Convert MKV videos to AVI format for older media players, TVs, and car entertainment systems. Free online converter with quality preservation.
Conversion settings — add a file to adjust
Upload your .mkv file by dragging it into the upload area or clicking to browse.
Choose your output settings. The default settings work great for most files.
Click Convert and download your .avi file when it's ready.
MKV (Matroska Video) is a modern, flexible container format that supports virtually every video codec, multiple audio tracks, embedded subtitles, chapter markers, and rich metadata. It is the preferred format for high-quality video rips, anime releases, and media center libraries. However, many older devices — car DVD players, standalone media players, older smart TVs, and budget Android boxes — cannot read MKV files at all.
AVI (Audio Video Interleave), developed by Microsoft in 1992, is one of the most universally supported video container formats ever created. While it lacks MKV's modern features (no native subtitle streams, limited chapter support, no modern codec containers), virtually every video player ever manufactured can play AVI files. Converting MKV to AVI sacrifices some metadata and container features in exchange for near-universal hardware compatibility.
Our converter uses FFmpeg to extract the video and primary audio streams from the MKV container and repackage them into AVI. When the source codecs are AVI-compatible (H.264, MPEG-4 Part 2, MP3, AC3), the conversion uses stream copy — no re-encoding, no quality loss, near-instant speed. When re-encoding is needed, we use high-quality settings that minimize visible differences.
Device compatibility is the dominant reason for MKV to AVI conversion. Older portable media players, car entertainment systems, certain smart TVs (especially 2010-2015 models), hospital and waiting room displays, and industrial presentation systems often support AVI but not MKV. If your library is in MKV and your playback device cannot read it, AVI is the most reliable fallback.
Some video editing software, particularly older versions and budget editors, import AVI more reliably than MKV. Adobe Premiere CS6, older Pinnacle Studio, and Windows Movie Maker handle AVI natively but may struggle with MKV containers. Converting to AVI before importing can prevent timeline glitches, audio sync issues, and import failures.
Archival workflows in certain industries still standardize on AVI. Surveillance systems, scientific instrumentation, and legacy broadcast equipment often output and accept only AVI. Integrating MKV-sourced content into these workflows requires conversion.
FFmpeg reads the MKV container and identifies all streams: video (typically H.264, H.265, VP9, or AV1), audio (AAC, FLAC, AC3, DTS, Opus, Vorbis), and subtitle (SRT, ASS, PGS). The converter selects the first video stream and primary audio stream for the AVI output, since AVI supports only one video and one audio track.
When the video codec is AVI-compatible (MPEG-4 Part 2, H.264, Motion JPEG), stream copy is used — the bitstream is remuxed without re-encoding, preserving exact quality. For codecs not supported in AVI containers (H.265, VP9, AV1), the video is transcoded to H.264 using libx264 at CRF 20 for high quality. Audio is handled similarly: AC3 and MP3 pass through; AAC, Opus, and Vorbis are transcoded to MP3 at 192 kbps.
Subtitles embedded in the MKV cannot be carried into AVI (AVI has no subtitle stream support). If subtitle preservation is needed, they should be hardcoded (burned in) or saved as a separate SRT file.
When stream copy is possible (MKV with H.264 video and MP3/AC3 audio), the conversion is completely lossless — the video and audio data are bit-for-bit identical. When re-encoding is needed (H.265, VP9, or AV1 sources), CRF 20 produces near-visually-lossless results. The main quality consideration is that AVI cannot carry multiple audio tracks or embedded subtitles, so you lose those features from the source MKV.
| Device | MKV | AVI |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | Partial | Native |
| macOS | Partial | Native |
| iOS | No | Partial |
| Android | Partial | Native |
| Linux | Native | Native |
| ChromeOS | Partial |
| Speed | ~2 seconds |
| Output size | Larger — output grows to 7.8 MB from 4.1 MB. |
| Quality | Re-encoded to MPEG-4/MP3; AVI is less efficient, so the file grows. |
| Engine | FFmpeg (mpeg4), server-side. |
Measured on our servers, June 2026, on a 10-second 720p clip.
Resolution: 1920x1080
Bitrate: 8-12 Mbps
YouTube accepts AVI but re-encodes — upload highest quality
Resolution: 1080x1080
Bitrate: 3-5 Mbps
Instagram may not accept AVI directly — use MP4 for social
Resolution: 1080x1920
Bitrate: 3-5 Mbps
TikTok prefers MP4/MOV — AVI is for offline playback devices
Resolution: 720x480
Bitrate: 1-2 Mbps
Max 16MB file limit; AVI files tend to be large
Resolution: 1280x720
Bitrate: 5 Mbps
X prefers MP4 — AVI is for local playback on legacy devices
1280x720
Make your MKV videos play on any device with AVI conversion. Our converter remuxes compatible streams without re-encoding for instant, lossless results and transcodes modern codecs with high-quality settings when needed. Universal playback, zero hassle.
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| Partial |
Bitrate: 3-5 Mbps
8MB free limit; AVI files are often too large — use MP4 for Discord
| الميزة | MKV | AVI |
|---|---|---|
| الاسم الكامل | Matroska Video | Audio Video Interleave |
| الامتداد | .mkv | .avi |
| الأفضل لـ | Multiple audio tracks | Windows native |