How to Rip Blu-ray with HandBrake on Windows & Mac [2025 Tutorial]

When I wanted to enjoy my Blu-ray movie collection on my laptop and phone during a long trip, I realized it wasn't as simple as popping a disc into a regular DVD player. Between travel, busy days, and devices that don't even have disc drives anymore, carrying physical Blu-rays just wasn't practical. That's when I decided to rip my favorite Blu-rays into digital files—so I could easily watch them on any device, anytime, anywhere. After testing different tools, here's what I learned about using HandBrake to rip Blu-rays, what its limitations are, and the best alternatives I found. If you're facing the same problem, this guide is for you.

Does HandBrake Rip Blu-ray?

HandBrake, a popular and free video converter, makes it possible to convert your Blu-ray collection into handy digital formats with ease. Wondering how to get started? Read on to discover the best way to rip Blu-rays using HandBrake and its alternative.

HandBrake has been a go-to solution for most users who want to convert their discs into compatible, device-friendly media formats. With the announcement of its v1.6, users now have more convenience in ripping Blu-rays. It has added more exporting options to make the Blu-ray ripping steady. However, you may encounter a loophole, as HandBrake still works only for unprotected Blu-ray discs.

Since HandBrake can recognize the Blu-ray structure, it can be a convenient option for ripping unprotected and homemade Blu-rays only. As you know, HandBrake rips DVD with CSS-encrypted mechanism with libdvdcss. Similarly, it requires a third-party decrypter tool to read and decrypt protected Blu-rays. 

How to Rip Blu-ray with HandBrake (Unprotected Blu-rays)

HandBrake can help you rip Blu-ray discs, but most of the built-in drives work only for DVDs and may not support Blu-ray discs. So before starting the ripping procedure, ensure you have a capable Blu-ray drive. For instance, to rip 4K Blu-ray discs, your drive must support 4K playback. To do so, you can either install an internal drive or connect a compatible external Blu-ray drive using a USB.

Then let's see how to rip unprotected Blu-ray content with HandBrake.

Step 1: Load Your Unprotected Blu-ray Disc and Launch Handbrake

To begin, first load the unprotected or home-recorded Blu-ray disc into your system's Blu-ray drive. However, remember that HandBrake works only with Blu-rays structured in a playable format and with standard video content in M2TS or similar format.

Then install the latest version of HandBrake on any platform or operating system.

Next, move to the Source Selection menu and select your preferred Blu-ray drive as the input source. HandBrake will scan the contents of the Blu-ray disc, and depending on the number of titles (up to 95 or more), the process may take a few extra minutes. Maintain patience until the scan is completed.

Step 2: Select the Blu-ray Titles to Convert

HandBrake will display all the found content titles on the main screen after scanning. Browse the list carefully and select the titles you want to rip. It is usually denoted by the largest file size or the most extended runtime. 

💡Preview several titles if you're unsure, as some Blu-rays include fake or "decoy" titles to confuse rippers.

Step 3: Select Your Preferred Output Format and Preset

Now, pick your preferred output format and preset. HandBrake supports MKV, MP4, and WebM formats, each offering distinct benefits. Then click the Presets dropdown menu to choose from a variety of options, whether standard quality or HD settings. 

• MP4 is the most widely compatible format, ideal for playback on smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, game consoles, and most media players or streaming services.
• MKV is perfect for archiving or advanced playback on computers, home theater systems, or Plex servers, as it supports multiple audio tracks, subtitles, and high-quality video without strict compression limits.
• WebM is mainly used for web-based video applications, especially for uploading to platforms or websites that favor open formats; it’s less commonly used for offline or device-based playback.

💡Don't pick 4K unless your device supports it, and stick to H.264 for widest compatibility. Presets are your friend—customize only if you're comfortable.

