Step 1. Install Handbrake on Windows/Mac
Go to Handbrake's official website at https://handbrake.fr/ and download the correct version of Handbrake on your computer system.
1. The latest Handbrake 1.7.2 is compatible with Windows 10/11 and later, macOS 10.13 and later, and Linux. For earlier Windows and macOS systems, find and download the old Handbrake releases.
2. Make sure your Windows/Mac computers have 500 MHz processor or better with at least 16MB RAM for Handbrake. To use Handbrake 1.7.2 on Windows, you need to get Microsoft .NET Desktop Runtime 6.
3. For a Mac with a Core 2 Duo or later processor, the 64-bit version of Handbrake is more preferred than the 32-bit version as the former is about 10% faster. For the original "Intel Core Duo" processor, you can only download the 32-bit version.
Step 2. Download libdvdcss for Handbrake to Rip Protected DVDs
Handbrake can only rip DVDs that DO NOT contain any form of copy protection. To rip protected DVDs with Handbrake on Windows or Mac, you will need to install Handbrake libdvdcss on your Mac/PC first.
On Windows PC:
To download libdvdcss on Windows 11/10/8/7, click the links below to download the correct libdvdcss version. Once the libdvdcss is downloaded, don't rename it to libdvdcss.dll, just keep the file name unchanged and put it in your Handbrake program folder, normally in C:\Program Files\Handbrake.
Libdvdcss.dll for Windows 32 bit | Libdvdcss.dll for Windows 64 bit
On macOS:
If you are running on a Mac Yosemite or older, just download libdvdcss on Mac and double-click to install it. libdvdcss.pkg for Mac
If you are running on macOS El Capitan or later, downloading libdvdcss on Mac can be tricky as Mac's security feature SIP prevents the installation of libdvdcss. Get around this with the aid of Homebrew:
Step 1. Go to Application > Utilities folder > Terminal. Then paste the code usr/bin/ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)" into the app > press return and follow the instructions to download Homebrew.
Step 2. Then press Command+Space and search for Terminal to launch a command line window > type in brew install libdvdcss and hit enter.
Warning: libdvdcss can help Handbrake rip DVDs with CSS. But DVDs now are protected with more advanced protections like 99 titles, bad sectors, etc. Many users run into Handbrake crashing/hanging problem even with libdvdcss installed. To remove complicated copy-protection schemes, you'd better get a protected DVD ripper instead of using Handbrake and libdvdcss.
Step 3. Load the Source DVD to Handbrake
Insert the source DVD into your Mac/PC's optical drive and launch HandBrake. On Windows, Handbrake will list your DVD drive under Source Selection. On macOS, it will ask you to select a source DVD when you open Handbrake.
The libdvdcss library will work in the background to bypass the copy protection, detect the correct DVD data, and help Handbrake to rip a protected DVD on Mac/Windows 11/10/7. It may take several seconds for scanning. If it's a protected DVD that Handbrake and libdvdcss can't rip, it will pop up a message saying that there is no valid title.
Once the source DVD data is loaded, you will see the Title drop-down menu at the upper left-hand corner. Handbrake will select the main title by default.
Tips:
1. If you want to rip the entire movie, the track with the longest duration is usually the one you shall choose. If you have a source with multiple titles, you can queue these up using the "Add to Queue" button.
2. When it comes to ripping an episode of a TV show in Handbrake, please choose the one with 22 or 44 minutes and kick off DVD ripping separately. Unless you wish to encode a specific range of chapters, you are suggested to leave the chapter drop-down menus at their default values.
Step 4. Choose an Encoding Preset and Output Format
Next, you need to select an encoding preset for Handbrake DVD ripping. Click the Preset drop-down menu and choose an output from the right side of the main window. Handbrake provides handy presets for General, Web, Devices(Apple TV, Android, Chromecast, Windows mobile, Roku, PlayStation, etc.), MKV, Hardware, and Production.
Tips:
1. "General" is better for high-quality playback or fast DVD rip. You may want to use Handbrake General for DVD ripping if you want to watch a DVD. The Fast and Very Fast ensure smaller file size but lower quality while the HQ and Super HD will result in more space occupation but higher quality.
2. Choose the 480p preset when you rip a US DVD and the 576p preset if the DVD is from European . 720p or 1080p won't make the movie look better but only makes the file larger in size.
3. "Web" is good for outputting the ripped DVD movie for easy sharing or emailing, e.g. upload DVD to YouTube.
4. Click on the Summary tab and you can use Handbrake to rip DVD to MKV, MP4 (M4V), or WebM for free. You can set your encoding settings manually based on the target device.
