5 Methods to Copy DVDs to PC & Mac

Jul 25, 2025Posted by Brittany Garcia to Copy DVD

A physical copy of a DVD is a great way to store data like videos, audio, documents, and others. However, it also has disadvantages, including potential scratches that will prevent you from accessing the content. On top of that, portable players are uncommon these days, so it is better to store data digitally. If you are unfamiliar with how to copy DVDs to your computer, this article is for you.

	Platform	Ease of Use	Best For	Output Formats	Handles Encrypted DVDs	Processing Speed	Quality Retention
Blu-ray Master DVD Copy	Windows 11/10/8, Mac OS X 10.9 or later		Easy, high-quality copying process.	DVD disc/folder/ISO		Fast	Lossless
HandBrake	Windows 11/10, macOS 10.14 or later		Advanced transcoding, broad format support.	MP4, MKV, WebM		Moderate	Good
VLC	Windows 11/10, macOS 10.7.5 or later		Basic ripping, media playback.	MP4, MKV, AVI, etc.		Low	Low
MakeMKV	Windows 11/10		Lossless MKV backup, retains disc details.	MKV		Fast	Good
Built-in	Built-in		Simple copy for unencrypted/homemade DVDs.	VIDEO_TS		Low	Low

Why Do You Need to Copy the DVD to Computer

Copying DVDs to your computer gives you many advantages. Here are several reasons why you will need it:

• The content inside a DVD can be damaged through physical scratches and aging. So, storing the data digitally will be a great alternative as it helps to archive without risk.
• The data is accessible without requiring a DVD player. It can be accessed not only on a computer but also with various devices, such as phones and tablets.
• It allows you to edit and customize the data from the DVD, add subtitles and video effects, and configure the output settings.
• Instead of creating another physical copy of the DVD to send to your friends or family, it will be best to send it digitally via online platforms.
• You can convert DVD formats to common ones, like MP4, MOV, or MKV, allowing videos to be compatible with programs and devices.

Method 1. Copy a DVD to Computer with Free DVD Copy

Copying and backing up your DVDs can be done quickly with Blu-ray Master DVD Copy. It is a desktop software that focuses on 1:1 copying DVDs to DVD disc, folder, and ISO image. With advanced decryption technology, it can bypass DVD region codes to back up any region DVDs and DVDs with DVD copy protection. It provides Full Copy, Main Movie, and Custom three copy modes, which can meet your different copy needs. Moreover, it can compress your original DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD+RW, DVD-14, DVD-18, etc., in a single layer or dual layer to high-quality DVD-9 and DVD-5 discs, which can free up your computer space.

• Easy and intuitive interface.
• Advanced quality maintenance technology to preserve the original quality.
• Support DVD-9, DVD-5, ISO, and other types of DVDs.
• Fast and reliable processing speed, copying DVDs to the computer in no time.

Now, follow us to see the detailed steps of backing up DVDs to PC.

Step 1. Download and install Blu-ray Master DVD Copy on your computer. Double-click the software icon to open it.

Step 2. Insert a DVD disc into your computer. The software can automatically load your DVD disc information. Then, go to the Source drop-down options to save the DVD as a disc, folder, or ISO.

Step 3. Choose a desired copy mode from Full Copy, Main Movie, and Customize. Finally, click Next to enter the copy interface and select Start to begin the backup process.

Free DVD Ripper is a solid solution for copying DVDs to computers like Windows and Mac. It is free, user-friendly, and, most of all, professional in ripping videos with preserved quality. You should try it by clicking the Free Download button.

Method 2. Backup a DVD to Computer with HandBrake

HandBrake excels in transcoding digital files. Of course, it is also a great alternative for copying DVDs to a computer, especially as it is available for free on Windows, Mac, and Linux. Not only that, it also supports a wide range of inputs and outputs, allowing you to convert different types of DVDs to MKV, MP4, VOB, AVI, and more.

Step 1. You will need to download and install libdvdcss to the HandBrake software. To do this, go to http://download.videolan.org/pub/videolan/libdvdcss/ and download libdvdcss, which is appropriate for your device’s operating system.

