How to Rip Blu-ray Movies on Mac: 2026 Step-by-Step Guide

Streaming services are constantly editing or removing movies, reminding film fans that you don't truly own digital media unless you have physical discs. While modern Macs pack insane XDR screens and M-series chips perfect for high-bitrate video, Apple ditched built-in disc drives long ago and set up strict security hurdles on macOS. Digitizing your Blu-ray collection isn't about staying stuck in the past; it's about pushing your Mac's hardware and display to its full potential. In this guide, we will recommend 3 powerful ways to rip Blu-rays on Mac. With a solid external drive and the right setup, backing up your 1080p or 4K collection is straightforward and surprisingly fast.

The Prerequisites: What You Need Before Ripping

Our Testing Methodology

To provide objective recommendations, every method featured in this guide was tested in an active environment:

• Test Rig: Apple MacBook Air (M2, 16GB Unified Memory) running macOS Sonoma/Sequoia.
• External Hardware: LG WP50NB40 Portable Blu-ray Writer connected via a Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C Anker Hub.
• Discs Tested: Standard 1080p Commercial Blu-ray (AACS v78 Protection) & 4K UHD Blu-ray.

Every tool recommended was evaluated on four strict pillars:

1. Decryption Capability: Bypassing modern AACS, BD+, and structural copy protections without crashing.

2. Processing Speed & Efficiency: Native integration with macOS VideoToolbox hardware acceleration instead of running through translation layers.

3. Output Integrity: Preserving original multi-channel audio tracks (Dolby Atmos, DTS-HD Master Audio) and native video bitrates.

4. UI/UX Cleanliness: Feeling like a native macOS application rather than a clunky Windows port.

Quick Comparison

Hardware & Storage Reality Check

• Storage Space: The converted Blu-ray video typically requires 25–50 GB of uncompressed storage space. A single 4K UHD disc can occupy up to 100 GB of storage space. Please prepare a solid-state drive with sufficient remaining space in advance, or configure the output directory to use an external solid-state drive formatted with the APFS file system.

Path A: The Budget-First Champion (Best for Casual Archivists)

Blu-ray Master Free Mac Blu-ray Ripper is a solid choice for ripping Blu-rays on Mac, with lossless output. It has powerful built-in decryption technologies to handle various Blu-ray copy protections and region codes. You can use this tool to rip Blu-ray movies to MP4, MKV, MOV, and other video/audio formats you want. One of its important features is the ability to customize parameters, which allows you to choose the encoder as H.265/ProRes 422, adjust the frame rate, and make other changes. Compared to MakeMKV, it supports a wide range of digital formats.

See the detailed guide to ripping Blu-rays using this robust tool.

Step 1.Download and install Blu-ray Master Free Mac Blu-ray Ripper on your Mac computer via the buttons below. Open the software and, in the Ripper section, click Load Blu-ray to recognize and load the inserted Blu-ray disc.

Step 2.There will be a pop-up window to prompt you to choose a ripping mode: Main Title or Full Title List. If you select the Full Title List, it will list the full titles of the Blu-ray movie, and you can check the titles you want to convert.

Step 3.Next, what you need to do is go to the Output Format section to select a desired output format. Under the Output Format drop-down, you will see Video, Audio, and Device three category. Generally, we choose the MP4 Same as source profile under the Video section as the export format. If you need, you can also choose ProRes as the output format.

Step 4.Lastly, click the folder icon to browse and set a download folder for the exported files. To start the Blu-ray ripping, click Rip All.

Blu-ray Master Free Mac Blu-ray Ripper is the ideal 'load-and-go' solution for users who value simplicity, speed, and immediate compatibility with Apple devices without spending a dime. When we try it, we find it limits the ability to choose and export high-quality output videos. You can try its free version first to decide whether to buy it.

Path B: The '1:1 Raw Backup' Standard (Best for Hardcore Cinephiles)

MakeMKV is a well-known Blu-ray decryption and ripping tool that can rip Blu-rays on Mac losslessly. It can be considered a completely free tool, and you can regularly obtain the registration key from the official MakeMKV forum. Unlike other tools that re-encode files to reduce file size, it remuxes to extract raw video, audio, and subtitle information and 1:1 copies them into the MKV container, which results in a large file size.

Here are the ripping steps.

Step 1.After installing MakeMKV on your computer, open it on your Mac. Then, under the Source section, load the inserted Blu-ray disc.

Step 2.Once MakeMKV has finished analyzing the Blu-ray movie, the full information about the Blu-ray is listed in the interface. Here, you can check the titles, audio tracks, and subtitles.

Step 3.Finally, you will see the Output folder area on the right and click the folder icon to set a download folder for the export file. Last but not least, click Make MKV to begin the ripping process.

MakeMKV has been the gold standard for Blu-ray / DVD ripping for decades. The beta version allows everyone to use it for free. Its 1:1 copy ability is outstanding even compared to modern ripping tools. It is ideal for long-term storage or streaming via a dedicated media server.

