How to Rip DVD to MKV for Free: 3 Ways for Lossless Quality (2026)

When you get some great DVDs in a foreign language, how do you convert them into the desired video with the desired subtitle and audio track? MKV is the most suitable file format for storing videos, audio, subtitles, and other metadata in a single file. In this case, converting DVD to MKV should be the best method to preserve or include the desired files.

How to rip a DVD into an MKV video for a foreign movie for free? If the desired subtitles and audio tracks are available, you can convert a DVD to MKV to preserve the files. If the files are unavailable, you can extract the MKV from the DVD and then add the files to the MKV. Just learn more about the best free solutions from the article now.

Legal Disclaimer:

For US and EU-based users, it is important to remember that ripping DVD content is only legal for media files made for personal use. Bypassing DVD encryption is considered illegal in the EU and the US. Make sure you only rip media files from your own recordings and avoid distributing them.

Part 1. Why Do You Need to Convert DVD to MKV

At first, MKV is a special container format compared to other common formats like MP4 or AVI. MKV encapsulates various information, such as multiple videos, video chapters/titles, audio tracks, multilingual subtitles, attachments, and metadata. But it has a small file size despite containing so much information. You can also add external files to MKV files to improve the audio-visual experience. Moreover, MKV is highly compatible with various platforms and players. Thus, MKV is convenient to share and save.

Moreover, MKV containers are highly optimised for handling streams and advanced bitrates, and their frame rate options are versatile, as they can use variable or constant frame rate modes.

When you rip a DVD to MKV, you will receive a file of hundreds of MB, but with little quality loss.

To conclude, MKV is a format that can balance file information and file size relatively well.

Part 2. Best Method to Rip DVD to MKV with External Subtitles

Blu-ray Master Free DVD Ripper is a top-rated DVD ripping tool that can convert DVDs to MKV with external subtitles and audio tracks. It has an easy, clear interface that makes it easy to learn how to convert DVDs to MKV. With the customisation features, you can even customise your MKV output parameters, such as resolution and encoder. Moreover, you can easily extract the best MKV video from a DVD with the original quality.

• • Rip DVD to MKV, MP4, AVI, and more than 200 formats with super fast speed.
• • Add external audio track and subtitles to the output MKV files.
• • Tweak the MKV with video codec, frame rate, bit rate, and more parameters.
• • Flexible editing settings to beautify and customise your video effects.

Step 1. Download and install

Download and install Free DVD Ripper on your PC. Then insert your DVD into your optical disc drive and launch the program from your desktop. Once click the "Load Disc" button, all DVD movies will be imported. It works with both DVD and encrypted commercial discs.

Note: After you load a DVD file, you are prompted to choose one of the DVD loading modes: DVD Navigator Mode or DVD Parser Mode.

Step 2. Set MKV as the output format

Select the videos in the library area, then click the Play icon under the media player to preview the movies before conversion. Go to the bottom area and select "MKV" from the "Profile" dropdown list. Moreover, you can convert DVDs to MKV-compatible devices directly.

Note: If you are not satisfied with the provided MKV profile, you can also click the Settings option beside Profile to customise the MKV resolution, encoder, bitrate, etc.

Step 3. Add an external audio track and subtitle

If you want to set the audio and subtitle tracks, locate the Audio Track and Subtitle options under each video. Moreover, you can add external audio tracks and subtitles by hitting the Plus icons. As for the case, you can add them to the output MKV files.

Step 4. Convert DVD to MKV with external files

Next, click the "Browse" button to select a specific folder to store the MKV movies. Make sure to check all the DVD videos you want to convert, then click the "Convert" button in the bottom-right corner to start ripping the DVD to MKV with the desired audio and subtitle tracks.

Editor Experience: Among the options on this list, Blu-ray Master Free DVD Ripper offers the best balance of features and ease of use. This makes the program a safe choice, whether you are a beginner or an experienced user looking for simplicity.

Part 3. How to Rip DVD to MKV with HandBrake

HandBrake is a popular DVD-to-MKV ripper that can convert DVDs to popular video formats, including MP4, MKV, and Apple device presets. With rich settings, you can configure many parameters, such as Dimensions, Video, Audio, Subtitles, etc. With several clicks, you can load your DVD files and convert them to MKV. It allows you to batch convert DVDs to MKV for free. Moreover, you need to install add-ons to rip commercial DVDs.

In addition to these features, HandBrake excels at compression efficiency, making it a solid option for users who want to rip DVDs and compress their media files to a much more manageable file size.

Step 1. Download and install HandBrake on Windows or Mac. Then launch the program on your computer. Make sure you have already inserted the DVD into the DVD drive. Now click "Source" and choose "Open File" to load the DVD into the program.

Step 2. Go to the "Output Settings" menu and select MKV from the drop-down list. After that, you can choose the best "Picture", "Filters", "Video", "Subtitles", "Chapters", and other "Advanced" settings, which will give you the desired output.

Step 3. When you click the "Subtitles" option, you can click the "Source" option to get a preferred subtitle from the drop-down list. After that, you can follow a similar process to add the desired audio track. It will include the desired files in MKV files.

