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

I recently decided to clear out my storage space and finally copy DVD to hard drive for more convenient access. Since most modern laptops lack disc drives, the best way to keep your movies playable is to copy DVD to hard drive for digital backup. I noticed that physical discs are prone to scratches and surface rot, which often leads to playback errors or complete data loss when you need your files the most.

In this guide, I share my actual review of the most reliable methods to copy DVD to hard drive based on my recent benchmark tests. I have analyzed how different tools handle copy protection and file compression to ensure your digital library remains high-quality. By following these tested steps, you can move your entire collection to a local drive or NAS with minimal effort and technical confusion.

Quick Answer: My Picks to Copy DVD to Hard Drive

To copy DVD to hard drive effectively, you must choose a method based on your playback device and storage capacity. I have categorized the 3 efficient ways below to help you move your physical library to a digital storage device.

💡Direct Copy (see details)

The easiest way to copy DVD to hard drive is the direct drag-and-drop method, but it only works for homemade or unprotected discs. By opening the disc in your file explorer and copying the VIDEO_TS folder, you can quickly move data to your computer. However, this method will fail on almost all commercial movies because they have built-in security locks that prevent simple copying.

💡Copy DVD to hard drive as MP4/MKV (see details)

Converting your media into MP4 or MKV files is the most popular way to copy DVD to hard drive for playback on mobile devices and smart TVs. This process uses a "ripper" like DVDFab DVD Ripper to compress the video while keeping high image quality, which saves a significant amount of disk space. It is the best choice if you want to watch your movies on the go without carrying a portable disc drive.

💡Copy DVD to hard drive as ISO/Folder (see details)

Creating an ISO image or a 1:1 folder is the most professional way to copy DVD to hard drive if you want to keep the original menus and all bonus features. This method creates a digital clone of the entire disc, ensuring no data is lost during the transfer. While these files are much larger than MP4s, they provide the best archival quality for serious movie collectors.

How to Copy DVD to External Hard Drive Directly (Unprotected DVDs)

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.

Steps to Directly Copy Unprotected/Home-made DVDs to Hard Drive

💻Windows 10/11 (File Explorer)

• Insert the DVD.
• Open This PC → your DVD drive.
• Select the entire VIDEO_TS folder (or all files) → Copy.
• Paste to your internal or external hard drive.

💻macOS (Finder)

• Insert the DVD (or connect a USB DVD drive).
• Open Finder → select the DVD in the sidebar.
• Drag the VIDEO_TS folder (or all contents) to your destination drive.

💻Linux (file manager/terminal)

• Mount the disc (most desktops auto-mount).
• Copy the VIDEO_TS folder in your file manager, or run cp -r /media//VIDEO_TS /path/to/drive.

Why Can't We Just Copy DVD to Hard Drive Directly?

Commercial discs use encryption like CSS to prevent a simple copy DVD to hard drive. These locks require a physical key that does not transfer through basic drag-and-drop. To bypass these barriers, you must rip copy-protected DVD using specialized software that decodes the encrypted data properly.

Even if you copy DVD to hard drive manually, the files usually fail to play. Most software players cannot read raw VOB files without the original decryption authorization. This leads to black screens or "protected content" error messages, proving that professional tools are required to ensure a working digital backup.

How to Copy DVDs to Hard Drive in Digital Formats? (MP4/MKV)

Ripping to a digital file makes playback and storage easier. Here's how the common formats compare:

• MP4 (H.264/H.265) – Best compatibility across TVs, phones, and apps; smaller files with lossy compression.
• MKV – Flexible container; can preserve original video/audio/subtitles (e.g., via MakeMKV); typically larger if no re-encoding.

Copy DVD to Hard Drive with DVDFab DVD Ripper

DVDFab DVD Ripper is a professional tool designed to copy DVD to hard drive as MP4 or MKV. It automatically bypasses CSS, APS, and the complex Disney 99-title protection through its frequently updated decryption engine. The software supports 1000+ video formats, allowing you to compress a 6.13GB DVD down to an 890MB MP4 file. This 85% compression rate saves significant storage on your hard drive while keeping visual details sharp. You can also customize your backup by choosing specific titles, subtitles, and audio tracks.

In my test, DVDFab identified the correct movie title immediately, even on discs that caused other software to crash. Using NVIDIA hardware acceleration, I could copy a DVD to hard drive in about five minutes. I found the "Mobile" profile particularly effective for balancing file size and clarity. This makes it easy to digitize a large collection without filling up your storage too quickly while maintaining the original cinematic feel.