Step 2. To finish, you only need to move the downloaded libdvdcss to HandBrake’s install directory. Then, open HandBrake and insert the disc into the drive. When a sidebar appears, choose the DVD drive. It will take a while for the software to read the disc.

Step 3. Once done, open the Title menu and choose the title you want to copy. Then, you can choose a preset with a new output quality, device compatibility, etc. After that, decide on a destination folder and hit the Start Encode button to process.

HandBrake is popular because of its generous features when it comes to DVD copying on computers. It is also free and accessible on many platforms, transcoding various DVD types without format hindrances. On the other hand, it can be difficult to navigate, as well as too demanding in resource power.

Method 3. Duplicate a DVD to Computer with VLC Media Player

For another free option, VLC Media Player can be used for copying DVDs to your computer. Although it specializes in streaming videos, it also offers basic DVD-ripping functions. However, note that VLC does not have the proper equipment for DVD ripping, so the quality is not guaranteed to be stable. You can still try it on your computer with the steps below:

Step 1. Launch VLC and insert the disc into the drive. Go to the Media tab and choose the Convert/Save option. From the pop-up window, navigate to the Disc tab to ensure that VLC properly reads the disc.

Step 2. Tick the No disc menus checkbox since VLC will only rip the menus and leave the titles. Then, proceed to set the Starting Position to select the titles or chapters. After that, click the Convert/Save button to copy DVDs to your computer.

Naturally, VLC can provide streaming services, even for DVDs. It is also a great alternative for basic video editing, but unfortunately, it is not a professional DVD copier. Moreover, the processing time is longer than a dedicated DVD ripper can do, so this is a drawback.

Method 4. Save a DVD to Computer with MakeMKV

If you need to copy and convert DVDs, MakemKV is a good option to consider. Its beta version is free, and it guarantees to preserve all the disc details, such as the chapters, audio tracks, etc. Furthermore, you only need one software to copy DVDs to your computer with no additional extensions.

Step 1. Install MakeMKV on the computer and insert the disc. Open the File menu and select the Open Disc option to choose the titles or chapters you want to copy digitally.

Step 2. You can begin the process by clicking the Make MKV button. It will take a while to process, and it is advisable to pay attention to it.

MakeMKV boasts its one-click conversion for DVD and Blu-ray ripping. However, the beta version can only convert MKV. Moreover, it does not offer other essential tools to edit output or cut unwanted parts.

Method 5. Copy a DVD to Computer without Software

There is a built-in DVD copier on Windows and Mac, and you can use it on your computer without additional extensions. However, it has too many disadvantages than dedicated DVD copying software, such as converting DVD files to one common format that is only playable on the native media player, it will not work for encrypted DVDs, and more. With that said, you can still try it on your device with the following steps:

Step 1. Insert the disc on the drive and wait until it is fully recognized. Then, go to File Explorer on Windows or Finder on Mac. Go to your device's file management application.

Step 2. When you see the DVD drive, open it and choose all the folders or files you want to copy. Right-click on the selected files and click the Copy button. Create a new folder where all copied DVDs should be exported.

Thankfully, there is a built-in way of copying DVDs on Windows and Mac computers, and it is easier enough to transfer files to your computer. But remember that this method is very limited to homemade DVDs and will convert the videos to common formats supported by the respective operating systems.

FAQs

• Can you copy DVDs to a hard drive?

  Yes, you can do ripping or backing up DVDs to a hard drive. It is possible to do this using special software that supports ripping or copying data from discs to hard drives.

• Is it legal to copy a DVD to my computer?

  If you find a way to decrypt DVDs, it is legal to copy them as long as you don’t share the content with others. But it is still illegal in some regional laws. Alternatively, you can try a region-free DVD player to access the content without copying the disc.

• Does Walmart copy DVDs?

  Yes. Walmart can copy or transfer homemade DVDs to a computer account. However, the store does not copy commercial DVDs; instead, it sells them officially.

Wrapping up

Now, you have different solutions to copy DVDs to a Mac or Windows computer without too much hassle. But given that free ripping tools have disadvantages, we urge you to try Blu-ray Free DVD Ripper to ensure high-quality ripping and results. Click the Free Download button to make it effortless to rip DVD to MP4, MOV, and other formats!