Many of us still have a collection of DVDs that we cherish and want to continue enjoying on our various devices. However, with the rise of streaming services and the discontinuation of DVD players on newer laptops, playing DVDs on players may be a problem. In this tutorial, we will provide step-by-step instructions on How to Rip a DVD on Mac or Windows for convenient and portable viewing.
How to Rip a DVD on Windows and macOS? [Tutorial]
Way 1: How to Rip a DVD Fastly & Flexibly using DVDFab DVD Ripper
DVDFab DVD Ripper is a powerful and versatile tool, that can quickly rip DVD Mac and Windows with exceptional quality. It effortlessly handles DVDs with copy protection as well as homemade DVDs and DVD folders/ISOs. With over 260 presets for devices, you can easily convert DVDs to over 1000 digital formats, including popular video containers like MKV/MP4, audio formats like Flac/WAV/MP3, and .SRT subtitle format, among others. DVDFab DVD Ripper provides a free trial with full functionality for evaluating purposes, thus you can fully understand how to rip DVDs with this tool before you purchase a license.
√- Support copy-protected DVDs
√- Support batch conversion of multiple titles
√- Support combining different titles/chapters into one file
√- Ability to personalize videos with trimming, cropping, watermarking, and other effects with a built-in video editor
√- Ability to remove unwanted audio tracks and subtitles. If you don't want any subtitles, you can even set it not to output any subtitles
X- The lifetime free version only works with copy-free or old DVDs and can only rip them to MKV and MP4 format
Step-by-step guide to show you how to rip DVD on Windows using DVDFab DVD Ripper:
- Cover copy-protected DVDs, whether new or old
- Rip DVDs to popular digital formats, like MP4, WMA, MP3, MKV, and other 1,000+ formats
- Get 50x faster DVD ripping speed with GPU acceleration
- Edit a DVD with the internal video editor
Step 1: Download and install DVDFab DVD Ripper (DVDFab 13) from the official website.
Step 2: Run DVDFab, and then switch to the "Ripper" module.
Step 3: Put the DVD into your PC drive and wait till DVDFab automatically analyzes and loads the DVD as the source. By default, you will get the main movie title, if you want to choose other titles, open the "Choose Other Titles" window and select the desired one.
Step 4: Select a profile and output target. You can use the Filter on the profile panel to easily find the format or preset device, and simply click on the one you prefer.
Step 5: On the main interface, choose the needed subtitles, audio tracks, and chapters. If you want certain audio or subtitles to be shown as the default one for playback, put the tiny little triangel in front of that track.
Step 6: Click on the Advanced Settings button to open the panel, adjust the video quality (Fast Speed/Standard/High Quality/Customized), change the Audio parameters as well as set the Subtitle mode per your need.
There are four different subtitle modes available, Remux subtitles into a file, Render into video, or Extra to srt or idx/sub files, all up to you.
Step 7: Use the Trim feature to trim the title or click on the PEN button to open the Video Edit window and adjust the Brightness, contrast, and more to change video effects. You can also add a watermark or external subtitles, crop and change the aspect ratio, and change the playback speed.
Step 8: Click the "Start" button to rip DVDs to your computer.
Wondering "how to rip DVD on Mac?" You can also follow the steps above to proceed. The process is the same as using DVDFab DVD Ripper on Windows.
Way 2: How to Rip a DVD with VLC
VLC is usually used as a free Media Player for playback, it can handle various input types, including Homemade DVD, Blu-ray, Audio CD, SVCD/VCD, and videos. It is not a dedicated DVD ripping program, but it can rip DVD into various digital formats such as MP4 and MKV. If your discs are not copy-protected, you can easily rip DVDs using VLC, otherwise, you will need to install libdvdcss to enable VLC to decode encrypted discs.
√- Free and easy to use
√- Support various output profiles
×- Need additional files to support copy-protected DVDs
×- The process of ripping a DVD could be very slow
×- Lack of some essential options to adjust the video and audio settings
VLC can work on Windows and macOS, here are the steps to use the product on Windows, but you can also follow the steps below to rip DVD Mac:
Step 1: Download and launch VLC and insert the disc you want to rip.
Step 2: Click "Media" on the top bar and from the drop-down menu, choose "Convert/Save".
Step 3: On the "Open Media" dialog window, switch to the "Disc" tab, click "Browse" to select a disc or a VIDEO_TS folder from your PC. And then click "Convert/Save" at the bottom.
Step 4: Click Profile, and from the drop-down list, select the format you want. Then hit "Browse" to select the destination, rename the ripped file, and set the video format to the one you prefer.
Step 5: Click "Start" to start the ripping process.
Way 3: How to Rip a DVD with HandBrake
HandBrake, a free and user-friendly DVD-ripping software, helps you rip DVD with ease. It can deal with regular video files, DVDs, and Blu-rays and allows you to batch scan to open folders with multiple titles. Its ability to set title ranges by chapters/seconds/frames and create chapter markers will allow you to accurately set the clip range and play the video according to your customized chapters. Additionally, it offers a variety of filters like denoise and sharpen for adjusting video quality.
