How to Rip DVDs for Plex: The Ultimate Guide to Formats, Tools, and Library Setup

If you try to add DVDs to Plex, you quickly realize that copying raw VIDEO_TS folders or ISO files directly to your server simply does not work. Plex just ignores them. Unlike traditional players, Plex cannot natively navigate physical disc menus or handle copy protections, locking your library out of your digital home theater.

To solve that, you need to convert your discs into a Plex-friendly file like MKV or MP4. This ensures the server can "Direct Play" the video smoothly and prevent heavy transcoding from crushing your server's CPU. In this guide, I will share the best ways to rip DVD to Plex, comparing the free Reddit community standard against faster one-click solutions so you can finally stream your collection anywhere.

Best Format Settings for Ripping DVDs for Plex

To enjoy your DVD collection with Plex, you'll first need to convert DVD to USB or other Plex-supported digital formats. Plex's own format guidelines show that MP4 (H.264 + AAC) and MKV are the safest choices on most devices. Other formats such as AVI, MOV, ASF, WMV, or MPEG may play on certain Plex clients, like Plex for Xbox and LG webOS Smart TVs, but they are more likely to require Direct Stream or transcoding and are not recommended as primary target formats.

A practical baseline for ripping DVD to Plex looks like this:

📌Plex may usually play videos that meet the following criteria directly:

This combination generally delivers good quality while maintaining broad compatibility across Plex apps and devices. If your media doesn't meet these guidelines, Plex can still play it by transcoding on the fly, but that can be resource-intensive—especially for high-resolution files or multiple simultaneous streams.

In the next part, let's learn how to convert DVDs to Plex-supported video formats with the best quality. 

How to Rip DVDs for Plex in One Click (Fast & 100% Working)

If you check Reddit communities like r/PleX, you will see a common trend: people often suggest using MakeMKV and HandBrake together. While this free method works well enough for some discs, it frequently fails when encountering modern copyright protections on commercial discs. It also gets messy when you want to keep specific subtitles, commentaries, or bonus features. You have to juggle two different programs, and after waiting hours for the video to process, you might still find your subtitles missing in Plex. To skip this hassle, DVDFab offers a much easier solution.

Step 1：Download the Best DVD Ripper for Plex - DVDFab DVD Ripper

DVDFab DVD Ripper is a "one-click" tool that can rip any DVD disc, ISO, or folder to Plex-supported formats. It handles both old and new discs with copy protection and outputs Plex-friendly files. You can choose small, stream-ready MP4 (H.264 + AAC) for maximum Direct Play across Plex apps, or use lossless MKV passthrough when you want untouched quality. It also supports advanced features like selecting subtitles and audio tracks, and editing the video, which gives you personalized DVD viewing experience on Plex.

Click the button below to download and install DVDFab DVD Ripper.

👍Key Features: 

• Keep updates to support newly released DVDs.
• Convert DVD disc, ISO, Video_TS folder to Plex formats like MP4 and MKV.
• Compress large video files efficiently to save storage space on your NAS or hard drive.
• Accelerate the ripping process using GPU hardware and supports batch processing for large libraries.
• Allow you to select specific audio tracks and subtitles to customize your viewing experience.
• Ensures universal compatibility for smooth "Direct Play" across all Plex client devices.
• Offer a free but limited version - DVDFab HD Decrypter - that can rip most encrypted DVD or Blu-ray to MP4 & MKV format only. This free version is enough to meet your basic needs for ripping DVD to Plex.

Step 2: Load the Source DVD and Select a Plex Supported Format

Open DVDFab, navigate to the "Ripper" module, and insert your DVD or load an ISO file/folder.

From the "Choose Other Profile" menu, select Format → Video → MP4 if you want maximum compatibility across Plex clients; this will give you an MP4 container with H.264 video and AAC audio by default. If you prefer to keep everything in a richer container, you can choose MKV instead.

While resolution, frame rate, and bitrate are pre-set for convenience, you can still customize them in the "Advanced Settings" menu if needed.

Then go back to the main interface. Here you can choose the titles you want to rip and select chapters, audio tracks, and subtitles as you like. If you also want to edit the video, like trimming, cropping, cropping, trimming, merging video, adding watermarks and subtitles, and even adjusting video color, just click on "Video Edit".

Step 3: Start to Rip DVD to Plex

Once you are satisfied with the settings, choose a destination folder for your file at the bottom of the window. Finally, click the "Start" button. DVDFab will process the DVD to Plex conversion and complete the task in just a few minutes.

How to Rip DVDs for Plex with MakeMKV & HandBrake Workflow (Free But Limited)

If you prefer a free solution and do not mind a manual process, the most common way to rip DVDs for Plex is the MakeMKV + HandBrake workflow. This method relies on two separate tools to get the job done. First, use MakeMKV to rip your physical disc (or ISO/VIDEO_TS folder) into a lossless MKV file, preserving the original video quality, audio tracks, and subtitles without any re-encoding. Next, use HandBrake to transcode those massive MKV files and compress them into smaller, Plex-friendly MP4s using H.264 and AAC/AC3.

Pros:

• Completely free to use.
• MakeMKV creates 100% lossless backups.
• HandBrake offers granular control over video quality settings.

