How to Rip Blu-ray to MKV on Windows & Mac: 4 Tested Converters

I upgraded my laptop and found it had no Blu-ray drive, so I started moving my disc collection to MKV for easier local playback. For Blu-ray to MKV, the first choice is whether to keep the original streams or compress them: a remux preserves selected video, audio, subtitles, and chapters, while H.265 encoding trades processing time for a smaller file.

In this article, I tested and compared four tools—DVDFab, AnyMP4, MakeMKV, and HandBrake—with a range of Blu-ray ripping tasks, including encrypted discs, passthrough output, 3D content, H.265 compression, 4K MKV output, and UHD sources. The following sections present my test results and review of each tool.

Before You Start: Drive and Storage Checklist

Check the Blu-ray ripping drive before comparing software. A drive that cannot read the disc creates a false software problem and wastes the first attempt.

• Drive: Use a Blu-ray-capable optical drive for standard discs. UHD work needs a UHD-friendly model and compatible firmware; a standard Blu-ray drive does not read UHD discs.
• Storage: Reserve space for the source, temporary files, and the finished MKV. Remuxes are large, while an H.265 encode trades processing time for a smaller file.
• Source folder: Keep the disc, ISO, or BDMV folder accessible and use a destination folder on a drive with sustained free space.
• 4K note: If you are preparing a UHD disc, check the model and firmware separately because those requirements are decisive.

My rule is simple: identify the drive model first, then choose the software. It prevents the most frustrating false start.

Remux or Compress: Choose Your Blu-ray to MKV Workflow

The two-stage choice is straightforward. A Blu-ray MKV remux preserves selected source streams; compressing a Blu-ray MKV re-encodes the video to reduce storage use.

Way 1: Rip Blu-ray to MKV With DVDFab Blu-ray Ripper

DVDFab Blu-ray Ripper supports two different ways to rip Blu-ray to MKV on Windows and macOS. MKV Passthrough keeps the selected source video and audio streams without re-encoding, making it useful when preserving the original streams is the priority. For smaller files, DVDFab can re-encode Blu-ray to MKV with profiles such as H.264 or H.265, allowing you to adjust bitrate, resolution, and quality to reduce storage use. Its exclusive Cloud Decryption Service is regularly updated to support newly released protected Blu-rays as well as common protections such as AACS, BD+, BD-J, and region codes.

Beyond basic MKV conversion, DVDFab provides 3D MKV, 4K MKV, H.265 MKV, and other profile options, along with controls for titles, chapters, audio tracks, and subtitles. Advanced Settings lets you adjust the codec, resolution, frame rate, bitrate, audio channels, and other output parameters. The built-in editor supports trimming, cropping, merging, external subtitles, watermarks, and basic color adjustments, while Blu-ray subtitles can also be remuxed or extracted as IDX/Sub or SRT files. GPU acceleration is available on supported NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, and Apple hardware for encoded output. A 4K MKV output profile is different from ripping a 4K UHD Blu-ray disc. UHD discs require a compatible UHD drive and separate UHD disc support.

DVDFab also includes a permanently free, simplified option: DVDFab HD Decrypter. It can decrypt DVDs and Blu-rays released more than one year ago and convert them to MP4 or MKV. Both the free and paid modules install from the same DVDFab package.

Steps to Convert Blu-ray to MKV without Quality Loss:

Step 1: Launch DVDFab 13 and load Blu-ray disc/ISO/folder

Open DVDFab 13.0.6.7 and go to the Ripper module. Insert the Blu-ray disc you want to rip or use the Add button to load an ISO file or folder that's already stored on your computer.

Step 2: Choose an MKV profile and customize the video

Access the profile switcher ("Choose Other Profile") and make sure to select the Format tab. Then choose a MKV profile as you like. If you want to convert Blu-ray to MP4 or other format, feel free to use any of the other options and the filters to gain access to even more formats.

Before ripping Blu-ray to MKV, you may want to utilize the editing options. For example, you can choose which titles, chapters, audio tracks, and subtitles you want to rip directly from the main menu.

The "Advanced Settings" menu lets you adjust video quality, frame rate, resolution, and audio codec. The "Video Edit" menu provides trimming, cropping, subtitle overlay, watermark placement, and color adjustments.

Step 3: Select the output and start ripping Blu-ray to MKV

Use the bottom menu to set the destination folder, then click Start to begin the conversion. DVDFab processes the file and shows progress until the MKV is complete.

Way 2: Rip Blu-ray to MKV with AnyMP4 Blu-ray Ripper

AnyMP4 Blu-ray Ripper converts Blu-ray discs, ISO files, and BDMV folders to over 500 output formats, including MKV. Before conversion starts, you can select individual audio tracks and subtitle streams, then apply edits such as rotation, trimming, cropping, watermark overlay, and color adjustments. Hardware acceleration is supported on systems with compatible GPUs.

AnyMP4's published support information is less clear for protected commercial Blu-rays. Its current product reference page lists homemade Blu-ray discs, folders, and ISO files as supported inputs, while other AnyMP4 pages describe support for commercial-disc protections. If protected discs are your main source, test your own title with the trial before relying on it for a full collection.

How to Rip Blu-ray to MKV using AnyMP4 Blu-ray Ripper?

Step 1: Download and install AnyMP4 Blu-ray Ripper 8.1.68 for Windows or macOS.

