How to Upload a DVD to YouTube Without Quality Loss or Errors

Many people still keep treasured memories, performances, or training videos on DVD, but discover that a disc cannot be uploaded to YouTube as-is. The platform only accepts specific digital video formats, and trying to upload a DVD directly often leads to errors or poor playback quality. To share your content smoothly and keep the original clarity, you'll first need to rip DVD into a YouTube-ready file. In this guide, we'll walk through the exact steps, covering supported formats, recommended settings, and the upload process, so your DVD can be viewed anywhere, from laptops to mobile screens.

What Files can YouTube Upload

When preparing a DVD for YouTube, the most important step is to make sure your converted file matches the accepted formats and recommended encoding parameters. YouTube officially supports a wide range of container formats, including MP4, MOV, AVI, WMV, FLV, MPEG-PS, MPEG-4, 3GPP, WebM, DNxHR, ProRes, CineForm, and HEVC (H.265).

Recommended Encoding Settings

In addition to choosing the right container, YouTube also recommends specific encoding settings to preserve video quality and minimize upload issues.

💡For the full list of formats and the most up-to-date encoding recommendations, see the Supported YouTube file formats - Google Help.

How to Convert DVD to YouTube-Friendly Files

To upload your DVD content smoothly, you'll first need to convert it into a format YouTube accepts. A versatile tool for this task is DVDFab DVD Ripper, which allows you to export discs, ISO files, or VIDEO_TS folders into MP4 and other YouTube-ready formats.

Friendly reminder: Please do not upload commercial DVD clips without proper permissions or licenses to YouTube. Always adhere to the guidelines provided by these platforms for user content.

Why Choose DVDFab DVD Ripper

DVDFab DVD Ripper

A reliable DVD to YouTube converter for turning DVDs, ISO files, or VIDEO_TS folders into video files and delivering YouTube-ready output that balances compatibility, quality, and ease of use.

How to Convert Your DVD for YouTube using DVDFab DVD Ripper

Step 1: Free download and install the latest version of DVDFab on your computer

Step 2: Select a module and import your DVD

Open the program and choose the Ripper module. Insert a DVD into your optical drive, or add ISO/folder sources with the "+" button. The software will detect and display the titles automatically.

Step 3: Select titles, audio, and subtitles

Pick the main movie or desired chapters. You can choose preferred audio tracks and subtitles, remove unnecessary ones, or extract subtitles into an SRT file.

Step 4: From the profille menu, select your preferred YouTube-supported video format. 

Step 5: Edit your DVD videos (optional)

There are two options for your to customize a DVD video. The Advanced Settings allows you to set the parameters of Video, such as Codec, Frame Rate, Resolution, Encoding Method, and Video Quality. 

The Video Edit option enables you to crop, trim, merge video, add watermarks, effects and subtitles, and even adjust video color as you like.

Step 6: Set output and start conversion

Choose a destination folder and click Start. The program will convert your DVD to AVI, MOV and other video files that can be uploaded directly to YouTube.

How to Upload the Ripped DVD Video to YouTube

Having successfully converted your DVD into a YouTube-supported format, the final step is to upload it through YouTube Studio. This ensures your video is properly processed and available on all devices.

Upload a video to YouTube from computer:

1. LLog in to YouTube Studio with your Google account.
2. In the top-right corner, click the "Create" (+) button and choose Upload Video.
3. Click "Select Files" and browse to the folder where you saved your ripped DVD video. Choose the file to start the upload.
4. Enter details such as the video title, description, tags, and a custom thumbnail. Make sure the description clearly explains the content.
5. Choose visibility settings (Public, Unlisted, or Private) depending on how you want to share it.
6. Publish and allow YouTube to process the video. For longer files or HD quality, processing may take extra time before all resolutions are available.

YouTube Length & Size Limits

When uploading videos transferred from copy-protected DVD, you must pay attention to YouTube's duration and file size restrictions.

Length & File Size Rules

By default, YouTube sets the following limits:

• Length: Unverified accounts are limited to 15 minutes per video.
• Extended Uploads: Verified accounts can upload videos up to 12 hours long or 256 GB in size (whichever is smaller).

This means that if you rip an entire DVD (often 2 hours or more), you'll need account verification to publish it as a single file. Otherwise, you can split the video into shorter clips.

Upload Longer Videos: Account Verification

To enable longer uploads, YouTube requires a quick verification process:

1. Go to youtube.com/verify while logged in.
2. Provide a phone number and confirm with the verification code.

Once verified, your account can upload videos beyond 15 minutes, up to the 12-hour / 256 GB threshold.