The Ultimate Guide on How to Play and Watch DVD Movies on HP Laptop

1. Windows 10/11 computers don't have a DVD-player app built-in, so you'll have to download a DVD player or rip the DVD content.

2. If your HP laptop doesn't have a DVD drive, you need to have an external one.

Step 1. DVD drive is essential for playing DVD. Does your HP laptop have a built-in DVD drive?

If no, turn to Part 2 to find yourself a satisfying external DVD drive, hook it up with your HP laptop, and proceed.

If yes, let’s eject the DVD drive.

1) Locate and hit the physical eject button on the surface of your laptop alongside with DVD logo. If you can’t find any, try pressing the DVD drive tray and it might pop out.

2) Or right-click on “DVD-ROM”, “DVD-R/RW”, “BD-ROM” or a similar one under “Computer” and select “Eject”.

Step 2. Insert the DVD you intend to play into the DVD drive, and gently push them back into your laptop, then you should hear the DVD revs up.

Step 3. Now, you need a proper DVD player program to play DVD movie.

Download VLC Media Player (VLC) at: https://www.videolan.org/vlc/index.html, install and launch. In VLC, click on “Media” tab > open disc, and the DVD movie is on.

Note: If your HP laptop has a DVD-ROM drive and is running Windows XP/Vista/7, then there is a default DVD movie player. You can just use the default DVD player to play DVD movies on your HP laptop. However, Windows Media Player Windows 10/11 doesn’t support DVD playback, and Windows will charge you $14.99 in Windows DVD player for watching DVD, whereas VLC is a free, clean and open-source program that helps to play virtually any media content without charging anything.

Sure, VLC is just one recommendation, you can adopt other media programs as well. Here, check out information for the best free DVD player program for HP laptop → Best Free DVD Players for Windows 10

Thin-and-light-wise, most of the HP laptops have removed the optical DVD drive already, thus users might have to draw support from a decent external DVD drive, for proper DVD or CD playing. And now I’d like to introduce you the best external DVD drives for HP laptop that you should totally get one.

1. Dell USB DVD Drive-DW316

See on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VWVZ0V0/?creativeASIN=B00VWVZ0V0&linkCode=w61&imprToken=W5owhkqpd8b8WIdlS0iyGg&slotNum=1&tag=gamels-20

Coming in first as the best budget, Dell USB DVD Drive-DW316 seems perfect in everything. It has a spotless design, sleek look, lightweight, tiny size, good durability, stable performance and features the ease of use with its pre-loaded CyberLink Media Suite, Plug and Play option and powered via USB cable – you don’t have to configure anything for it, plug-in and you’re ready to go.

2. ASUS ZenDrive Ultra Slim Ultra Slim USB 2.0 External 8X DVD Optical Drive

See on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-ZenDrive-SDRW-08U7M-U-BLK-AS/dp/B01A27IUUM

Though not looking as cute compared with the other options, ASUS features an almost-unmatched 13mm thickness, meaning the best fitness to slim laptops.

ASUS ZenDrive focus on the reliability of personal data storage, providing support for M-DISC to protect your personal data and privacy for “up to 1,000 years”. Not only at an affordable price, ASUS ZenDrive is also attached with Cyberlink Power2go 8 software, CyberLink PowerBackup 2.5, Nero BackItUp (includes Android support), E-Green and 12-month subscription to ASUS Webstorage Cloud Service – which makes it surely a good deal for a backup solution.

3. LG Electronics 8X USB 2.0 Super Multi Ultra Slim Portable DVD Writer Drive

See on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ODDE33U/?creativeASIN=B00ODDE33U&linkCode=w61&imprToken=W5owhkqpd8b8WIdlS0iyGg&slotNum=4&tag=gamels-20&th=1

If you are not a picky customer just looking for a simple, practical and economical product to read your DVD, then LG Electronics 8X USB 2.0 Super Multi Ultra Slim Portable can be a perfect choice. Without looking fancy, it’s just a solid partner that helps to conduct, and facilitate your DVD burning/watching. Moreover, it’s an exquisite and lightweight external DVD drive with 14mm height that you can carry around all the time.

Comparison	Pricing on Amazon (Subject to actual situation)	Dimensions	Write Speed	Weight	Operating System	Build quality	Noise
Dell USB DVD Drive-DW316	29.99 & FREE Shipping	5.41 x 5.67 x 0.55 inches	8X DVD write speed	7 ounces	Mac OS, Windows	Great	Acceptable
ASUS ZenDrive Ultra Slim Ultra Slim	32.29 & FREE Shipping	7.1 x 7 x 2.4 inches	8X DVD write speed	8 ounces	Mac OS, Windows	Mediocre	Low
LG Electronics 8X USB 2.0 Super Multi Ultra Slim	25.99 & FREE Shipping	5.6 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches	8X DVD write speed	5.6 ounces	Mac OS, Windows	Good	Acceptable

The root-cause varies that you can’t play DVDs on HP laptop, here are some possible ones and their corresponding troubleshooting.

1. Scratched/damaged DVD

Try cleaning your DVD with mild soap/baking soda toothpaste, warm water and lint free cloth to clean your DVD. Try using DVD data recovery software if cleaning doesn’t work.

2. Mucky DVD Drive

Lightly dampened a cotton swab with warm water or rubbing alcohol, use it to clean the DVD drive.

3. Discs burned on a different computer

Burn the disc again with a blank disc of another brand. Use a lower (4x) burning speed, and finalize your disc.

4. Communication problem between drive and system

Run the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter, follow the instructions to resolve any issues found

5. The error states of drive

Search and open Device Manager > Double-click DVD/CD-ROM drives > Right-click the drive name, select Uninstall device or Uninstall > Restart your computer

6. Laptop won’t automatically start disks when loaded

Search and open Control Panel > Click Hardware and Sound, select AutoPlay > Use AutoPlay for all media and devices setting > select Ask me every time > Next to each DVD, Blu-ray, and CD type > Save

7. Hardware issues

Turn off the computer > Press the power button and then immediately press the Esc key repeatedly until the Startup Menu opens > Press F2 to open the HP PC Hardware Diagnostics UEFI > Click Component Tests > Optical Drive > Run all the available tests > Have a working CD or DVD available to complete the tests > Follow any instructions to resolve any issues found

8. Haven’t updated video player software for a long time

Make sure that your DVD drive and player software have the latest updates.

9. Unnecessary system resource occupation

An easy to overlook fact that system resources might be occupied by unnecessary programs or connected devices which will also jeopardize your DVD playback on a laptop - shut them down/cut them off.

10. Due to the unauthorized DVD copy, DVD copy protection, DRM, region code, etc.

Remove copy protection, DRM, region code, etc. on your DVD with a good DVD decrypter program. Learn about the best DVD decrypters → 2025 Best Free DVD Ripper Review