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How to Recover Corrupted MKV Files? With Effective Solution

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Published By Raj Kumar
Aswin Vijayan
Approved By Aswin Vijayan
Published On May 7th, 2024
Reading Time 7 Minutes Reading
Category Data recovery

Do you want to recover corrupted MKV files? If so, this post will take care of this problem. No matter if MKV files are corrupted by a virus or due to technical reasons, we will surely resolve the issue. You will learn here how to repair corrupt MKV video files.

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Overview of MKV Files

First, you have to be aware that MKV files are a multimedia container format that stores video, audio, and subtitles as a batch of one file and requires a codec to decode before its playback. However, there are times when the MKV file gets corrupted due to some technical glitches, or the media player does not support or recognize the .mkv file format. There could be some reasons behind them, such as

  • Outdated video drivers
  • Missing basic codecs
  • Also corrupted MKV video

What Are the Causes of MKV Video File Corruption?

There can be several reasons why video files may become corrupted and not be able to play.

  1. Malware Attack: If the MKV files are stored in corrupted sectors or on computers infected with malware, there is a high chance that the MKV files may be corrupted.
  2. Technical Defects during Recording: If the video file is not saved correctly or if there is a problem with the low battery, the file may already be corrupted.
  3. File Corruption During Transfer: Sudden removal of an SD card, USB cable, or other storage devices while transferring files or copying files can corrupt MKV files.

Caution: If you find that MKV files are corrupted, do not use its storage device. Whenever a user performs any activity on that particular device then overwriting activities will occur on it. This way, the data on the drive, USB, or SD card cannot be overwritten or replaced. When overwritten, the option to recover corrupted MKV files is almost impossible in the case of MKV file recovery. In the below section we will talk about how to fix corrupted MKV files.

Methods to Repair Corrupt MKV Video Files?

1. Run a CHKDSK scan

  • Press the Windows + S key, type cmd and select “Run as administrator” in the command prompt.

recover mkv files

  • Type the following command and press Enter to run it: chkdskc:/f/r.

mkv corrupted repair

  • Now press Y when prompted.
  • Finally, wait for the computer to restart while the command checks the log for errors.

If you have corrupt MKV video files on your external hard drive, the problem may be caused by bad sectors on the drive. The same applies if you store video files on your computer. All you have to do is run CHKDSK to fix the faults and everything will be back to normal.

2: Recover Corrupted MKV File with Rollback Video Card Driver

  • Click the Windows Key + X and Choose Device Manager.

repair mkv file

  • Double-click “Display Adapters” to expand it, and then right-click the driver underneath it.
  • Now select Properties.

  • Click the Driver tab at the top.
  • Next, Select the Roll Back Driver and follow the on-screen instructions to done the process.

How to fix corrupted MKV video files

  • If your MKV file is damaged after installing Windows or updating drivers, the problem may be caused by a bug in the updated video driver.

This will happen if you see a black screen and sound when the MKV video is not playing properly in the video player. The solution is to reset the driver to one that supports video input.

3: Fix Corrupted MKV Files using a VLC Media Player

  • Launch VLC Player and go to the Media tab at the top.
  • Select the change/save option.

repair damaged mkv file

  • Now click the Add button.

  • Then navigate to the location of the corrupted MKV file, select one of the videos you want to repair, and click Open.

How to fix a damaged MKV file

  • Click Change/Save.

  • From there, click the profile drop-down at the top and select the password you want to use.

repair corrupted mkv file

  • Finally, click Start and wait for the process to complete.
  • VLC Media Player has a built-in video editor that can repair corrupt MKV video files.

If you’re having trouble playing videos or can’t play MKV video files, converting them to another format will help you access them again.

If corruption issues are minor, they can be easily fixed and the video played. However, if the problem still persists, then your MKV file has been badly damaged and you should use professional SSD recovery software to recover data from a crashed SSD drive.

Recover Permanently Deleted Media Files With Expert Choice

Digital photos and videos can be deleted or corrupted accidentally due to some errors. In such a case, previously saved files cannot be accessed. At this point, you need to use the expert suggested Solid State Drive Recovery Software. It is one of the most efficient utilities designed to conveniently solve MKV file recovery problems.

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It is the best tool to recover virus infected files from SSD, or formatted photos and videos that are inaccessible from digital cameras, flash drives, SD cards or any storage device. Exclusively designed by experts to save your photos and videos and overcome the memory card corruption issue, no matter what the cause,.

Quick Steps to Recover Deleted MKV Files

Step 1. Download and Install the Data Recovery solution on Windows OS.

Recover Corrupted MKV Files

Step 2. Select the drive and click on the Scan Mode option to recover permanently deleted files in Windows 10.
(For removing storage device, attack it and simply click on Refresh View option.)

Recover Deleted MKV Files

Step 3. Preview the recovered files and click on the desired files or all MKV files to restore.

recover MKV files

Step 4. Click on Save and provide the destination folder to save recovered MKV files.

restore mkv video files

Your MKV files are recovered. And now you know how to recover deleted MKV files safely and securely.

Why MKV Files Become inaccessible?

MKV files become inaccessible due to the following reasons:

  1. Due to a serious virus or malware attack.
  2. Mishandling of the device.
  3. The file system table gets corrupted
  4.  Because of physically damaged media.
  5. The header file is corrupted.

Unfortunately, if your MKV files are deleted or corrupted due to any of the above reasons and you don’t have a valid backup, then you should go for Data Recovery software soon. Because later you take recovery action, the chances of recovery decrease.

Prevention Is Always Better Than Cure

One wrong move or slight negligence is enough to erase all the videos from the system. Though you can fix corrupted MKV files using the Data Recovery solution, we recommend that you take some steps to avoid encountering corruption issues.

  1. Never remove the storage device when it is in use.
  2. Always remove the external device safely.
  3. Do not record video when the battery is low.
  4. Be attentive while deleting the unwanted files
  5. Do not misuse your digital camera or memory card.

Conclusion

We have gone through the corruption causes, solutions, and preventive measures of MKV files. We hope that now you know that how to recover corrupted MKV file in your desired file location. Choose VLC to fix minor corruption issues and for severe issues go for an absolute data recovery solution.