You'll see Fast 1080p30 as the default for a good balance between speed and quality. For higher quality output (better than Fast 720p30), choose Super HD 1080p30 Surround. However, it can result in slow encoding with a bigger size output. Then, you can select 720p 30 profiles if file size concerns you. It can significantly compress the Blu-ray file size, saving you storage, but you may compromise the video quality. 

If you are working with 4K Blu-rays, HandBrake can help you maintain high detail by offering Matroska > H.265 or VP9 2160p60. It can reduce the video size while preserving as much resolution and clarity as possible. 

Step 4: Adjust the Output Blu-ray Settings and Customizations

HndBrake gives you complete control over video and audio settings to customize and match your preferences. Such flexibility ensures tailored outputs to meet your specific requirements, whether you prioritize quality, size, or features like multi-language support.

Tap the Video tab to adjust the video codec (H.264/H.265), as well as other essential parameters such as resolution, bit rate, frame rate, and output quality. Higher-quality settings ensure better results while significantly increasing the file size and lengthening the encoding time.

Click the Audio tab to select the audio track(s) to be included in the rip. Similarly, you can customize the audio settings for codec, bit rate, and the number of channels to meet your needs. 

HandBrake also enables you to choose subtitle tracks and adjust the necessary settings, such as burn-in (for hardcoded subtitles) or include them as separate files.

Step 5: Select Saving Destination and Start Encoding

Next, you must decide on a destination path to save your ripped Blu-ray disc. By default, the output files are saved to your Desktop. Click the Browse tab (next to the Save As field) to select a different location. Ensure you have sufficient disk space available for the rip. 

For example, you can compress a 50 GB Blu-ray disc to a 10 GB MKV file while retaining the full HD quality (1080p). However, it depends on your encoding settings. 

You must manually calculate and adjust the video bitrate and quality settings to achieve optimal quality while maintaining a desired balance between file size and video clarity. 

After configuring all settings, tap Start Encode in the main window. The encoding session can be time-consuming as the process is resource-intensive. 

HandBrake first needs to decode the Blu-ray's M2TS video files and then re-encode them into the format you've selected, all while maintaining HD quality. Depending on the settings' complexity and the Blu-ray size, the entire conversion process can take several hours, so it's essential to be patient while HandBrake works through the encoding.

How to Rip Blu-ray with HandBrake + MakeMKV (Some Protected Blu-rays)

Decrypting and ripping encrypted Blu-rays with HandBrake can prove challenging due to copy-protection methods such as AACS or BD+. Nonetheless, using a third-party ripper like MakeMKV, you can bypass these complexities. Once such encryption is bypassed, you can seamlessly use HandBrake to compress the ripped MKV file into a more manageable format for streamlined storage or streaming.

Step 1: Install and Set-Up MakeMKV

Firstly, download and install MakeMKV. Once installed, open your Blu-ray drive, insert the Blu-ray disc you wish to rip, and then launch the MakeMKV software.

Click on the prominent Blu-ray drive icon on the program's main interface and allow MakeMKV to scan the disc content. When the scan is complete, a list of all the available titles will be displayed. Select the title you want to rip, which will usually be the main movie with a large file size.

💡MakeMKV files are huge (20–40GB per movie). Make sure your drive has enough space!

Step 2: Ripping the Blu-Ray Disc with MakeMKV

Now, select your output directory to save your ripped copy of the Blu-ray disc. Monitor your hard drive space closely as the file may be sizeable, requiring upwards of 30GB of storage. Once the output folder is selected, begin the ripping process by clicking on the green arrow (Make MKV) icon. Upon completion, your Blu-ray disc will be converted to MKV format, usually taking between 20-30 minutes.

Step 3: Load the Ripped File into HandBrake

To make the resulting file more manageable, you will need HandBrake, a tool for reducing the size and altering the format of the ripped file. Open HandBrake, click on 'File' and load the ripped MKV file. HandBrake will analyze the content and optimize settings for the conversion process. Then, select your preferred output directory by clicking on 'Browse'.

