How to Copy a DVD (Protected/Homemade) on a Mac with Best Quality

"I have some store-bought DVDs and homemade wedding and holiday discs. I want to save a copy of these DVDs on my Mac to protect both my investment and precious memories. Is there any DVD copy software for Mac that will allow me to do this."

If you're wondering how to copy DVDs on Mac without getting bogged down in complicated processes, you've come to the right place. This guide breaks down 6 easy-to-follow methods, allowing you to quickly copy DVD to digital formats or ISO/DVD folder, regardless of whether it's a home recording or a commercial DVD release. We'll show you how to download the DVD to your MacBook Pro/Air, iMac, Mac Mini etc., including the latest M2/M3 models.

Copy Any DVD to Mac: Protected & Homemade, Simplified

MacX DVD Ripper Pro is your go-to software for copying any DVD to your Mac, simplifying the DVD copy process for both protected and homemade discs. It effortlessly removes DVD protections (CSS/UOPs/RCE/Sony/Disney etc.), offers 350+ output formats, and delivers unmatched fast speeds on macOS, from the latest Sonoma to older versions. Get 1:1 origianl quality in ISO or DVD floder, or high-quality MOV, MP4, AVI digital copies with ease.

Part 1. How to Copy Protected DVDs to Mac

Use MacX DVD Ripper Pro - Best DVD Copy Software on macOS

Need to make an exact copy of your DVD on Mac for safe backup or copy DVDs to MP4, etc. on Mac for easier playback? Try MacX DVD Ripper Pro. It will easily copy encrypted DVDs to Mac running Sequoia, Sonoma, Ventura, and earlier versions:

Try MacX DVD Ripper Pro Today to Bypass DVD Protections and Copy Any Disc on Mac!

How to Copy a DVD on Mac with MacX DVD Ripper Pro

Step 1: Free download and install MacX DVD Ripper Pro on your Mac. The latest macOS Sequoia and M2/M3 Macs are all supported.

Step 2: Import the DVD you want to copy into the optical drive. Then, launch MacX DVD Ripper Pro and click "DVD Disc" to load the disc. Then, this software will scan and analyze your DVD. It will bypass the DVD copy protections on its own and detect the correct main movie title for you.

⚠️Warning: Apple has intentionally removed support for external CD-ROM drives on the new M3 chip Macs^[1]. This means that you cannot directly connect and use an external CD-ROM drive with an M3 iMac. You may need to explore alternative solutions or consider an older Mac or a Windows computer if CD-ROM compatibility is essential.

Step 3: Within the auto popup Output Profile window, specify which format you want to convert your DVD to.

For a complete DVD backup on your Mac, as an example: Select DVD Backup mode > Backup full title to MKV > Done. A 1:1 DVD copy will be downloaded on your Mac or external drive, preserving all original DVD content, including video, audio, menus, subtitles, and bonuses without re-encoding.

Tip 1. Creating DVD copies as ISO images or MKV files preserves 100% original video quality; however, these large files (5-8GB per commercial DVD) require ample storage space on your Mac. Note that ISO copies are not compatible with direct playback on TVs or mobile devices.

Tip 2. If you want to copy DVD to DVD, you can clone DVD to ISO with MacX DVD Ripper Pro first and then burn the ISO file to DVD using Disk Utility or Burn for Mac software.

To copy DVD on Mac for easier playback, select Mac General Video mode > opt for MP4 (H264) or (HEVC) if you intend to download DVD on Mac in MP4 or others for QuickTime, iMovie, FCPX, mobiles, etc. The High Quality Engine will use entropy encoding, inter-frame compression, and intra-frame compression to reduce the redundancy in data representation to reduce the size but also maintain the maximum quality (98%) via higher efficiency video coding.

Here are some tips for you to download DVD to Mac:

• 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 space-saving: Ripping to MP4 H.264 strikes a good balance between size (around 1-1.2GB) and quality.
• For DVD re-burning: MPEG-2 (Preserve the original DVD structure).

Step 4: Click the "Browse" button and select a destination folder to save the digital copy of the DVD movie on Mac.

Step 6. Click "RUN" to start converting and copying your DVD to Mac.

Handbrake & libdvdcss: Free and Open-source DVD Copy Solution for Mac Users

Handbrake is another free option to save the DVD copy on Mac in MP4 or MKV format. Handbrake can't handle DVD protections on its own. However, most DVDs that you buy from a store are copy protected. Luckily, there is third-party software to help. Download libdvdcss for Handbrake, and then you can copy a protected DVD onto your Mac.

