YouTube to MKV
Download a public YouTube video in the MKV container, and see why it is often the higher-quality result rather than a fallback.
Your downloads
Files are available for 1 hour after completion.
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MKV is usually the better-quality outcome, not a failure
People meet MKV by accident, assume something went wrong, and look for a way to avoid it. Usually the opposite is true. YouTube publishes its best video and best audio separately, and its newest, most efficient codecs are AV1 and Opus. MP4 cannot legally carry those, so a file containing them has to be MKV. When you choose Best available and receive an MKV, you have generally received a better picture than the MP4 alternative would have given you at the same resolution.
You cannot request MKV directly, and that is deliberate
There is no MKV button here, because the container follows the streams the source publishes. Choosing Best available gives the highest-quality streams and therefore the best chance of MKV; choosing a resolution cap tends to select the older H.264 and AAC streams that fit in MP4. The one thing we will not do is re-encode a video into a container you asked for, because that discards quality to satisfy a filename.
What MKV gives you that MP4 does not
MKV places almost no limit on what it can hold: multiple audio tracks, subtitle tracks and chapter data can sit in one file. For a single YouTube download this rarely matters, but it is why the format exists and why archival tools prefer it. VLC, MPV, Plex, Kodi and most modern players open it without setup. Renaming a file to .mp4 changes nothing except the label, and can stop it opening at all.
When you genuinely need MP4 instead
Some phones, older TVs and a few editors still accept only MP4. In that case choose a resolution cap here and accept the slightly older stream, or convert the downloaded file once with a local tool. Converting once and keeping the result is better than re-downloading the video repeatedly in search of a different container.
Know the limits
Downloads are limited to 1 GB, videos to one hour, and galleries to 50 items. Files are available for one hour after completion. Availability is checked for each link; private, login-restricted and DRM-protected media are not supported.
Three steps, no install
No account, no extension, no desktop app. Paste a link and the workspace does the rest.
Copy the link
Copy the URL of a public post or video you have permission to save.
Inspect the formats
Paste it above and select Get media. Wait for the available formats.
Save the file
Choose a format and select Download. When processing finishes, select Save file.
Questions before you download
Can I force every download to be MKV?
No. The container follows the codecs the source publishes. Best available gives the highest chance of MKV because the newest streams cannot live in MP4.
Is MKV lower quality than MP4?
No, and often the reverse. The container describes how tracks are packed, not how good they are.
Will MKV play on my device?
VLC, MPV, Plex, Kodi and most modern players handle it directly. Some older TVs and phones do not, in which case convert the file locally once.
Why do other sites always promise MP4?
Because they re-encode the file or hand you a lower-quality stream. Both cost you picture quality; we would rather tell you which container you are getting.
Related tools and guides
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Paste a public link and the workspace shows you the formats the source actually offers.
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