Step 2: Open the program and switch to the Ripper tab. Click the "+" icon in the middle of the window to load your Blu-ray disc. If you already backed up the disc, you can also add a Blu-ray folder or ISO file instead of the physical disc.

Step 3: Once imported, AnyMP4 scans the disc and shows the available titles. Click "Full Title List" to see all content, then pick the main movie or other clips you want to keep.

Once done, click on the OK button to continue. To locate your preferred MKV format easily, click on the Video tab and use the Search box.

Step 4: Go to the "Save to" field and choose where you want to store the MKV file. Once everything is ready, click "Rip All" to initiate the conversion. If your system supports hardware decoding, enabling GPU acceleration can speed up the process significantly.

Way 3: Free Blu-ray to MKV Conversion with MakeMKV

MakeMKV is a renowned and free tool for converting Blu-ray and DVD discs into MKV files without re-encoding. It can decrypt AACS and BD+ protected discs and preserves the original video, audio, chapters, and metadata as a 1:1 copy.

The software runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and is free to use while in beta (with a license key that requires periodic renewal). However, it supports only MKV output, lacks Blu-ray menu support and post-conversion editing features, and does not offer GPU acceleration. Due to its decryption capability, the legality of using MakeMKV may vary by country or region.

How to Convert Blu-ray to MKV free with MakeMKV?

Step 1: Download MakeMKV 2.0.0 from makemkv.com and install it for your operating system. Open the program and insert your Blu-ray disc into the drive. For protected commercial discs, MakeMKV uses its built-in decryption keys. If a specific disc fails, check the MakeMKV forum for updated key files.

Step 2: Click the Blu-ray drive icon to import the disc. MakeMKV will analyze it and list all available titles. This process may take two minutes depending on the disc's encryption.

Step 3: In the list on the left, tick the titles you want to keep, along with the audio and subtitle tracks you need. At the bottom, set an output folder where the MKV files will be saved.

Step 4: Click the Make MKV button to start ripping your Blu-ray. A progress bar will show how far along the process is.

Way 4: Convert Non-protected Blu-ray to MKV with HandBrake

HandBrake is a free and multi-platform video transcoder used to rip non-protected Blu-ray discs to MKV. It also offers MP4 and WebM formats aside from MKV. HandBrake comes with a range of built-in presets and supports adjusting video quality, selecting audio tracks and subtitles, and applying filters such as deinterlacing or cropping.

However, it cannot decrypt Blu-ray discs by itself. Since HandBrake re-encodes the video instead of copying it 1:1, some quality loss is unavoidable. However, by using a higher bitrate and fine-tuning the encoding settings, you can keep the loss to a minimum.

How to Rip Blu-ray to MKV Free with HandBrake?

Step 1: Download HandBrake 1.11.2 from handbrake.fr and install it. Start the program, then insert a non-protected Blu-ray disc or mount a decrypted folder or ISO. Click "Open Source" to load the source, and HandBrake will scan and list available titles.

Step 2: From the Title dropdown, pick the main movie or the segment you want to convert. If needed, narrow it down further by selecting a specific chapter range. In the Audio and Subtitles tabs, choose the tracks you want to keep in the MKV file.

Step 3: Under Summary, select MKV as the container. Then pick a preset or adjust settings manually in the Video tab (codec, quality slider or bitrate, frame rate).

You can also use the Dimensions and Filters tabs to handle cropping, scaling, or deinterlacing.

Step 4: Click Browse to choose where the MKV file will be saved. When everything is set, press "Start Encode". HandBrake will begin ripping Blu-ray to MKV and show progress in the main window until the job is finished.

Comparison of the Top 4 Blu-ray to MKV Converters

The table below covers key differences across the four tools: decryption scope, input and output format support, encoding speed, editing options, and ease of use. Ratings are sourced from third-party review platforms and are subject to change.

Top 2 Tested Tools to Rip Blu-ray to MKV

As a Blu-ray enthusiast with a personal collection of hundreds of discs, I've long been on the hunt for reliable software to digitize my Blu-ray library. In my search, I've focused on a few key factors: ripping speed, output quality (especially whether the video is compressed), and the ability to handle copy-protected discs.

After testing several tools, I selected two standout programs. Under the same testing conditions, I put both to the test—and here are the results.

In this test, DVDFab Blu-ray Ripper produced an H.265/AAC file at an average bit rate of 5649 kbps and completed the conversion in 13 minutes and 26 seconds with hardware acceleration enabled. The same 33.43 GB source took HandBrake 5 hours, 38 minutes, and 33 seconds using CPU encoding.

These results reflect the settings used in this test rather than the maximum speed of either program. HandBrake supports hardware encoders such as NVIDIA NVENC, Intel Quick Sync, AMD VCN, and Apple VideoToolbox on compatible systems, but hardware encoding was not used for this run. HandBrake also does not decrypt protected Blu-ray discs by itself.

Conclusion

Converting BDMV to MKV is a practical way to back up Blu-ray movies while keeping multiple audio tracks, subtitles, and chapters in a single file. DVDFab Blu-ray Ripper can handle full BDMV folders and output different MKV profiles with flexible control over quality and size. For free options, MakeMKV is well suited to lossless BDMV to MKV backups, while HandBrake is helpful for creating smaller MKV encodes from already-decrypted sources.