Path C: The All-in-One Powerhouse (Best for Compression & Customization)

HandBrake is also a powerful Blu-ray ripping tool that can easily handle homemade Blu-rays and compress the output files to a proper file size without losing much video quality. Though it lacks decryption ability, it has advanced customization settings that allow you to configure the output video settings. You can use it to rip your homemade Blu-rays. Otherwise, many people also use it to compress and convert the MKV files that are exported from MakeMKV.

Now, see the detailed steps on how to rip Blu-rays.

Step 1.Open HandBrake on your computer and select the inserted Blu-ray disc to load it.

Step 2.Next, choose a desired output format, and here are MP4, MKV, MOV, and WebM. Select MP4 as the output format under the Summary section.

Note: You can select the Apple 2160p60 4K HEVC Surround profile from the Proset sidebar and adjust other settings.

Step 3.Lastly, you need to click the Browse button to browse and set a download folder for the exported file. Then, click Start Encode at the top menu to start the ripping process.

HandBrake isn't a standalone Blu-ray decryptor, but it remains the ultimate free tool for home movies, personal backups, and unencrypted discs. If you're working with homemade family Blu-rays or previously decrypted raw files, pairing HandBrake with Apple Silicon's VideoToolbox hardware acceleration gives you the perfect balance of tiny file sizes, crisp 1080p quality, and native Mac playback without baking your CPU.

Crucial Details You Actually Care About

Apple Silicon Optimization (M1/M2/M3/M4)

Please ensure that the software you have downloaded can run natively on Apple Silicon without relying on Apple's Rosetta 2 translation layer. Rosetta 2 incurs a 15–20% performance overhead when executing CPU-intensive tasks. Native Apple Silicon tools leverage the macOS VideoToolbox framework, enabling the Mac's dedicated media engine core to handle encoding directly—thereby eliminating the need to activate fans or drain the battery.

The Subtitle Dilemma: PGS Tracks on macOS

Blu-ray discs use PGS (Presentation Graphic Stream) subtitles, which are image-based overlays rather than text files.

• QuickTime Player and native Apple apps cannot render PGS subtitles.
• If using Path C (HandBrake), go to the Subtitles tab and check the Burn-In box next to your desired subtitle track. This permanently renders the image-based subtitles directly into the video frames.
• Alternatively, use media players like Infuse or VLC for Mac, which render PGS subtitles natively without requiring re-encoding.

The Legality Check: Personal Backups vs. Distribution

Under U.S. copyright law (as well as similar legal frameworks in other European jurisdictions), bypassing technical protection measures (TPMs), such as AACS, falls within a complex legal gray area. However, copyright enforcement actions almost invariably target commercial distribution and piracy, rather than archival activities conducted by individuals for purposes of fair use. Backing up physical Blu-ray discs that you have legally purchased for private home viewing on your personal Mac is widely regarded as an acceptable form of personal media archiving.

FAQs about Ripping Blu-rays on Mac

• What is the best free way to rip a Blu-ray on a Mac with M1/M2/M3 chip?

  MakeMKV is definitely the ultimate choice for ripping Blu-rays on Mac, and it runs smoothly on M1/M2/M3 Macs. It can 1:1 copy the full information of a Blu-ray movie to the MKV format.

• How do I fix MakeMKV 'Volume key is unknown' error on macOS?

  It happens when MakeMKV doesn't have the encryption key for a newer disc yet. You can download the latest KEYDB.cfg file from findvuk.neocities.org or the LibreDrive / AACR2 forum threads, and place it in your MakeMKV data directory on Mac.

• Do I need a special external drive to rip 4K UHD Blu-rays on a MacBook?

  Yes. You need to prepare a professional 4K UHD drive to read the 4K Blu-rays.

• MakeMKV vs HandBrake: What's the difference when ripping Blu-ray on Mac?

  MakeMKV can process Blu-rays with copy protections and Blu-ray region codes to large MKV files losslessly. HandBrake can only handle homemade Blu-rays to MP4, MKV, MOV, and WebM.

• Why isn't my Mac recognizing my external USB Blu-ray drive?

  The possible reasons include insufficient USB power, a faulty cable or passive hub, and lack of native macOS disc formatting.

• Is it legal to rip my personal Blu-ray collection to Plex in the US/UK?

  It is a legal grey area. Simply put, ripping Blu-rays for personal use is acceptable.

Conclusion

For many people who have collected a large number of Blu-ray discs, storing and protecting them from rot over time is difficult. So, the 3 easy ways in this guide allow you to rip Blu-rays on Mac for backup. For these 3 ways, Blu-ray Master Free Mac Blu-ray Ripper offers various output choices and decryption capabilities; MakeMKV is good for 1:1 bitstream extraction; HandBrake is suitable for occasional homemade Blu-ray ripping, and it can compress the output videos to reasonable sizes without much quality loss.