How to Copy DVDs to Hard Drive Free on Windows 10/11, Mac and Linux?

Many people wonder: why bother copying a DVD to hard drive or computer? If you're looking for faster access, better backup, or freedom to watch without a disc—this article has the answers you need. 

Your DVD collection holds irreplaceable memories, classic films, and rare content, but how long before time takes its toll? Scratches, disc rot, and outdated players are turning DVDs into relics of the past. Once they’re damaged, those movies, home videos, or essential files could be gone forever.

- The solution? Copy your DVDs to a hard drive before it's too late. Not only does this protect your collection from decay, but it also gives you instant, hassle-free access to your content—no need to shuffle through stacks of discs or rely on an aging DVD player. In this guide, we’ll show you how to digitize your DVDs quickly and easily, ensuring they last for years to come.

1. How to Copy DVD to External Hard Drive Directly？

Can we copy DVD to hard drive directly?

You might wonder if it's possible to copy a DVD straight to your hard drive without any extra steps. The answer depends on the type of DVD you have. While unprotected DVDs can usually be copied directly like any other data, most commercial DVDs come with copy protection, requiring special software to transfer them successfully.

✅For unprotected or home-made DVDs:
You can simply copy the VIDEO_TS folder or ISO file from the DVD to your hard drive using your computer's file manager (like Windows Explorer or Finder on Mac).

❎For commercial/protected DVDs:
These often have copy protection, so you'll need special DVD ripping software (such as DVDFab, MakeMKV, or WinX DVD Copy Pro) to remove the protections and copy the contents to your hard drive.

How to Get Your Unprotected/Home-made DVD to Your Harddrive Directly? 

1. Insert the DVD into Your Computer's DVD Harddrive

If your computer doesn't have a DVD drive, you can use a USB external DVD drive or borrow another computer's drive to copy DVD content to a USB or external hard drive, then transfer the files to your own device.

Open Your File Manager

• Windows: Explorer
• Mac: Finder

Locate the DVD Drive and Open it

Copy the contents (Usually a "Video_TS" folder or all files) from the DVD.

Open the hard drive, then copy and paste DVD files to the hard drive.

NOTE: For most commercial DVDs, you'll need DVD ripping software to copy them to your hard drive successfully. Ripping commercial DVDs for personal use is generally legal in some regions, but always check your local copyright laws.

2. How to Copy DVDs to Hard Drive in Digital Formats?

Here we will first introduce a powerful DVD Ripper software from DVDFab to help you rip any protected DVDs to hard drive in the digital format as you want.

Copy DVD to Hard Drive with DVDFab DVD Ripper

DVDFab DVD Ripper

DVDFab DVD Ripper is capable of ripping any DVD, regardless of copyright protections, to various video and audio formats compatible with different hard drives. It also enables you to customize your DVD with a selection of pre-programmed and customizable profiles.

 

💻 Supported OS: 

👍 Key Features:

• Remove all copy protections from DVDs, even the newly-released DVDs
• Rip DVD to hard drive as 1000+ audio and 2D/3D video format
• Offer 260+ presets specific to popular devices
• Come with a versatile built-in video editor
• Select specific titles, chapters, audio tracks, and subtitles from DVD
• Offer advanced settings to adjust output video and audio parameters 
• Supports conversion of multiple DVDs simultaneously at blazing speed

❌ Cons:

• There is a 30-day free trial, but you cannot experience its full functionality.

DVDFab DVD Ripper offers a completely-free but limited version, DVDFab HD Decrypter. This free version can not only convert most encrypted DVDs and Blu-rays released one year ago into MP4 or MKV formats, but also copy them to a blank disc or save as ISO file or Folder on your hard drive. Both version are in one DVDFab 13 package for your ease use.

Want a visual guide to copy DVD to a hard drive? check out this video.

How to Transfer DVD to Hard Drive with DVDFab DVD Rippern (Step-by-step Guide)

Step 1: Open DVDFab DVD Ripper software and select the "Ripper" module. Insert the DVD that you wish to rip into the DVD drive on your computer and DVDFab will automatically detect and load the disc. Or, you can click on the "+" button to load the source DVD.

Step 2: After the DVD content loads, DVDFab displays all titles and chapters. You can choose exactly what you want to rip. You can also pre-select subtitles and audio tracks, or add external ones.

Step 3: Click "Choose Other Profile" to choose your desired output format. DVDFab DVD Ripper supports converting DVD to MP4, AVI, MP4, MKV, etc., and multiple devices, like mobile phones, tablets, and gaming consoles.