Step 1: Free download the DVD copying software on your iMac 5K, MacBook, MacBook Air/Pro, etc. The latest version works on 64-bit Macintosh running OS X 10.6 or later. If you need to rip a copy-protected DVD, you need to download and install libdvdcss on your Mac.  

Start Terminal and enter "brew install libdvdcss" to get libdvdcss for Handbrake. Here is a more detailed guide on how to download libdvdcss for Handbrake.

Step 2: Now insert the disc to DVD drive and launch HandBrake. You should see your DVD drive in the software. Handbrake may take several seconds to scan the DVD. Once finished, open the Preset drop-down menu and select a quality preset. Normally, to copy a DVD, you can use the  480p or 576p preset.

Step 3: If you need more settings, you can click on the Summary, Filters, and Video tabs to customize the DVD ripping. In most cases, you simply need to choose whether you want to copy the DVD to Mac in MP4, MKV, or WebM. (MP4 H.264 is the format for almost all iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and other devices)

Step 4: Next, select an output folder on the Mac to save the DVD video copy. Then click Start Encode at the top of the window to copy DVD content to your Macbook or iMac.

MakeMKV: Copy DVD and Blu-ray Discs to Mac Effortlessly

If you have some DVD and Blu-ray discs that you'd like to copy to your Mac, the best DVD copying software for Mac is MakeMKV. MakeMKV is able to make copies of DVDs and Blu-ray discs on Mac in MKV with high quality. More importantly, it's able to bypass the protections on the discs without using a third-party tool. It's free for DVD discs, and for Blu-Ray discs, you'll need to activate it after 30 days (or re-download it to restart the 30-day free trial).

Step 1: Download MakeMKV on your Mac and insert the DVD or Blu-ray disc into the disc drive of your Mac. Open MakeMKV and it should detect it and automatically show it. 

Step 2: Next, click on the large DVD drive icon to scan the disc. It may take several minutes to analyze the DVD data, detect and remove the copy protection, find the movie titles, etc.

Step 3: Once finished, you will see all the chapters of the DVD or Blu-ray disc. Select the movie you'd like to copy (normally the largest file) and choose the audio/subtitle track you'd like to download. Otherwise, it will copy all the DVD data to your Macintosh.

Step 4: Select an output folder on the Mac to save the copied MKV file. Then click on the MakeMKV button and wait for it to finish.

Well, this is how to skirt copyright protections from DVDs and save a digital copy of DVD on MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, etc.

Part 2. How to Copy Unprotected DVDs on Mac

Below are methods for duplicating DVDs on Mac for free. The methods work with unprotected DVDs only. If you need to duplicate a protected DVD to Mac or a blank DVD, you will need a dedicated ripper to download the DVD to your Mac.

Copy & Paste to Download DVD to Mac Directly

After you insert the DVD into your Mac, you may see the icon of the DVD disc on your desktop. If you don't see the DVD icon on the Desktop, click on Finder > select Preference > General. Under Show these items on the Desktop, make sure the CDs DVDs is seleted. Then double-click on the DVD icon. Inside the DVD, you should see a Video_TS folder and an Audio_TS folder. Drag and copy the DVD Folder to your Mac. Inside the Video_TS folder, the VOB files will be the DVD videos you need.

However, copying DVDs to Mac may not always work using this method. This method is not suitable for copying copy-protected DVDs and may not maintain the original DVD structure. Then you will need to use Mac's Disk Utility to make copies of unprotected DVDs on your Macintosh.

Download a DVD to Mac using Disk Utility

For Mac users, the built-in Disk Utility is a useful and free tool for copying CDs/DVDs and creating virtual images of physical discs. But Disk Utility will NOT copy all DVDs. Most commercial DVDs with copy-protection mechanisms are not applicable and the output file is a virtual image only. Below is a simple guide:

Step 1. Insert the DVD into the DVD drive of your Mac. Click "Applications" > tap "Utilities" > choose "Disk Utility". Then, there should be two discs displayed on your MacBook or iMac: the DVD disc itself and the drive.

Step 2. Click on the icon for the DVD in the left-hand pane. Click "File" >"New" > "New Image from [your DVD's name]". Type a name for the image and select "DVD/CD Master" under "Image Format." Set Encryption to None. Then click "Save". Disk Utility will start to copy the DVD to the destination on Mac.

