How to Fix the Adobe Premiere Pro MKV Importing Issue?

Actually, Adobe once added support for MKV files for Premiere Pro CC 2018 (12.1-12.1.2) and Premiere Pro CC 2019 (13.1.2). However, it discontinued MKV support after Premiere Pro CC 2019 (13.1.3). And till now, MKV has yet to be added to Adobe Premiere Pro’s official supported file list. So when you import MKV video into recent versions of Premiere Pro CC like Premiere Pro CC 2022 (22.0) or earlier versions like Premiere Pro CC 2017, you will get error messages like “Unsupported format or damaged file”, "We were unable to open the file on disc", or others.

Does this mean that we can update or roll to the version that supports MKV natively to import MKV files for editing? Unfortunately, not.

As stated before, MKV is a video container format that can hold various video and audio codecs. Though Premiere Pro can recognize the MKV container, the unsupported video and audio codecs can also lead to the MKV Premiere Pro import failure.

If your MKV or other files cannot be imported into Premiere Pro, then the file import failure can be incompatible file formats, codecs, or corrupted files. To test if your files are corrupted, you can try to import files to a media player to see if it works. Then you can try some repairing tools to fix the corrupted files.

For the import failure caused by incompatible file formats or codecs, someone may suggest you install the K-Lite Codec Pack to resolve the MKV Premiere Pro import failure. However, we don’t recommend this because it has been linked to some issues like crashes and slowdowns with the Adobe Suite.

So the following will share other practical solutions to help you successfully import MKV videos to Premiere Pro.

Solution 1. Rename the MKV File Extension

The most straightforward solution to fix the Adobe Premiere MKV importing issue is to rename the file extension. But make sure that the video and audio codecs inside the MKV container are supported by Abode Premiere Pro before changing the file extension from .mkv to .mp4 or other Premiere Pro supported formats. Also, be sure that the new container format is compatible with the codecs inside the MKV files. or you may damage the original footage. So you’d better back up your files first.

To rename the file extension, you just need to right-click on your .mkv file, and select “Rename”. Then change the file extension from .mkv to .mp4 or other Premiere Pro supported container formats. Press the “Enter” key and hit “Yes” on the pop-up confirmation box.

Solution 2. Convert MKV to Premiere Pro Supported Format/Codec [100% working]

To solve the MKV Premiere Pro not supported issue by converting, you can give WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro a try. It is a professional, dedicated, and practical video converter program that can help you convert MKV to MP4, MOV, AVI, ProRes, and other Adobe Premiere Pro supported formats. Moreover, you can also change the video and audio codecs to make the video compatible with Premiere Pro. Not just for the Premiere Pro MKV importing issue, it can also be used to solve other format incompatibility issues for smooth playback, editing, and upload.

With the support of batch conversion mode and hardware acceleration, even multiple video conversions can be done instantly with high-quality preserved. The self-explanatory interface and intuitive workflow also help users to quickly convert files.

DownloadDownload this Adobe Premiere Video converter now and follow the guide below to make your MKV files compatible with Premiere Pro.

Solution 3. Convert MKV to MP4 with VLC

Besides using HD Video Converter Factory Pro to convert MKV to Premiere Pro supported formats, you can also convert MKV to MP4 with VLC Media Player since VLC is not only a multimedia player but also can perform video conversion. However, it is not a professional video converter, and the confusing UI design, slow conversion speed, limited codec options, and some conversion issues may affect the conversion experience. So I only recommend users who’ve already installed VLC to give it a try.

Simple conversion steps are given below:

Step 1. Launch VLC Media Player and go to “Media” > “Convert/Save” to open the “Open Media” window.
Step 2. Click the “+ Add...” button to import the unsupported MKV file. Then press “Convert/Save” to go to the next step.
Step 3. Hit the down-arrow button from the “Profile” section to choose an output format. “Video – H.264 + MP3” is supported.
Step 4. Press “Browse” to select an output folder and then hit “Start”. Wait for the conversion process and then you can get the converted files.

If you are using the old version of Adobe Premiere Pro earlier than Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2018 12.1, you can directly import MKV files to it as MKV was a native support format in the early versions.

For users who are using Adobe Premiere Pro's new versions, you need to remux or convert your MKV files. After the conversion, you can import the converted video file to Adobe Premiere Pro for smooth editing. Here is a simple guide for new users to import MKV files and other videos to Premiere Pro.

Step 1. Open Adobe Premiere Pro and click "New Project" to create a new project.

Step 2. Name the project. Find a destination folder and click "OK".

Step 3. Import the needed video file by clicking "File" on the top bar menu and clicking "Import" to add one or more MKV videos.

Step 4. Add the imported video to the "Timeline Panel" for editing by dragging and dropping.

Now you can edit your MKV or converted videos in Adobe Premiere Pro.

Although Adobe Premiere Pro doesn’t support MKV natively now, you can still edit MKV files in Adobe Premiere Pro once you convert MKV to Premiere Pro compatible formats. With HD Video Converter Factory Pro, you can also solve other format incompatibility issues with ease.

Above is all I want to share with you. Thanks for reading. Have a nice day!