√- Free and open-source software
√- Support hardware acceleration for fast conversion speed
√- Ability to rotate, crop, and set resolution and borders for the video
√- Provides a list of built-in preset options and allows for adding/editing/deleting presets
×- Need another software to bypass encryption
×- Lack of advanced video custom options
×- Limitation on output formats, only MP4, MKV, and WebM are available
Step-by-step guide for how to rip video from DVDs to harddrive using HandBrake:
Step 1: Download and install HandBrake. Run it upon the installation is completed.
Step 2: Insert the DVD disc into your DVD drive.
Step 3: Click the "Open Source" button in the top-left corner of the HandBrake window, select the DVD drive, and then choose the longest title or other available title from the list as Source.
Step 4: Change the Output Format under the "Summary" tab per your need, and then in the SAVE AS field, browse for a destination folder where you want to save the output.
Step 5: Click on the "Start Encode" button in the top menu bar to rip DVD on your Windows computer in digital format. The rip DVD Mac process is similar.
Way 4: How to Rip a DVD with MakeMKV
MakeMKV is an effortless DVD ripper tool, you can use it for free to rip DVDs in MKV format. It can decrypt copy-protected DVDs, and preserve chapter and meta information of the original DVDs. For copy-protected Blu-rays, you may need to update decryption keys manually from time to time. However, those keys can be easily found to activate the application.
√- Simple UI, easy to use
√- Support copy-protected DVD/Blu-ray
√- Rip DVD to MKV format fast and without quality loss
√- MakeMKV can preserve all subtitles, audio tracks, and meta information
×- The output format is limited to MKV, it produces video with a large file size
×- Lack of customization video editing options
Follow the step-by-step guide on how to rip DVD to computer using MakeMKV:
Step 1: Download and install MakeMKV from its official site.
Step 2: Open MakeMKV and insert the DVD you want to rip into your computer’s drive.
Step 3: Click the "File" menu and select "Open Disc" to load the DVD into the program.
Step 4: You can see all the available titles on the left. Select the titles and corresponding audio tracks/subtitles by ticking or unticking the boxes next to them.
Step 5: Choose a folder where you want to save the ripped files.
Step 6: Click the "Make MKV" button to start the ripping process and then, simply wait till the process completes.
Way 5: How to Rip a DVD with WinX DVD Ripper
WinX DVD Ripper allows users to easily rip DVD/ISO images/folders to various formats that can be played with different devices such as TVs, iPads, phones, Xbox, etc. Its user-friendly interface and fast ripping speed make it a popular choice among users looking to rip DVD collections into digital formats.
√- Simple and easy to rip DVDs with just a few clicks
√- Fast ripping speed with high-quality output files
√- Supports a variety of output formats and device profiles
×- Advanced functions are limited to the trial version
×- You can only convert 5 minutes of the video with the trial version
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to use WinX DVD Ripper to rip DVDs to your computer:
Step 1: Download and run WinX DVD Ripper on your computer following the on-screen instructions.
Step 2: Insert a DVD you want to rip into your PC drive.
Step 3: Click on the "DVD Disc" button on the upper area of the interface to load the DVD. If it is an ISO or DVD Folder on your hard drive, use the corresponding button next.
Step 4: After the source is loaded, choose an output format or device profile from the list of options provided.
If you want to make a 1:1 backup, use the DVD Backup profile. If you want the ripped file to be played on a specific device, choose one from the Device Profile.
Step 5: Select the titles you want to convert and set the destination folder where you want to save the ripped DVD files.
Step 6: Click the Edit button at the end of the title, on the popup window, you can adjust adjust audio volume, set subtitles to enable, add external subtitles, and crop and trim the video per your need.
Step 7: Click the "Run" button to start it.
Way 6: How to Rip a DVD with Freemake Video Converter
Freemake Video Converter is a popular Windows tool that can convert regular video/audio and rip DVD to over 15 digital formats such as AVI, MP4, and WMV with basic video customization options. Whether you want to watch your digital copy on your TV, iPad, phone, or any other device, Freemake has you covered.
Freemake provides a free trial allowing you to learn how to rip DVDs to your computer using this tool, however, you might need to know that a Freemake logo will be added to the output file.
√- Support decrypting certain copy-protected DVDs
√- Ability to customize subtitles and audio tracks
√- Support photo as input besides video and audio
×- A Freemake watermark will be in the output file with the free version
×- VIDEO_TS folder and ISO files are not supported as input
×- Some advanced features are only accessible after purchasing the full version
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to rip DVD to computer's HDD using Freemake Video Converter:
Step 1: Download and install Freemake Video Converter.
Step 2: Launch the program and insert the DVD into the PC drive.
Step 3: Click on the "File" button at the top of Freemake, select "Add DVD..." from the drop-down, and then choose the DVD title you want to rip. Or you can simply use the "+DVD" button to browse the source DVD.
Step 4: Select the output format. Customize the frame rate, bitrate, and audio codecs per your need.
Step 5: Choose the output path for the ripped file.
Step 6: Click the "Convert" button to start the ripping process.
