2014 add your MKV and shrink it while keeping the MKV container."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/compress-an-mkv-file#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How to Compress an MKV File (Keep It MKV)"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/","name":"XConvert Blog","description":"Blog for XConvert file converter","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-CA"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/ae9300506c0e9e85f1a6ece4d762980d","name":"Stephanie Taylor","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-CA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/af9a54599087d3f3dd2d0ea950291c9e18fcc503af09b136b37fa52c418fe467?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/af9a54599087d3f3dd2d0ea950291c9e18fcc503af09b136b37fa52c418fe467?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/af9a54599087d3f3dd2d0ea950291c9e18fcc503af09b136b37fa52c418fe467?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Stephanie Taylor"},"url":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/author\/stephanie"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1084","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1084"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1084\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1354,"href":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1084\/revisions\/1354"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1355"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1084"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1084"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xconvert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}