💡Here are some tips for you to choose the digital formats:

• For general use: MP4 (Best mix of quality, size, and compatibility).
• For high-quality backups: MKV (Best for storing full DVD features).
• For DVD archiving: ISO (Perfect for 1:1 backups).
• For Apple users: MOV (Optimized for macOS and iOS).
• For DVD re-burning: MPEG-2 (Keeps the original DVD format).

Step 4: If needed, click "Advanced Settings" to modify the video and audio parameters. You can also edit the DVD by click the "Video Edit" and "Trim" button.

Step 5: Click on the "Folder" icon to choose a location on your hard drive. After you set all the parameters, click the "Start" button to initiate the ripping process. Wait a few minutes until the ripping process is done, then you can transfer the ripped files to your desired hard drive.

Rip Unprotected DVDs to Hard Drive with HandBrake

Do you want to know how to copy DVD to Hard drive free and fast? HandBrake is a great choice. It is an open-source video transcoder, that aiming to convert videos from nearly any format to a selected codec that has been widely accepted and supported. Also, you can use HandBrake to rip homemade DVDs to hard drive.

What's more, a host of preset settings are available to you to rip DVD to multiple formats including MP4 and MKV easily. However, it is impossible for HandBrake itself to decrypt those copy-protected DVDs. In this way, you will have to install libdvdcss to help you decrypt CSS-encrypted DVDs while using HandBrake.  

👍 Key Features:

• Rip non-protected DVDs and CSS-encrypted DVDs with the assistance of libdvdcss
• Support DVDs (DVD5/9, DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW) and folders
• Serve as video filters: deinterlacing, denoise, grayscale, cropping, and scaling
• Provide preset devices, such as Apple TV, PlayStation, Roku, Xbox, Chromecast, etc.
• Batch scan and queueing of encodes
• Rip a 2 hours movie DVD in 15-18 minutes

❌ Cons:

• No support for copyright-protected DVDs/Blu-rays
• Unable to merge multiple DVD video clips
• Limited video format output: WebM, MP4 and MKV

How to copy DVD to Hard Drive with HandBrake

Step 1: Insert the DVD you want to copy into your computer. Open HandBrake, click on "Open Source" and select your DVD drive.

Many DVDs are encrypted, and HandBrake will not read them directly. To overcome this, you may need a third-party tool like Libdvdcss or DVDFab DVD Ripper.

Step 2: After the DVD source loads, HandBrake will display a list of titles. Choose the ones you want to copy.

Step 3: In the "Output Settings", select the output format as MP4 or MKV. Also, HandBrake offers various presets. Choose a preset that fits your needs (like “Fast 1080p” for best quality). You can adjust video codec, audio tracks, subtitles, and filters if necessary.

💡With these HandBrake settings, you can efficiently rip DVDs into high-quality digital formats suitable for media playback, cloud storage, or streaming. If you need a balance between file size, quality, and playback compatibility, MP4 with H.264 (RF 20) is the best all-around option. For higher quality and home theater setups, MKV with H.265 (RF 18) and AC3 audio passthrough will deliver the best results.

Step 4: In the "Destination" section, click "Browse" to choose where to save the file on your hard drive and give it a name.

Step 5: When you are satisfied with the settings, click the "Start Encode" button in the top menu.

Copy Protected DVDs to Hard Drive with MakeMKV

MakeMKV is a free and widely-used tool for ripping DVDs and Blu-rays to your hard drive. It excels at converting your discs into high-quality MKV files, preserving all video, audio, and subtitles without any loss. MakeMKV makes it easy to back up your movie collection or watch your DVDs on a range of devices, all in just a few clicks.

👍 Key Features:

• Completely free for DVD ripping
• Preserves original video, audio, and subtitle tracks (lossless quality)
• Removes most copy protections automatically
• Simple, user-friendly interface
• Compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux

❌ Cons:

• Only outputs to MKV format (no direct DVD folder or ISO)
• No compression, so output files can be large
• Few customization or editing features

How to copy DVD to Hard Drive with MakeMKV

Step 1: Download MakeMKV from the official website and install it on your computer by following the provided instructions.

Insert the DVD you want to rip into your computer's DVD drive. If you don't have a built-in drive, connect an external USB DVD drive.

Step 2: Launch the MakeMKV program. It should automatically recognize the inserted DVD and display your DVD drive on the main screen.

Click the large "Open disc button. MakeMKV will scan your DVD and list its contents, including the main movie and any extras.

Step 3: In the list that appears, select which titles, audio tracks, and subtitle tracks you wish to copy. You can uncheck any extras or languages you don't need.