Cons:

• Slower two-step process.
• Requires massive temporary storage for raw files.
• Requires manual management of subtitles and decryption keys.
• Cannot handle DVDs with advanced copy protection.

Step 1: Rip DVD to a Lossless MKV with MakeMKV

MakeMKV is a free program that allows you to rip DVDs and Blu-rays to MKV so you can easily watch them on Plex. It preserves the original video and audio quality of your DVDs, ensuring that your Plex media server will play back your ripped files exactly as they appear on the disc. Just a heads-up: It only outputs files in MKV format, and those files are remuxes. This means the resulting file size will be huge, potentially reaching up to 8GB for a single DVD movie. You absolutely need to make sure your Plex server has enough storage space. To create a lossless backup with MakeMKV, follow these steps:

• Scan the Disc: Insert your DVD and launch MakeMKV. Click the large optical drive icon to read the disc structure.

• Select the Main Title: Once the scan finishes, you will see a list of "Titles." Look for the one with the largest file size and longest duration. This is usually the main movie. Uncheck the smaller clips (trailers and warnings) to avoid clutter.

• Save the File: Select an output folder and click "Make MKV."

Step 2: Compress Video for Plex Streaming with HandBrake

Since the file from Step 1 is large (approx. 4–8 GB) and may not Direct Play on all devices, you need to use HandBrake to convert it into a streamlined MP4. HandBrake enables you to choose the output format, adjust the video resolution, frame rate, and audio quality to optimize the viewing experience. It also allows you to add subtitles, cut the video, and use filters to enhance the image.

💡Note: You might wonder why we don't use HandBrake to rip the disc directly. While HandBrake can theoretically read DVDs if paired with a library like libdvdcss, that setup is unreliable. It can usually only handle basic CSS protection, not the modern encryption or structural protections found on newer commercial discs. Therefore, I use MakeMKV first to handle the some protections that HandBrake cannot touch, creating an unencrypted source file for the next step.

To compress that large MakeMKV file into a smaller MP4 (H.264/AAC) that Plex handles efficiently, follow these steps:

• Load the File: Launch HandBrake and drag your new MKV file into the window.

• Choose a Preset: Go to the "General" preset list and select "Fast 480p30" or "HQ 480p30". This resolution matches the native quality of the DVD.
• Configure for Plex: In the "Summary" tab, set the Format to MP4 and check "Web Optimized". This setting helps Plex start streaming immediately without buffering the whole file first.

• Start Encoding: Click "Start Encode." This process relies heavily on your CPU and can take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour per movie depending on your hardware.

Ripping DVD for Plex: What's the Best Solution?

In this section we list the top 2 solutions we mentioned before, both free and paid. The comparison table below shows the difference in features of best DVD Ripper for Plex.

📌Why professional tools still matter: Free apps are excellent for enthusiasts, but they typically don’t decrypt every disc and often require two-step workflows (remux → transcode) to get small, Plex-friendly files. A professional ripper bundles decryption, compression, presets, batch jobs, and hardware acceleration—saving time and avoiding Plex transcoding on your devices.

How to Organize & Add Your Ripped DVD to Plex Library

Ripping your discs is only half the way. If you do not name and organize your files correctly, Plex will fail to recognize them, leaving you with a library full of generic file names and missing cover art. Plex relies on a specific folder structure to fetch metadata automatically.

Official Naming Conventions: Movies vs. TV Shows

Plex requires you to separate movies and TV shows into different main folders. Mixing them confuses the scanner.

💡Tips: Always include the release year in parentheses. This helps Plex distinguish between a movie and its remake (e.g., The Mummy 1999 vs. 2017).

How to Upload Ripped DVDs to Plex and Refresh Your Library

Once your files are named correctly, moving them to Plex is simple.

Step 1: If you don't already have a Plex account, go to Plex.tv and create one. Then, download and install the Plex Media Server on your computer or NAS device.

Step 2: Sort the ripped videos into folders based on what they are (like movies or TV shows) and give the files the right names. Keep in mind that Plex uses the names of files and folders to match metadata correctly.

Step 3: Start the Plex Media Server. If this is the first time you're running it, you'll need to register it through your browser.

Step 4: To add a new media library, click the "+" button next to Libraries on the main screen. Choose the type of library (like "Movies" or "TV Shows"), give it a name, choose a language, and then click Next.

Step 5: Click "Browse for Media Folder" and choose the folder where the ripped files are stored.

Step 6: After clicking "Add Library", Plex will start scanning the content and fetching metadata.

How to Handle "Extras" and "Behind the Scenes" Content in Plex

One of the best parts of DVDs is the bonus content, like deleted scenes or director interviews. You can keep these in Plex by using specific suffixes at the end of the filename.

When you view the movie page in Plex, these extras will appear neatly at the bottom, giving you the full "Special Edition" DVD experience digitally.

Conclusion

To successfully rip DVD to Plex, you need a reliable conversion tool and a structured library. DVDFab DVD Ripper provides a fast, automated solution for commercial discs, while the MakeMKV and HandBrake workflow offers a free alternative for users who prefer manual control. Beyond the ripping process, you must use proper file naming conventions to add DVDs to Plex correctly. Following these steps ensures your media server identifies every movie accurately and delivers smooth playback across all your devices.