Warm prompt: Your new DVD copy should have a minimum of 4 GB of storage space, depending on the type of your DVD. If your goal is solely to create a digital DVD copy on your Mac, you can stop here. However, if you wish to copy your DVD to another DVD on Mac, let's proceed.

Step 3. After downloading DVDs to Mac computer in an image file, take out the original DVD.

Step 4. To copy DVDs on Macintosh running OS X 10.10 and earlier, click on the disc image, and click "Burn" at the top of the window. Insert a blank writable DVD (a single-layer DVD if the ISO image file is less than 4.7GB, or a dual-layer DVD if the copied file is large than 4.7GB). Burn the disk image to disk at the slowest speed available (2x-4x) to assure the best burn quality. Then click "Burn" to copy the image to a DVD on Mac.

⚠️Disk Utility no longer supports copying DVD to DVD since Mac OS X 10.11 El Capitan. To duplicate DVDs on Mac El Capitan and later, you can use Finder and follow these steps:

1. From the Finder Menu bar, click File, then New Burn Folder > drag and drop the DVD files to the burn folder and click the burn button in the upper-right corner of the Window.

2. Or from the Finder Menu bar, click File, then Burn [your DVD copied file] to Disc and select the copied DVD videos from Mac. iTunes and iPhoto will also help s a DVD on Mac.

Burn for Mac: Your Complete DVD Copying and Burning Solution

The free app Burn for Mac works on macOS 10.9 or higher (including the latest Sequoia 15) to copy a DVD video (MPG format) to a disc on Mac. It's easy to use with a lot of advanced settings like file permissions, dates, etc. to personalize your DVD. Before you transfer a DVD to DVD using the Burn app, you need to copy the DVD on Mac to an MPG file.

Step 1. Download Burn for Mac and run it. Then click the Video button at the top menu bar of the interface. Now insert a blank disc into the drive.

Step 2. Drag the copied DVD MPG video into the window for later burning.

Step 3. Give it a name and click the Burn button. Then a window will pop up asking you to set the burning preferences like the burning speed (the slowest speed available (2x-4x) will assure the best burn quality). Once set, click Burn and wait. It will make a DVD copy for you.

Copying DVDs on Mac this way requires converting your DVD video to .mpg before you can copy it to DVD.

Part 3. How to Copy DVD from Mac to iPhone, iPad

After you make a digital copy of a protected DVD in MP4, MOV, etc. on Mac, you may want to download the DVD movie from your Mac to iPhone or iPad to watch on the go. Below are the steps to transfer the DVD copied files from Mac to iPhone and iPad.

Note: On Windows and macOS before Catalina, you can use iTunes to import the DVD movie from Mac to iDevices. But on macOS Ventura and newer systems, you need to sync the data via Finder.

Part 4. FAQ about DVD Duplication on Mac

1. How to copy a DVD on Mac without a disc drive?

Not all Macs have a built-in optical drive. How to save a copy of DVD on Macbook, MacBook Air Retina, MacBook Pro, or iMac 5K with no drive? You will need to get an external Mac DVD drive first. Then you can follow the guide above to download DVDs onto Mac.

2. What programs can I use to copy DVDs on Mac?

Besides the above, there is some other paid and free DVD copying software that may work to make a DVD copy on Mac.

3. What is the best format to copy a DVD on Mac?

If you want to make an exact copy of a DVD on Mac with original quality and data, ISO image is the best choice. But make sure you have a hard drive with large storage. For a more playable DVD copy, also consider copying DVDs to MKV. If you're copying the DVD on Mac for later burning, both ISO Image and MPG will work. To download DVDs on Mac for easier playback, H.264 is the best way to go.

4. What are the differences between DVD copy and DVD rip?

5. Can all DVDs be copied?

Yes, with the right tools. It's easy to download and import DVDs on Mac when there is no DRM. However, nearly all the commercial DVDs have copy protections to prevent you from doing so. Some free tools such as Handbrake and MakeMKV can help copy DVDs with CSS and region codes. But there are Sony ARccOS, Disney's x-project Burst Cutting Area, and more newer scheme. You need a powerful DVD copying software for Mac.

6. How to copy a DVD to an ISO on a Mac?

Use software like MacX DVD Ripper Pro for both homemade and commercial DVDs.

Note: The MacXDVD software calls for copying or ripping DVD under the concept of Fair Use and does not encourage any illegal reproduction or distribution of copyrighted content. Please abide by the local DVD copyright law before doing it.

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