How to Rip a DVD on Windows in 3 Steps

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Choose the Right DVD Ripper First

Rip a DVD on Windows Step by Step

- Rip DVD Losslessly

- Tips for Advanced Users

More DVD Ripping Methods:

Compare WonderFox with Other DVD Tools

FAQ

Disclaimer: WonderFox does not advocate any illegal duplication and distribution of DVDs. Please refer to the DVD copyright laws in your country before you rip any DVDs.

Many people are interested in digitizing their DVD collection but are not sure how to do it. With the following guide, you can learn an easy and efficient way to rip a DVD on Windows in just three steps. Without further ado, let’s begin.

Choose the Right DVD Ripper First

Having the right DVD ripping tool can make the DVD digitizing process very easy. The basic rule for choosing a good DVD ripper is that the program should bypass copy protections easily, support your target format, and preserve original video quality.

On Windows, WonderFox DVD Ripper Pro is a powerful solution to rip all types of DVDs, whether homemade or store-bought, and encode them into mainstream video and audio formats, including MP4, MKV, WMV, AVI, MOV, MPG, MP3, WAV, and more. It also provides ready-made presets for major devices (iPhones, Androids, TVs, consoles) to ensure perfect playback compatibility.

It has a simple interface, and you’re able to rip a complete DVD in just a few clicks. Next, let’s see how to use the program to rip a DVD on Windows.

Rip a DVD on Windows Step by Step

Before you start, free download free download the DVD ripper software.

Step 1: Load DVD into the Program

Insert your DVD into your computer’s disc drive or an external DVD drive. Launch WonderFox DVD Ripper Pro, click DVD Disc, and select the DVD drive letter to import the DVD you just inserted. The program will automatically analyze the disc structure, bypass any copy protections, and auto-select the main movie title (skipping menus, trailers, and extra features). You can manually select other titles if you like.

💡 Enable Enhanced Decryption to bypass tough DVD copy protections with ease.

Step 2: Choose an Output Format

On the right side of the interface, click the format icon to open the output format list. You’ll find multiple categories here: Video, HD/4K, Web, Audio, Device, and 1:1 Quick Copy. Choose the profile that suits your needs. See the full list of profiles provided >>

💡 Not sure what to choose? Select MP4 under the Video tab. It offers the best balance between video quality and compatibility so you can easily play the ripped DVD files on iPhones, Androids, TVs, and more. Or you can check out this guide: Best Format to Rip DVD

Step 3: Start Ripping the DVD

Click the three dots button at the bottom to set your output folder (make sure it has enough free space). Finally, click Run to begin ripping your DVD on Windows.

Once complete, a window will pop up. Click Open Folder to find your ripped file, which is now ready to play in Windows Media Player, VLC, or transfer to your phone!

- Rip DVD Losslessly (1:1 Copy)

Besides converting DVD to common formats, you can losslessly archive your DVDs as ISO images or DVD folders for 1:1 content preservation. Also, because DVD videos are essentially MPEG-2 files, you can quickly convert a DVD to MPG without re-encoding the entire video. The process can preserve original video quality and achieve high speeds at the same time. Typically, it takes less than 5 minutes for ripping a 2-hour-long DVD movie to MPG.

To rip DVD losslessly in the program, open the Output Format section, go to 1:1 Quick Copy, and select the needed profile: ISO, DVD Folder, or MPG.

- Tips for Advanced Users

For those who like more control over their conversion, WonderFox DVD Ripper Pro provides plenty of custom settings:

Control Audio and Subtitle Tracks: You can freely choose the specific audio or subtitle track you want from the DVD. Additionally, you can add external subtitles to the DVD.
Adjust Output Settings: You can tweak the encoder, resolution, bitrate, frame rate, and deinterlace settings to your liking.
Trimming & Editing: You can cut a favorite moment, scene, or clip from DVD, as well as crop the size and add filters.

More DVD Ripping Methods:

Of course, WonderFox DVD Ripper Pro is not the only solution to rip a DVD on Windows. In case you need a different method, you can explore the following options.

- Freemake

Freemake Video Converter is a versatile and integrated multimedia conversion tool coming with a basic DVD ripping capability. This DVD format converter can also help you rip DVD to common video, audio, and device presets. It’s easy to operate, but note that the free version adds a watermark to the output videos, which you need to pay to remove.

Quick Steps:

Insert a DVD and run Freemake.
Click ‘DVD’ and select a DVD title to load into the program.
Choose a preset as needed.
Click ‘Convert’ to grab the DVD to your computer.

- HandBrake

If all you need is to rip your personal homemade DVDs, HandBrake is an excellent option as well. This is a free, open-source, and cross-platform video transcoder that supports converting unprotected videos and discs to MP4, MKV, and WebM files. Keep in mind that it’s not a standard DVD ripper, and it does not have a beginner-friendly interface. But with its wealth of buttons, you can flexibly control the output video bitrates, resolutions, and sizes.