Step 4: Set the destination folder by clicking the folder icon next to "Output Folder". Choose a location on your hard drive where the MKV file will be saved.

Click the "Make MKV" button (usually a green icon) to begin ripping. The process may take several minutes depending on the length of the DVD and your computer's speed.

Step 5: When the software notifies you that the process is complete, open the output folder you selected to find your new MKV file, ready for playback or archiving.

3. How to Copy DVD to Hard Drive as ISO/Folder Files?

In the second part, we will show you how to copy and burn DVDs to hard drive and PC easily without quality loss with DVDFab DVD Copy software.

Copy Protected DVDs to Hard Drive with DVDFab DVD Copy

DVDFab DVD Copy is another outstanding module of the DVDFab software package that allows you to backup DVDs to your hard drive as ISO image files or folders. This tool offers six copy modes, making it possible to copy, clone, burn, merge, split, or customize DVDs to a blank disc, ISO image, or folder. Its regular software updates ensure it stays compatible with any new DVD protections, so you can use DVDFab to copy any DVDs hassle-free.

💻 Supported OS: 

👍 Key Features:

• Keep updating for the latest DVD protection mechanism
• Copy DVDs to a blank DVD-9 or DVD-5 with no loss of quality
• Support for Disc, folder, and ISO input with six different copy modes
• Copy DVDs to the hard drive as folders and ISO image files
• Support batch DVD copying at lightning-fast speed
• Various video and audio settings allow you to customize DVD

How to Backup DVD to Hard Drive with DVDFab DVD Copy

Step 1: Download and install this free DVD copy software. After launching it, select the module of "Copy" and choose a copy mode from the 6 options below.

Next, insert a DVD disc into the optical drive of your computer. Alternatively, press the "+Add" button to load the DVD ISO file or folder, or simply drag & drop the file onto the "+" area. DVDFab can detect a DVD copy protection when reading your file and decrypt it automatically.

💡Note: There are 6 modes in DVDFab DVD Copy.

1. Full Disc: Copy all content of the disc/ISO/Folder source
2. Main Movie: Only copy the main movie title of the disc/ISO/Folder source
3. Customize: Copy any content you want form the disc/ISO/Folder source
4. Split: Split one DVD 9 into two DVD 5
5. Clone/Burn: Clone DVD or BD in 1:1 ration with nothing lost
6. Merge: Merge multiple DVDs or BDs into one DVD or BD (DVD and BD cannot be mixed)

Step 2: After loading your source file, you can select chapters, audio tracks, subtitles your want to copy. You can choose your favorite from the source DVD video to make a backup copy of a DVD. 

Then click the option of 'Advanced Settings' to identify the volume label and output size: DVD-5 or DVD-9. Do not forget to tick Copy DVD-Video (Video_TS folder), otherwise, you will get a blank disc or empty folder. 

Step 3: Then set the file directory to save the output DVD content on a blank disc, as ISO file or DVD folder on computer HDD or on your external hard drive. Finally, click the "Start" button to copy DVD Windows 10 and mac.

Copy DVD to Hard Drive Free with DVD Decrypter

A Windows program called DVD Decrypter is used to make backup disk images of DVD-Video structures. It supports ISO images in addition to common DVD input formats. It enables the creation of ISO images as well as the direct extraction of files in formats like VOB, IFO, and BUP. A legal dispute led to the discontinuation of the program in 2005, but you can still download it from sites like VideoHelp or softonic.

👍 Key Features:

• It's a free way to copy DVD movies to your hard drive
• Removes various DVD copy protections like CSS and region codes
• Rip entire DVDs to ISO files or extract specific video, audio, and subtitle streams

❌ Cons:

• It is difficult for users to get troubleshooting help when problems arise
• It does not support more complex copy protection schemes
• It has compatibility issues with newer DVDs and modern operating systems

How to copy DVDs to Hard Drive with DVD Decrypter

Step 1: Download DVD Decrypter and install it on your Windows system. Insert the DVD to be copied into the DVD drive.

Step 2: Start the DVD Decrypter program. In the main screen, make sure that the mode is set to "File" or "IFO" depending on the content to be copied.

1. File Mode: Best for copying the entire contents of a DVD.
2. IFO mode: Allows you to select specific titles or chapters.

Step 3: Click the folder icon under the Source section to select the DVD drive as the source.

Step 4: Then click the folder icon under the Destination section to select the output location. Finally click the “DVD to Hard Disk” icon to start the copying process.

