GIF to MKV converter
Convert GIF to MKV in your browser. No upload and no account: the file never leaves your device, so the only size limit is your device’s memory.
Fit Meter
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Video has no transparency, so see-through parts of the GIF are filled with this color.
Bytes of your files sent anywhere: 0 B · nothing leaves this tab
Every request this page makes is listed as it happens. You’ll see our own code loading, and for some formats a codec engine, but never your file going out.
- Waiting for network activity…
Check it yourself: open your browser’s developer tools on the Network tab, or turn off Wi-Fi once the page has loaded. The tools keep working.
Related conversions
Need it the other way round? Convert MKV to GIFOther ways to convert GIF
Read more about the GIF format and the MKV format, or see every video tool and all video conversions.
Should you convert GIF to MKV?
Almost always. The same animation as MKV is typically a tenth of the size of the GIF, plays smoothly, and keeps full color. Choose it wherever video is accepted.
GIF is a 256-color image format best known for short looping animations; MKV is a flexible container for any codec, with several audio and subtitle tracks. Use MKV for a media library where one file should carry every language and subtitle.
| Property | GIF | MKV |
|---|---|---|
| Usually contains | — | H.264 or HEVC video with AAC, AC-3 or Opus audio, often plus subtitles |
| Support | Opens everywhere | Has patchy support |
| Plays on | Every browser, chat app, phone and computer | VLC, Plex, Kodi and many smart TVs, but not iPhones, most editors or social apps |
| Best for | Short, silent loops and reaction images | Films and series with several languages and subtitle tracks |
| Introduced | 1987 | 2002 |
How to convert GIF to MKV
- 01
Add your GIF
Drop your GIF video onto the box, or click to choose it. It is read from your disk and stays there.
- 02
Check the settings
The output is already set to MKV. Change the quality if you want to; the defaults suit most files.
- 03
Save the MKV
Press convert and save the MKV. Several files come back together as a ZIP.
What changes when GIF becomes MKV
Much smaller, same motion
GIF compresses each frame on its own; MKV stores only what changes between frames. A 10 MB GIF often becomes a 1 MB video with no visible difference.
No sound to carry
GIFs are silent, so the MKV has a picture track only. Loops don’t repeat inside a video file; most players and sites loop short clips themselves.
Expect a much smaller file
GIF: A five-second animation can easily pass 10 MB. MKV: Depends entirely on the codec inside. Shrinking the file is often the main reason to make this conversion.
This page is put together from our notes on each format, choosing only what is true of GIF and MKV, so every pairing states the same facts the same way. How these pages are made.
Why it doesn’t upload
Your browser can already decode GIF frames and encode video with your device’s hardware. Uploading the GIF would only add a wait, so it stays on your device.
How to check for yourselfWorth knowing
- About the GIF. A few seconds of video as GIF is often ten times the size of the same clip as MP4, because GIF compresses each frame as a separate picture.
- About the MKV. Converting an MKV to a single-track format keeps only one audio track and drops soft subtitles unless you pick them.
- Browsers with WebCodecs convert to MP4, WebM, MOV and MKV instantly. Other formats, and older browsers, use the FFmpeg engine, a one-time 31 MB download.
Questions
Will the MKV loop like the GIF?
Video files don’t store a loop setting. Websites, chat apps and players loop short clips themselves, and video players have a repeat option.
Will a MKV play on my phone?
MKV has patchy support: VLC, Plex, Kodi and many smart TVs, but not iPhones, most editors or social apps. VLC, mpv, IINA and Plex play MKV files; QuickTime and most phone galleries don’t.