3 Best Ways to Convert ISO to MKV Free on Windows 11/10 and Mac

"I know Google is a thing but didn't have much luck there. I need to convert some ISOs to MKV files but don't really want to have to pay for the software. Yes, I'm a cheap bastard."

As an archive file of an optical disc, an ISO image file contains all written contents from an optical disc and owns large file size - almost the same file size as original DVD disc. Moreover, ISO is not a popular video format that a few players can play it. To get eaiser access to play and compress the ISO movie size to save much more space, converting ISO to MKV (or MP4, AVI, etc.) is a good idea.

If you want to keep full quality of ISO conversion, MKV is now the best choice to keep all the features a DVD especially the Blu-ray disc have including Chapters, subtitles, audio, descriptions, menus, etc. while also provide better compatibility than ISO image. In this article, we'll introduce 3 most popular ISO to MKV converters to help rip DVD ISO to MKV videos without losing quality on Windows and Mac. Just keep on reading to pick one way you prefer.

Way 1. Convert ISO to MKV with EaseFab LosslessCopy

EaseFab LosslessCopy is the best ISO to MKV converter for Windows and Mac. It's available to convert both Blu-ray ISO and DVD ISO to MKV with original quality while keeping all/selected video, audio, subtitles tracks in 5 minutes. Moreover, it can also rip Blu-ray/DVD discs and ISO to MP4, MKV, MPEG2, H.264, H.265, iPhone, iPad, etc. and 350+ output profiles. What's more, it allows you to flexibily select the the subtitle/audio tracks, add subtitles, extract subtitles, crop, trim, and edit the MKV video.

Besides remuxing ISO files to a lossless MKV file, LosslessCopy can also help you convert ISO to MKV with high quality. You can easily adjust resolution, bitrate, codec, etc to produce optimal file size. More copy mode options are also available, including 1:1 clone Blu-ray/DVD to M2TS/MPEG-2 file, backup Blu-ray/DVD with main/full titles.

[Tutorial] How to Convert ISO to MKV with lossless or high quality

Step 1: After you open EaseFab LosslessCopy, click Load Disc button to click "Load IFO/ISO" to browse and add the ISO image files you want to convert. Batch conversion is supported so that you can load multiple ISO files to convert at a time.

Step 2: Click the Format bar to follow "Multi-track Video" > "Lossless/encoded Multi-track MKV (*.mkv)", which enables you to get the output video with multiple audio tracks and subtitles while keeping lossless video quality.

Step 3 (Optional): Click "Settings" to switch to the "Multi-task Settings" interface where you can change video/audio/subtitle settings. For ISO to MKV lossless conversion with all chapter, audio and subtitles, you can keep the default settings without any change.

You can also click the "Audio" tab to check the audio channels you want and uncheck the unwanted. Click the "Subtitle" tab to check the subtitle language you want to keep and uncheck the unwanted ones. As you see in the following screenshot, you can tick off "Encode" option if you want to compress the audio tracks.

Step 4: Go back to the main UI and click "Convert" to start conversion from ISO to lossless MKV with multiple audio tracks and subtitles preserved.

Way 2. Convert ISO to MKV Free with Handbrake

Handbrake is a free to use open-source video transcoder that allows converting videos to MP4, MKV formats with support to an array of codecs. The program works on multi-platform, including Windows, Mac, and Linux. Additional features include batch scanning and queuing of encodes, VFR and CFR support, live static and video preview, title/chapter, and selection of range, and others. Besides video files, you can also use Handbrake to free convert DVD discs and ISO files to MKV or MP4.

[Tutorial] How to convert ISO to MKV with Handbrake

Before starting HandBrake ISO to MKV, please make sure you have installed the latest version of HandBrake. If not, please download it here: HandBrake.fr

Step 1. Run HandBrake and a Source Selection interface will pop up.

Step 2. Load target ISO file to HandBrake. You can drag it to HandBrake or click "File" option under "Source Selection" to browse and open the ISO file you want to convert to MKV file. Note: HandBrake doesn't support copy-protected files.

Step 3. Choose title and chapters.

Step 4. Choose a MKV preset. HandBrake lists many MKV presets under Matroska category. Simply choose one based on your own needs. Since DVD resolution is 720x480 or 720x576, you're not suggested to choose a MKV preset that is designed with a resolution higher than your original DVD's resolution.

Step 5. Click the "Browse" button at the bottom right to specify which save path and output file name.

Step 6. Click "Start Encode" on the top menu bar and then HandBrake will begin transcoding ISO image to MKV format.

Way 3. Convert ISO to MKV Free with MakeMKV

MakeMKV can also be used as an ISO to MKV converter. It can also help you convert ISO to MKV with all video and audio tracks, chapters information, and all meta information. It works fast because it doesn't transcode video, just extract. More importantly, it's able to remove copy protections from DVD and Blu-ray discs, so that it's the best solution to free convert ISO to MKV losslessly.

The disadvantage is that it will export a super large MKV file. An lossless MKV file from an ISO image file will take about 4-8 GB. So make sure the hard drive on your computer has enough free space.

[Tutorial] How to convert ISO to MKV with MakeMKV

Step 1. Download MakeMKV for your Windows or Mac computer. Then, install and open it.

Step 2. Click "File" -> "Open files" or press "Ctrl + O" to browse and import target ISO file. MakeMKV will take some time to process titles and decrypt data.

Step 3. When ISO is loaded, you will see titles, video, audio, and subtitle tracks in a tree structure. What you need to do here is to select desired titles and tracks.

Step 4. Set output folder and then click "Make MKV". Then, simply wait for the process to finish.

FAQs about ISO to MKV Conversion

1. Why Convert DVD ISO to MKV videos?

ISO is an image of a disc (Blu-ray, DVD or CD) which contains an identical copy of data found on the optical disc. Therefore, it's large in size and not widely supported. While MKV is a royalty-free format that anyone can use it to contain DVD contents. It is as of now the best choice to keep all the features a DVD especially the Blu-ray disc have including Chapters, subtitles, audio, descriptions, menus, etc. while also provide better compatibility than ISO image. Besides, the same content MKV files are about 10% smaller than DVD files and roughly 40% smaller than Blu-ray files, so a 10GB ISO DVD file can be saved in a 1GB MKV video without quality loss.

2. Can I use VLC to convert ISO to MKV?

Yes. The famous media player VLC offers the ability to convert ISO to MKV and various other formats. Some users may already have it on their computer. So there's a good chance that you don't need to get extra software to convert ISO to MKV.

3. Can I use the above-mentioned tools to convert ISO to MP4?

You can use LosslessCopy and Handbrake to convert ISO images to MP4 videos. But MakeMKV cannot help you get the job done.