Step 4: Convert and Compress the Ripped MKV File with HandBrake

Now, select a preset from the sidebar in the 'Preset' toolbar that fits your desired output. Next, move to the 'Video' and 'Audio' tabs for more advanced settings. Here, ensure your Frame Rate is set to 'Same as Source' and adjust the 'Rate Factor' (RF) to maintain the video quality.

In the 'Audio' tab, change the codec to 'Passthru' to retain high-quality sound. Once all settings are configured, click on 'Start Encode'. HandBrake will then convert the MKV file into your chosen format (such as MP4 or WebM) while also reducing its size.

After you have configured all the settings, tap Start Encode to begin your Blu-ray conversion.

Best HandBrake Alternative for Ripping Any Protected Blu-rays

Despite HandBrake and MakeMKV being able to bypass some Blu-ray copy protections such as AACS or BD+, this combination still falls short when it comes to more advanced and updated protections. Additionally, since you need to use two separate programs and switch between them, the process can be cumbersome and time-consuming. In these cases, a more powerful and convenient all-in-one solution like DVDFab Blu-ray Ripper is recommended.

Best Alternative to HandBrake Blu-ray Ripper - DVDFab

DVDFab Blu-ray Ripper serves as the best HandBrake alternative that can rip any copy-protected commercial Blu-ray discs into more than 1000 digital formats for playback on any device, whether mobile phones, computers, or home theatres. Its advanced decryption technology can decrypt even the latest released Blu-rays at a 50x super-fast speed. 

💻Supported OS:

💡Key Features:

• Supports the newly-released encrypted Blu-rays 
• Rips 2D/3D Blu-ray discs to 1000+ digital (video and audio) formats 
• Supports an exclusive Cloud Decryption Service to remove protection
• Provides batch ripping of many Blu-ray discs at once 
• Lossless (1:1) quality for a seamless visual experience 
• Allows setting a preference for playback mode on various devices or Web
• 50x faster speed with GPU acceleration 
• Provides built-in video editor for users' customization

Comparison of DVDFab and HandBrake Blu-ray Ripper

This exhaustive comparison table explores the critical differences between the two popular ripping software programs: DVDFab Blu-ray Ripper and HandBrake. We have covered the necessary parameters to help you compare the two on common grounds and settle on the right tool with a smooth user experience for your needs. 

To ensure the objectivity of the comparison, both software programs were tested under the same testing environment. The table below presents the actual test data. It can be seen that, with comparable output file sizes, DVDFab Blu-ray Ripper's ripping speed is 24 times faster than HandBrake's, while also providing higher resolution and default audio quality.

How to Rip Any Protected Blu-ray Content with DVDFab Blu-ray Ripper 

Step 1: Download DVDFab Blu-ray Ripper on your computer and rip your Blu-ray content by tapping the Ripper module. You must click the Add button or drag the source file onto the main screen. 

Step 2: Choose your preferred profile from the Choose Other Profile menu.

Step 3: Pick the titles, audio track(s), and subtitles to be saved. 

Step 4: Customize your video output from Advanced Settings and Video Editor (built-in) to set your video, audio, and subtitle preferences and make necessary crop/trim adjustments to the video clip.

You can also zoom in/out, speed up/down, or modify other video settings such as saturation, brightness, and contrast. 

Step 5: Click Start to rip your Blu-ray content at a lightning fast speed.

The Bottom Line 

The HandBrake Blu-ray ripper comes in handy when you need free, open-source software with cross-platform availability. While you can rip Blu-ray with HandBrake; unfortunately, you cannot decrypt protected discs directly with this program. Instead, you must use third-party ripper software that involves complex steps and can be tedious. We recommend using DVDFab Blu-ray Ripper, a powerful alternative to HandBrake, as it can effortlessly rip copy-protected discs into a variety of media software at a super fast speed. Try it now to explore all the advanced features.