Step 4. Set the specific folder to store the DVD movies by clicking the "Browse" button and then clicking the "Start" button on the top ribbon to trigger the DVD-to-MKV conversion for free. Now you can get the desired subtitles and audio tracks within the MKV files.

Note: During HandBrake testing, we found that encrypted discs cannot be read unless libdvdcss is installed. Make sure to install the plug-in to use HandBrake for bypassing content protection.

Editor Experience: On top of the professional features available in HandBrake, it is also a solid choice if you are concerned about ease of use, since it is highly beginner-friendly.

Part 4. How to Rip DVD to MKV with MakeMKV

Unlike HandBrake, you can only convert DVDs to MKV files with MakeMKV. It is a free and open-source MKV-to-DVD ripper that maintains video quality well. The program can rip CSS-encrypted DVDs to the MKV format. You are allowed to check the titles, audio tracks, and subtitles you want to remain in the interface.

In our tests, MakeMKV converted a 4.7GB DVD in just 15 minutes while keeping the file size nearly identical. This is a huge testament to the program's raw DVD conversion capabilities, which deliver almost identical video quality at the cost of a large digital file size.

Step 1. Download and install MakeMKV on your computer. Insert your DVD into the optical disc drive and run MakeMKV. Select your DVD drive from the dropdown list in the "Source" section and click the big "Scan" button.

Step 2. Once you load the DVD into the program, you can find the detected subtitles and audio tracks as well. Just check the desired one to rip DVDs into MKV files. Check the chapters or titles you want to convert as well.

Step 3. Set the destination directory in the "Output folder" box by hitting the "Folder" button. If you are ready, click the "Make MKV" button to initiate the free conversion of DVD to MKV.

Editor Experience: Unlike HandBrake, which requires its users to install additional plug-ins, MakeMKV has built-in decryption features. This made the software a solid choice for users who want to bypass commercial releases.

Part 5. FAQs of Converting DVD to MKV for Free

• How do I rip my DVD to .vob files and then to MKV?

  There is no need to rip a DVD to VOB and then convert it to MKV. You can use Free DVD Ripper to convert a DVD to MKV directly. Step 1. Run Free DVD Ripper on your computer. Step 2. Click Load Disc to import the DVD. Step 3. Select MKV from the Profile drop-down list. Step 4. Click Convert to start ripping DVD to MKV directly.

• Can you put MKV files on a DVD?

  Yes, you can. To convert MKV to DVD, you will need a DVD burner and AnyMP4 DVD Creator. Step 1. Free download AnyMP4 DVD Creator on the computer and select DVD Disc. Step 2. Click the "Add Media File(s)" button to add the MKV files. Step 3. Click Next to start editing the DVD menu (titles, chapters, buttons, etc.). Step 4. Click Create to start putting MKV files into a DVD. Read the detailed guide to burn MKV to DVD here.

• How do I convert ISO to MKV?

  For converting ISO to MKV, you will need the DVD ripper, Free DVD Ripper. Step 1. Free download the ISO converter on the computer. Step 2. Click Load Disc to select the ISO files. Step 3. Select MKV from the drop-down list of Profile. Step 4. Click Convert to start changing ISO to MKV.

• Can HandBrake rip or copy-protected DVDs?

  No, HandBrake can rip any DVD or Blu-ray source that does not contain any copy protection. To rip or copy-protected DVDs, you will need the Free DVD Ripper Upgrade.

• What is the best free alternative to MakeMKV in 2026?

  Some of the best options are HandBrake and Blu-ray Master Free DVD Ripper. If you want to compress converted DVD files directly, HandBrake is a solid choice. For users seeking a balance between quality and performance, Blu-ray Master Free DVD Ripper is the better option.

• How can I rip a copy-protected DVD to MKV for free?

  Three of the programs we have featured in this article are all free to use. You only have to choose the one that best suits your needs. For balance, Blu-ray Master Free DVD Ripper is the way to go. For compression, use HandBrake. For quality, MakeMKV is the choice.

• Does HandBrake still require libdvdcss to rip DVDs to MKV?

  Yes, it does. Especially if your DVD is encrypted, however, HandBrake can read personal DVD content without the libdvdcss plug-in.

• Which free software can rip DVDs to MKV with multiple subtitle tracks?

  If you want to preserve subtitle data, Blu-ray Master Free DVD Ripper and MakeMKV are good options. These tools are designed to preserve subtitle data. Make sure to save the media in MKV, as it is a solid container format.

Wrapping up

The article shares 3 different methods to convert DVD to MKV videos for free, with or without audio tracks and subtitles. Whether you need to preserve the original files from a DVD or add external files, you can always find a free solution to convert DVD to MKV. To get another video format, it should be difficult to rip a DVD to MKV with MakeMKV. However, Blu-ray Master Free DVD Ripper is the most versatile option for free DVD-to-MKV conversion. If you have any problems converting DVD to MKV with subtitles and audio tracks, please share more information in the comments.