4. Copy DVD to Hard Drive: Which Software can Meet Your Demand?

To copy Protected DVDs to hard drive, you can either use DVD ripping software to convert them into a digital format or use DVD copy program to save them as ISO or folder format. In this article, we'll discuss these methods to help you learn how to copy DVDs to hard drive easily and quickly. 

Top 3 Best Recommended Software to Copy DVD to Harddrive 

Having introduced five disc-ripping tools earlier, I would like to highlight three standout options for DVD/Blu-ray ripping: DVDFab DVD Ripper, HandBrake, and MakeMKV. To better illustrate their performance differences, I've included a comparative chart detailing their ripping speeds. We tested three software, and the detailed data will be listed.

💡Test Environment and Source Movie Information:

• Operating System: Windows 10 X64
• System Memory: 16GB
• Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8GB
• Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-6700 CPU
• Source Movie: 8 Mile; 1h50min14s; 6.13GB

DVDFab DVD Ripper stands out for its versatility, offering both passthrough (direct copy) and re-encoding modes—both of which deliver exceptionally fast processing speeds. HandBrake, while highly efficient in re-encoding, has a limited passthrough mode that only works for audio (not video), which may affect workflow flexibility. Meanwhile, MakeMKV excels in speed since it bypasses re-encoding entirely, but this comes at a cost: the resulting files retain their original quality, leading to significantly larger output sizes.

✅Key Takeaways:

• For lossless backups: Use MakeMKV (passthrough) + mkvtoolnix (remuxing).
• For compression: HandBrake (re-encoding) or DVDFab (all-in-one).
• DVDFab bridges both needs but may re-encode by default for DRM discs

5. FAQs about Copying DVD to Hard Drive

How to Copy DVD to Hard Drive without Software?

Step 1: Insert the DVD into your computer's disc drive.
Step 2: Open the DVD drive by double-clicking on it. Locate and select all contents and files such as the ISO image or DVD folder. Within these, look for movie files like VTS_01_1, VTS_02_1, VTS_03_1, each representing different chapters of the film.
Step 3: Copy all these files and then paste them into your internal or external hard drive.

However, this simplistic method can only work with homemade or burned DVDs that have no copy protection. Your copied files might also not play on your devices due to format compatibility problems.

How to Copy DVD to Hard Drive with VLC Media Player?

Step 1: Make sure you have the latest version of VLC Media Player installed on your computer.
Step 2: Insert the DVD you want to copy into your DVD drive and launch VLC.  Go to "Media" in the menu bar, and select "Convert / Save".
Step 3: In the "Open Media" dialog, switch to the "Disc" tab. Select "DVD" and ensure that the correct disc device is selected.
Step 4: Click on the "Convert / Save" button at the bottom. In the "Convert" dialog that appears, select the "Profile" that you want to use for the output file (e.g., Video - H.264 + MP3 (MP4) for a commonly used format).
Step 5: Choose a destination file and filename by clicking on "Browse" and selecting where you want to save the extracted file on your hard drive.
Step 6: Once you have everything set up, click "Start" to begin the ripping process. VLC will now begin to copy DVD to hard drive.

 

VLC does not support copying of DVDs protected by some forms of encryption. To copy protected DVDs, you need to install additional libraries or software. One common solution is to use "libdvdcss". Depending on your operating system, you may need to install this library separately, as it may not be included with the default installation of VLC.

What is the Best Format for Ripping DVD to Hard Drive?

MPEG-4 (specifically MP4) is generally considered a good format for ripping DVDs to hard drives due to its balance of high quality and low file size. It also maintains good compatibility with most devices and media players.

How Long Does It Take to Rip DVD to Computer?

We tested 3 movies of more than two hours using different software in the same test environment. The average ripping speeds are as follows.

How Do I Transfer DVD to Hard Drive Free on Mac?

You can use MakeMKV compatible with Mac OS, a software that can rip DVDs and Blu-rays to digital copies in MKV format.

• Step 1: Download the MakeMKV program for macOS from their website.
• Step 2: Insert the DVD you want to transfer into your Mac’s hard drive. And the program should automatically recognize your DVD.
• Step 3: After reading the disc, select the titles to be converted and confirm the audio and subtitle tracks to be included.
• Step 4: Set the destination folder on your hard disk. Finally, click the Make MKV button to start the ripping process.

6. Conclusion

In a nutshell, next time when you wonder how to copy DVD on Mac or Windows hard drive, do not forget to read through this simple guideline. With this recommended DVDFab DVD Ripper and Copy software, you will be able to copy your DVD to hard drive with high quality and blazing fast speed.