How to Download YouTube Video to MKV Format (Multiple Solutions)

Updated Dec 06,2018 | by Lane

MKV file is a file with the .MKV file extension. It is also known as Matroska Video file. It's not an audio or video compression format but a video container much like MOV and AVI. The difference between MKV and the other video containers is that MKV can incorporate audio, video, and subtitles into a single file - even if those elements use different types of encoding. That's also why you need to learn how to download YouTube to MKV format. 

Now let's go straight forward to the following part to learn how to download YouTube Video to MKV.

To download YouTube Video to MKV, IOTransfer is the most recommended PC software. Because it includes an online video downloader and a video converter under the same module, you can download the YouTube videos and convert them to the formats with IOTransfer. Below are the detailed steps to download a YouTube Video to MKV:

Step 1: Download and install IOTransfer 3 > launch IOTransfer 3.

Step 2: Go to the “VIDEOS” tab at the top and download YouTube video with IOTransfer. (Skip this step if you've already have the YouTube videos on PC)

Click on “Downloader” in the list on the left > copy the video link from your browser > paste the link to the URL box in IOTransfer > click the "Download" button to download the video to your PC and iOS device. 

Step 3: Click on "Videos" >“Converter” > click the "Add Files" button to import the YouTube videos you want to convert. Scroll downward the Output Format to find the MKV format.

Step 4: Click the Convert Now button to begin converting your YouTube videos to MKV format.

One Related Artilce You May Need: How to Convert YouTube Videos to 3GP without Losing Quality

If you don't want to download and install any program, you may try the online converter. Here we recommend two websites for you to download YouTube Video to MKV: ConverFiles and Online Convert.

1, ConverFiles

ConverFiles is a useful online converter.  You can download YouTube videos in mkv format online directly or add the YouTube video from your PC to convert it to MKV format.

Step 1: Go to website ConvertFiles.com.

Step 2: Choose a local file by clicking Browse to open a downloaded YouTube Video on your computer. Or copy the link of the video you would like to download from YouTube and paste the link into the box after “ or download it from”option.

Step 3: Click the triangle icon beside “Output format”, scroll down to find and select Matroska Video File (.mkv).

Step 4: Click the Convert button to convert it.

The time it may take is varied due to the different size of the original files.

Step 5: Upon successful completion of the conversion, you will receive a download link for the converted file. Just follow the on-screen prompts to open the download page.

Step 6: Click the download link to save the video in MVK to your computer.

If you have trouble downloading this file, try "right-clicking" on the link and selecting "Save Link As" or "Save Target As".

2, Online Convert

Online Convert also can download YouTube video to different formats including MKV. The steps are as below:

Step 1: Open Video file converter website.

Step 2: Select Convert to MKV on the left category.

Step 3: Click Choose File to upload a local YouTube Video file.

Step 4: Click the Start conversion button below.

Step 5: Wait until the uploading and conversion processes are completed. Then the download normally will automatically start in a couple of seconds. If not, you can click on the download link or the Download button below to download it.

This online solution can help to download YouTube Videos to MKV on PC in a convenient way. However, it also has some disadvantages, such as there might be some ads, it cannot save the MKV files on PC and iOS devices at the same time, and it has a little more steps to process.  

IOTransfer, as an all-in-one iOS device manager makes it much easier to manage the iOS device's contents on a computer, and can help you get YouTube Video MKV files easily both on your PC and iOS devices. You can also use IOTransfer to import the MKV files from PC to your iOS device if you need.

Step 1: Free download IOTransfer (Skip this step if you've already install this program).

Step 2: Connect your iOS device with a USB cable.

Step 3: Go to MANAGE tab > Videos > click Import after IOTransfer recognizes your iOS device.

Step 4: Find the converted file on your computer and begin to transfer it. After it completes, you can enjoy the video file on your iOS device.

The Bottom Line

By comparing the IOTransfer solution and online solution about downloading YouTube video to MKV format, it can easily get the idea that each of them has its own pros and cons. IOTransfer is very simple and easy to use, and it is an iPhone manager that can be used for iOS devices. The disadvantage is that you need to download this third party program first. While the online solution is without downloading any third party tool, but it is a little more complicated and only used for PC.

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