This article describes how to recover deleted large MKV files in 4 proven methods, including using recovery tools like FastRecovery. Scroll down to explore more.
Known as MKV, the Matroska Multimedia Container is a free open video format that enables you to store a vast array of video, audio, image, or subtitle tracks within a single file. When utilizing MKV, the file extensions vary depending on the content type.
Like other files, MKV files may also be deleted due to different reasons, such as accidental deletion, disk formatting, virus infection, interruption during file transfer, system crashes, etc. It does not matter, you can easily recover deleted MKV files as long as you act quickly.
So, how to recover deleted large MKV files? Here are 4 proven methods to make it.
It’s easy to restore accidentally or recently deleted large MKV files from the desktop Recycle Bin if you are sure:
Here's how to recover deleted MKV files from the Recycle Bin:
Step 1. Open your desktop Recycle Bin.
Step 2. Find your deleted large MKV video, right-click on it, and select Restore. You can also hold Ctrl to select multiple files.
If your files are permanently deleted, in the absence of regular backups, you might have no choice but to seek the help of a powerful data recovery tool. AOMEI FastRecovery, released by AOMEI Tech, has 10 years of experience in the data recovery industry and is a good choice.
It provides advanced scanning methods to find and does well in recovering deleted/missing videos (MKV, MP4, MOV, WebM, AVI, etc.) from internal or external drives, USB drives, SD cards, etc.
The free edition can recover deleted MKV videos up to 500 MB. For large MKV videos, starting at 100 MB and usually 1GB or more, upgrading AOMEI FastRecovery is a better and more cost-effective choice.
Step 1. Install and launch FastRecovery on your computer. On the main page, click Deleted Files Recovery.
Step 2. Hover the mouse over the drive containing deleted large MKV files, and click Scan to start the quick scanning process and display all recoverable data.
Step 3. Under the Type section, specify the Video data type and expand it to see all data formats. To locate files quickly, you can try the following options:
You can also locate deleted files by Path if you remember this.
Click the Deep Scan button if the Quick Scan fails. Deep Scan searches every sector of the disk to find more files.
Step 4. Select the deleted large MKV files you want and then click Recover to get them back quickly. Please select a new location to save them, as restoring to the original location may result in data overwriting.
You will be asked to upgrade to the advanced edition of AOMEI Fast Recovery to enjoy unlimited data recovery. The free edition supports up to 500MB of free MKV file recovery.
As you can see, backups are the best hedge against data loss. If you saved these MKV videos before they were lost, you can restore them from backup directly.
Step 1. Type System and Security in the search bar to open it. Then, select Restore files from backups under the Backup and Restore (Windows 7) tab.
Step 2. Click the Restore my files button.
Step 3. Select Browse for files to find your wanted MKV videos. Then, click Next to continue.
Step 4. To retrieve your selected MKV files to their original location or set a new saved path. At last, click Restore.
If your files are hidden rather than deleted, you can use CMD to recover them from a USB drive. The Attrib command can assist you in modifying and changing file attributes (read-only, hidden, system, and archive) and allow you to restore them. Here's how:
Step 1. Type cmd in the search bar, and select Run as administrator.
Step 2. Copy attrib –h –r –s /s /d G:\*.* in the Command Prompt window and hit Enter. Please replace the letter G with the real drive letter of your drive.
👉 For Windows: Media Player, File Viewer Plus, CyberLink PowerDVD 16, Nero 2016, DivX 7 for Windows, VideoLAN VLC media player, BS. Player, KMPlayer, MPlayer, etc.
To open MKV videos on Windows 10 or 11:
Press Win + E to open File Explorer > click Downloads > right-click on your saved MKV video > select Open with > choose Media Player.
👉 For Mac: VideoLAN VLC media player, Eltima Elmedia Player, Roxio Popcorn, Divx 7 for Mac, ShedWorx Smart Converter, etc.
👉 For Linux: VideoLAN VLC media player, MPlayer, etc.
👉 For iOS: VideoLAN VLC for iOS 2, olimsoft OPlayer, Pentaloop PlayerXtreme Media Player, etc.
👉 For Android: BIT LABS Simple MP4 Video Player, Videolabs VLC for Android, etc.
Here are some useful tips for you to prevent MKV video loss. Please consider these pertinent suggestions and put them into action.
Since regular backup is the most practical prevention measure, it's suggested to employ reliable backup software, such as Backup and Restore (Windows 7), File History, or third-party software like AOMEI Backupper Standard, with an intuitive interface and rich features.
Step 1. Launch AOMEI Backupper on your Windows PC. Under the Backup tab, select the File Backup option.
Step 2. Click Select Source > Add Folder/Add File to add the folder or MKV files you want to back up.
Step 3. Click Schedule Backup to enable Daily, Weekly, Monthly (By Date), Event triggers, etc., based on your needs. Then click the Start Backup button.
In the MKV file format, data is organized into distinct units called blocks. These blocks are further grouped into block groups and clusters. Within these structures, important time code metadata is specified, which includes headers for the blocks, block groups, and clusters
This issue can be attributed to a range of factors, including malfunctioning SD cards, technical glitches, audio/video codec problems, outdated media players, corrupted or damaged video files, and incompatible video file formats.
Yes, it can. Let’s show how it works. Besides, this video player can also fix and recover AVI files.
You can convert your MKV to MP4 via online tools like WEED.IO.