Step 5. Tweak the Handbrake DVD Ripping Settings
Adjust the output parameters of the picture, video filters, video, audio, subtitles, chapters, etc. to make the output videos more personalized. Here we recommend the best Handbrake DVD ripping settings in video, subtitles, picture, etc. for your reference.
1. Handbrake Video Settings
Under the Video tab, you can adjust the Framerate, Video Codec, DVD ripping quality, etc.
Video Encoder : you can ask Handbrake to rip a DVD using H.264, H.265, or other encoders. Normally, we select H.264 for its wide compatibility. Choose a hardware encoder if any for faster ripping speed, such as H.264 (VCE) or H.264 (NVENC). If you want to use Handbrake to rip DVDs for smaller size yet good quality, you can convert DVD into MKV encoded with H.265. This is relatively time-consuming.
Quality: when you select x264 or x265 in Handbrake, it's suggested to keep the Constant Quality as RF 18-22 for DVD 480p/576p. Leave other settings as default unless you know exactly what they mean.
2. Handbrake Audio settings
You can adjust audio tracks for the ripped DVD video, especially in a foreign movie. Click on the Audio tab and then audio track to choose a language that you need. If you want the best audio quality, open the Codec dropdown menu and select passthru. It will remix the audio in the ripped DVD video without re-encoding it, therefore, without quality loss.
3. Handbrake Subtitles settings
Where there are multiple subtitle tracks in the DVD, you can also decide which subtitle you want to have. If you want to add a new subtitle track, for example, if you're making a fan-made movie, simply click on Tracks and choose Import Subtitle.
4. Picture Settings
An interlaced DVD will result in horizontal lines in many TV shows of DVD forms. The "Picture Settings" will get rid of interlacing and makes Handbrake DVD ripping smooth. It also lets you set video resolution and crop video.
Note: When cropping the image, there is no preview option on Mac.
Step 6. Start DVD Ripping with Handbrake on Windows/Mac
After all the above settings, click Browse in the Save As section to set an output folder on your Mac/PC for the ripped DVD video.
Then click on the "Start Encode" button on the top menu bar and Handbrake will start to rip the DVD on Mac/Windows immediately. Once Handbrake finishes ripping the DVD, you will get a DVD video saved in the format you choose in the destination folder on your Mac/PC.
FAQ about Ripping DVDs with Handbrake
1. Can you rip a DVD with Handbrake?
Yes. Handbrake is a popular free software to rip DVDs on Windows 11/10/7, Mac, and Linux. Follow the steps above to rip a DVD.
2. What are the best settings to rip a DVD with Handbrake?
The best settings to use when ripping a DVD with Handbrake depend on your specific needs and preferences, as well as the capabilities of your hardware and software. Or you can follow the guide above to adjust the settings as you need. However, here are the general-best settings for DVD ripping in Handbrake:
Fast 480P30 or 576P25
MP4 format with x264 and x265 encoders, choose a hardware encoder if possible, such as H.264 (Intel QSV) or H.264 (Nvidia NVEnc)
Choose Constant Quality with RF 18-22 for 480p/576p
3. How do I rip a copy-protected DVD using Handbrake?
Handbrake can't rip protected DVDs without additional software or tools. To rip a protected DVD using Handbrake, you need to download and install libdvdcss on your Mac/PC first. The steps to get libdvdcss for Handbrake on Windows 11/10/7 and macOS Ventura, Monterey, Big Sur, etc. are shared in the above steps.
4. How do I rip a DVD to MP4 using Handbrake?
Here are the steps to use Handbrake to rip a DVD to MP4 on Windows 11/10/7/Mac:
Open Handbrake and insert the DVD you want to rip.
Select the DVD source from the drop-down menu and wait for Handbrake to scan the DVD.
Under Summary > Format, select MP4 as the output format.
Choose the destination folder where you want to save the ripped MP4 DVD file.
Click the "Start Encode" button and Handbrake will start ripping DVD to MP4.
5. Why won't my Handbrake rip a DVD?
Handbrake may not rip a DVD on Windows/Mac for different reasons. In most cases, it's mainly caused by a copy protection that Handbrake and libdvdcss can't remove. libdvdcss is mainly used to open DVDs with CSS. But a commercial DVD movie is usually protected with many other newer measures, such as region codes, APS, Sony ARccOS Protection, Playlist Obfuscation, DVD Disc Corruption, Burst Cutting Area, DVD-Cops, ProtectDISC Software, ProtectDISC Video, and more.