💻Supported OS: Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7, and macOS 10.13 - 15.x

💡Key Features:

• Remove all copy protections from DVDs, including the latest ones 
• Rip DVD to hard drive as 1000+ audio and video formats
• Rip DVD to 260+ preset devices
• Save titles, chapters, audio tracks and subtitles from DVD
• Offer advanced settings to adjust output parameters 
• Come with a versatile built-in video editor
• Supports conversion of multiple DVDs simultaneously at blazing speed

👎Cons:

• Unable to rip DVD to hard drive on Linux

How to Rip DVD to Hard Drive with DVDFab DVD Ripper 

Step 1: Install and launch DVDFab DVD Ripper. Select the Ripper module from the left pane. Then, load your DVD to be copied to the hard drive.

Step 2: Once the source is loaded, you can select the titles, chapters, audio tracks, and subtitles you want to rip. You can also add external subtitles by selecting from the "Subtitle" dropdown menu.

Step 3: Select Choose Other Profile and Format to rip your DVD disc. Alternatively, you can select Device to rip and transfer DVDs to iPad, Android, and more.

Step 4: Adjust the output parameters in Advanced Settings. Choose Video Edit to crop, trim, merge, rotate, and customize it to meet your preferences. You can also add watermarks and subtitles or adjust contrast and brightness. 

Step 5: Pick a destination folder and press Start to begin the DVD ripping process. Once you have ripped the DVD to digital format, you can then copy it to your hard drive.

Rip Unprotected DVDs to Hard Drive with HandBrake

HandBrake is a popular, open-source tool that allows you to copy DVD to hard drive by converting video data into modern formats like MP4, MKV, and WebM. It is completely free and provides detailed control over video parameters such as frame rate and resolution. While it is excellent for processing homemade or unencrypted discs, HandBrake does not include built-in decryption features. This means it cannot bypass the security locks found on retail movies, requiring additional plugins to handle commercial media.

My test show that HandBrake provides an 84% storage saving, though I notice a slight drop in visual quality compared to the original disc. The processing time is quite long; it takes over 12 minutes to encode a single film, making it a slow option for those trying to copy DVD to hard drive with a large collection. I find that the technical interface and lack of modern hardware optimization might frustrate beginners who need a faster, more straightforward result.

👍 Key Features:

• Support both DVDs and folders
• provide multiple video filters
• Provide many preset devices
• Provide batch scan and queueing of encodes

❌ Cons:

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

How to copy DVD to Hard Drive with HandBrake

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

Many DVDs are encrypted, so HandBrake cannot read them on its own. In that case, you may need a third-party tool such as libdvdcss or DVDFab DVD Ripper.

Step 2: In the "Output Settings," set the output format to MP4 or MKV. HandBrake also offers various presets. Choose one that fits your needs, such as "Fast 1080p" for HD quality. You can adjust the video codec, audio tracks, subtitles, and filters if needed.

Step 3: In the "Destination" section, click "Browse" to choose where to save the file on your hard drive and give it a name.

Step 4: 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 designed to copy DVD to hard drive by "transmuxing" the video data into an MKV container. Unlike typical rippers, it does not re-encode or compress the video; instead, it handles encryption like CSS and AACS while keeping the original MPEG-2 video stream intact. This ensures that every bit of data, including all audio tracks and subtitles, is moved to your storage without any loss in quality. It is a highly efficient choice for users who want a direct digital transfer without navigating complex encoding settings.

In my tests, using MakeMKV to copy DVD to hard drive resulted in a file size of over 6 GB. Since there is no compression involved, the process is extremely fast, taking only about 6 minutes to complete. However, this method offers 0% storage savings, so if you have limited storage, you may find it difficult to copy DVD to hard drive for a large collection without quickly running out of disk space.

👍 Key Features:

• Completely free software
• Preserves original video, audio, and subtitle tracks 
• Removes some copy protections automatically
• Simple, user-friendly interface
• Compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux

❌ Cons:

• Only output MKV format 
• 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.

Insert the DVDs 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. 

Click the large "Open disc button. MakeMKV will scan your DVD and list its contents.

Step 3: In the list that appears, select titles, audio tracks, and subtitle tracks. 

Step 4: Set the destination folder by clicking the folder icon next to "Output Folder". 

Click the "Make MKV" button to begin ripping. 

💡Note: MakeMKV remuxes the content without re-encoding, so quality is identical to the disc and the process is fast. However, the file is also large. If you want to save hard drive storage, it's advisable to opt for a DVD ripping software that focuses on recoding instead.