Quick Steps:

Insert your DVD and open HandBrake.
Select the DVD to convert.
Choose a preset and output format according to your needs.
Click 'Start Encode' to start the conversion.

- MakeMKV

Another way for lossless DVD rip is by using MakeMKV. This program is designed to make exact copies of DVDs into the MKV format (preserving all original video, audio, and subtitle streams), hence the resulting files typically have a massive file size. This also means you may need a secondary tool to compress the DVD rip if you want to carry it on your mobile device.

Unlike HandBrake, MakeMKV can handle disc decryption to rip some commercial DVDs. The cherry on top is that it also supports Blurays.

Quick Steps:

Insert a DVD disc and launch MakeMKV.
Click the optical drive icon to import the DVD files.
Check the boxes before the titles, audio, and subtitle tracks you want to keep.
Click 'Make MKV' to initiate the copying process.

- VLC

If you already have VLC installed on your computer, you can make use of this app to rip a DVD to standard video or audio files. But as VLC is primarily a media player, it lacks the ability to deal with many DVDs, especially those commercial discs.

Quick Steps:

Open VLC, go to 'Media' > 'Convert / Save'.

Under 'Disc' tab, select 'DVD', and make sure your disc drive is selected. Then click 'Convert /

Choose a profile (e.g., Video - H.264 + MP3 (MP4)), click ‘Browse’ to select a destination, and click 'Start' to begin the ripping process.

Compare WonderFox with Other DVD Tools:

	WonderFox WonderFox	Freemake	HandBrake	MakeMKV	VLC
Best For	Simple, fast, high-quality DVD decrypting and ripping on Windows	Casual DVD ripping needs	Ripping homemade DVDs to MP4	1:1 lossless disc copy to MKV format	Users already using VLC for media conversion
Cost	Free trial; $29.95/lifetime	Free trial (watermarked); $59.95/lifetime	Free	Free in beta; $60/lifetime	Free
Lossless DVD Rip Support	Yes (ISO, DVD Folder, MPG)	No	No	Yes (MKV container)	No
DVD Decryption Support	Yes (CSS, Disney X-Project, Region Codes, etc.)	Limited	No	Yes	No
Output Formats	500+ presets (MP4, MKV, AVI, MOV, MP3, WAV, Devices and more)	Common formats (MP4, AVI, WMV, MP3)	MP4, MKV, WebM	MKV only	Major video and audio formats (MP4, MKV, MOV, MP3, etc.)
Ease of Use	Very easy (3-step workflow)	Very easy	A bit complex	Easy	A bit complex
Ripping Speed	Fast (GPU-accelerated)	Average	Average	Fast (Remux)	Average

FAQ

1. Is it legal to rip a DVD?

Ripping self-made DVDs is legal, but policies differ for commercial DVDs. Unauthorized copying of protected DVDs is prohibited in the US and Canada. However, there is no explicit grant or denial of a right to copy DVDs for personal fair use.

2. What tools do I need to extract movie from DVD?

Generally, you need two tools to rip DVDs:

A computer with an optical disc drive or an external DVD drive;
A DVD ripper program.

3. What is the best format to rip video from DVD?

It depends on the purpose for which you want to rip DVDs. For instance, you can choose ISO for creating a backup with all data, but note that it results in a large file. For copying only the main movie, select MP4 or MKV, which support high-quality videos and multiple audio/subtitle tracks.

4. Does ripping a DVD damage It?

Ripping the DVD won’t damage the disc. The data will remain intact on the disc.

5. How long does it take to rip a DVD?

Depending on your ripping environment, it can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours to rip a DVD. However, using a professional DVD ripper on a high-end PC can finish the process in just 30 minutes.

6. Can I rip a DVD with Windows Media Player?

No, Windows Media Player cannot rip DVDs. Though it can convert Audio CDs to digital audio formats, all editions of Windows Media Player don’t support ripping DVD discs.

7. What output formats are supported by WonderFox DVD Ripper?

Video: MP4, MKV, AVI, WMV, MPG, MOV, M4V, VOB, ASF, TS, MTS, M2TS, WebM, OGV, F4V, FLV, SWF, DV, 3GP2, 3GP, H264, H265, VP9, DIVX, XVID, AV1
Audio: FLAC, WAV, WV, AIFF, ALAC (.m4a), MP3, AAC, AC3, EAC3, WMA, MKA, OGG, OGA, AU, DTS, Opus, M4A, M4B, iPhone ringtone, Android ringtone
Web: YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, X, Vimeo, Twitch, Dailymotion, FC2, Niconico
Device: Apple, Samsung, Microsoft, Google, LG, Amazon, Sony, HUAWEI, HONOR, ASUS, Motorola, Lenovo, HTC, XIAOMI, OnePlus, Nokia, VLU, ZTE, Alcatel, more TV presets.
1:1 Copy: ISO, DVD Folder, MPG