Way 7: How to Rip a DVD with Cisdem Video Converter
Cisdem Video Converter is a versatile video conversion tool that allows users to rip DVDs including encrypted DVDs, homemade DVDs, and DVD folders/ISOs as well as convert videos to other formats with ease. It supports a wide range of output formats and allows you to crop and rotate the video and add watermarks and subtitles to the video, making it suitable for both beginners and advanced users.
√- Unlock copy-protected DVDs
√- Rip DVD to smaller file size with fast speed and high-quality
√- Ability to merge and edit DVD videos
×- The free version has limited features
Here is how to rip a DVD on Windows 10 using Cisdem Video Converter, step by step:
Step 1: Download and install Cisdem Video Converter on your computer.
Step 2: Launch the program and insert the DVD that you want to rip into your computer’s DVD drive. You can then directly drag & drop the DVD or DVD folder into the main interface.
Step 3: Click the "Rip" button in the upper area and select an output option you want to convert the DVD. If you wish to adjust format parameters, click the "gearwheel" icon next to the format.
Step 4: Choose the destination folder to save the ripped DVD file.
Step 5: Click the "Start" button to begin the DVD-ripping process. The program will start converting the DVD to the selected format.
Way 8: How to Rip a DVD with Movavi Video Converter
Movavi Video Converter is a powerful and user-friendly software that allows you to rip DVDs to other file formats and save them to your computer or other devices. It can set preferred output file sizes and edit videos by increasing the resolution. Additionally, it allows you to convert video/audio and images. You can use the program for free during the 7-day trial period.
√- Support a wide range of video and audio formats
√- Support adding subtitles to the video
√- Convert videos quickly without losing quality
√- Ability to trim, crop, rotate, and add effects to your videos using the built-in editing tools
×- No support for burning DVDs
So, how to rip DVDs to MP4 or hard drive? Just follow the steps here on how to rip video from DVDs with Movavi Video Converter:
Step 1: Install and run Movavi Video Converter.
Step 2: Insert the DVD you want to rip into your PC drive.
Step 3: Click "+Add Media > Add DVD > Open DVD..." and browse for DVD source, or you can simply drag the DVD folder to the main interface.
Step 4: Choose the preferred output format from the list of options available at the lower area of the interface. If you want to use another format or adjust the codec for video/audio, go to the advanced window by clicking on the "gearwheel" button.
Step 5: Use the "Pen" button to change the title name and use the Edit feature to add subtitles, watermark, change the effects of the video, or crop and trim it following the on-screen instructions.
Step 6: On the lower right area, select the "Save to..." destination folder and then click on the "Convert" button to start ripping the DVD.
Quick overview of the best 8 tools to rip a DVD
|
Software |
Supported OS |
Bypass DVD encryption |
Best for |
|
DVDFab DVD Ripper |
Windows, Mac |
Yes |
Rip protected DVDs to various video formats with the best quality. |
|
VLC |
Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, Unix, iOS, Android ... |
No |
Playing and converting media |
|
HandBrake |
Windows, Mac, and Linux |
No |
Open-source tool to rip homemade DVDs to MP4 |
|
MakeMKV |
Windows, Mac, and Linux |
Yes |
Rip protected DVDs to MKV with lossless quality |
|
WinX DVD Ripper |
Windows, Mac |
Yes |
Rip and copy protected DVDs to MP4/HDD with high quality |
|
Freemake video converter |
Windows |
Partially |
Burn and rip DVDs/Blu-rays fast |
|
Movavi Video Converter |
Windows, Mac |
No |
Rip unprotected DVDs to various formats |
|
Cisdem Video Converter |
Windows, Mac |
No |
Rip DVDs into different videos |
FAQ about how to rip video from DVDs
Can I rip a Region A DVD using Region B DVD reader/writer?
Yes, you can rip DVDs with DVDFab DVD Ripper effortlessly, as it can bypass copy protections, including regional encryption.
Step 1: Simply insert the DVD into your drive
Step 2: Launch DVDFab, and let it automatically detect and analyze the disc.
Step 3: Press Start.
Step 4: Upon completion of the conversion process, your output will be free from any copy restrictions.
What product can be used to convert 2D movies into 3D?
DVDFab DVD Ripper provides 3D profiles that can convert and rip DVD sources to 3D format. Simply open the profile selector, set "3D" as a filter, and then pick a 3D profile that suits your playback device.
Can I rip DVDs using Windows Media Player?
No, Windows Media Player is not capable of ripping DVDs. It is best for playing audio and video files on Windows operating systems but allows you to burn data CD/DVD. So you still need other DVD ripper tools to rip videos from DVDs.
Conclusion
We discussed 8 different methods for how to rip DVD on Mac/Windows to digital formats. These methods include free programs like VLC, Handbrake, and MakeMKV, as well as paid software such as DVDFab DVD Ripper, WinX DVD Ripper, Movavi Video Converter, and Cisdem Video Converter. Apart from MakeMKV, which only supports MKV as output, each offers a list of output options. Whether you want to protect your DVD collections or simply have easier access to your favorite movies, there should be one that will work for you.