Copy DVD to Hard Drive For Free via VLC Media Player

VLC Media Player is ideal for copying DVDs to hard drives. VLC's strong DVD decoder handles various formats for conversion without needing extra codec packs. However, keep in mind that you won't have control over aspects like video resolution or aspect ratio in the converted results.

💻Supported OS: Windows, Mac, GNU/Linux, Android, etc.

💡Key Features:

• Simplified interface
• Supports an extensive list of audio/video formats
• Transcodes DVDs and videos to WMV, WebM, H.264, H.265, and more
• Offers to playback video content

👎Cons:

• Cannot digitize DVDs with advanced copy-protection
• Slow DVD encoding speed
• Lack of smart video editing functions

How to Copy DVD to Hard Drive using VLC

Step 1: Install and launch the VLC Media Player on your computer. Load the DVD disc to be copied to the hard drive.

Step 2: Choose the Media menu in the main interface and tap Convert/Save. Load the DVD disc by tapping the Disc button. 

Step 3: Choose the title or chapter to rip in the Starting Position. Choose your preferred audio or subtitle language under Audio and Subtitles. 

Step 4: Tap Convert/Save to copy the DVD to the hard drive. 

💡Note: You can also choose the Media menu and click Open Disc. Then, click Browse and pick a DVD location in the Disc device. Tap Convert. 

Step 5: Choose a video format in which you want to save your DVD.

Step 6: Click Browse to save the file. Then, press Start to begin your conversion. 

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

In this part, I will show you how to copy and burn DVDs to hard drive and PC easily without quality loss.

💡Note: ISO keeps the disc structure and menus in a single file and is best for one-to-one archives and virtual mounting. VIDEO_TS preserves the structure in folders; do not rename files or change the directory tree. Use exFAT on portable drives for cross-platform storage and avoid FAT32 if your files are larger than 4 GB. Always verify the backup by opening the ISO or the VIDEO_TS folder in a media player before you delete or store the original disc.

Copy Protected DVDs to Hard Drive with DVDFab DVD Copy

DVDFab DVD Copy is also a valuable part of the DVDFab software suite, letting users copy DVD to hard drive as ISO image files or folders. It provides six copy modes, allowing you to copy, clone, burn, merge, split, or customize DVDs to a blank disc, ISO image, or folder. Regular updates keep it compatible with new DVD protections, enabling seamless copying of various DVDs.

💻 Supported OS: 

👍 Key Features:

• Support the latest DVD protection mechanism
• Copy DVDs to a blank DVD-9 or DVD-5 
• 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 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)

you can select Full Disc if you want everything including menus and extras, or select Main Movie if you only need the feature title.

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: In the Save to field, choose ISO if you want a single image file, or choose Folder if you prefer a VIDEO_TS structure. Finally, click the "Start" button to copy DVD Windows 10 and mac.

❗Do not rename files inside VIDEO_TS and avoid storing ISO files on FAT32 because files larger than 4 GB will fail. Only use these features where permitted by law.

Copy DVD to Hard Drive Free with DVD Decrypter

DVD Decrypter is a Windows program used for creating backup disk images of DVD-Video structures. It supports ISO images along with common DVD input formats. The program allows creating ISO images and directly extracting files in formats like VOB, IFO, and BUP. Although it was discontinued in 2005 due to a legal dispute, it can still be downloaded from sites like VideoHelp or Softonic.

👍 Key Features:

• Copy DVD movies to your hard drive for free
• Remove various DVD copy protections (CSS, Region Code)
• Rip entire DVDs to ISO files
• Extract specific video, audio, and subtitle streams

❌ Cons:

• Difficult for users to get troubleshooting help when problems arise
• Does not support more complex copy protection schemes
• Cannot be compatible 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.

Comparison of the Best Methods to Copy DVD to Hard Drive

After being overwhelmed with such powerful options, you may get confused in picking the best one. So, have a look at the detailed comparison table to compare all the methods on common grounds and pick the best one to copy your DVD to hard drive. 

Conclusion

If you want the smallest files that are widely playable, convert the disc to MP4 using H.264. For a quick, lossless backup, use MakeMKV to create an MKV, compressing later if necessary. To preserve a one-to-one archive with menus, create an ISO or a VIDEO_TS folder using DVDFab DVD Copy.

Choose your tool based on your needs. Use DVDFab DVD Ripper for decryption and conversion to MP4 or MKV with hardware acceleration. Opt for DVDFab DVD Copy for ISO or VIDEO_TS when you need exact archiving. Use HandBrake as a free encoder to compress to MP4 or MKV, and MakeMKV for a fast, lossless MKV that maintains the original quality.