How to Fix VLC Won't Play DVD on Windows 10/11

Q: "Why won't VLC play my DVDs? Every time I try to play, it says: Playback failure: DVDRead could not open the disc "D:". Your input can't be opened: VLC is unable to open the MRL 'dvd:///D:\'. Check the log for details. Please Help!!!!"

Q: "I've installed VLC for playing commercial DVDs on Windows 10/11 (recently upgraded). I have tried autoplay and also the Media -> Open Disc. The DVD drive seems to speed up and the player shows the total time of the disc momentarily after which nothing happens (the time for the disc turns to --:--). I don't receive any error messages either so it is really bugging me."

A: As a free and open-source cross-platform multimedia player, VLC is supposed to be a must-have on your computer. Despite the fact VLC is powerful enough to play most multimedia files, I bet most of you guys have ever run into an awkward issue that VLC won't play DVD but have no idea how to solve it. There are also different opinions on the official VLC forum that do not give a clear solution either, which is really a frustrating thing.

This fact is, the reasons for VLC not playing DVD are varied, like region code limitation, copyright protection or an outdated VLC version, etc. So, I've sorted out some proven ways to fix VLC DVD playback failure. Read on!

1. Check the DVD

Ensure the DVD is not damaged or dirty. Try playing it on another device to confirm it's working properly.

2. Install Libdvdcss

VLC might need the "libdvdcss" library to decode some encrypted DVDs. Here's how to install it on your Windows:

• Download "libdvdcss" from HERE.

• Extract the ".dll" file and place it in the VLC installation directory (usually "C:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC").

3. Reinstall or Update to the Latest Version

In most cases, the official will fix a mass of VLC playback bugs in time. So you just reinstall the up-to-date version to solve VLC not playing DVD problem. Here's the official website: https://www.videolan.org/

Make sure you've installed the correct version. You need to install 32-bit version of VLC for Windows 10/11 32-bit system, and 64-bit version for 64-bit system to avoid unnecessary troubles.

4. Manually Choose Disc Drive

Open VLC, click on "Media" on the menu bar, select "Open Disc" and choose "DVD" under "Disc Selection". Manually choose your DVD device. If it still does not work, give it another try by pressing the "Browse" button to get into your DVD drive. Select the Video_TS folder and click on "Select Folder". Press "Play" button and see it works normally.

5. No Special Characters or Symbols in the Path of DVD Source

Any unrecognizable characters or symbol in the directory path of your DVD source (Disc, ISO or VIDEO_TS folder) may result in VLC won't play DVD problem. Meanwhile, it gives you the same result if the DVD is CSS-protected. To fix it, try to successively update libdvdread, libdvdnav and libdvdcss libraries.

6. Change DVD Region of DVD Drive

As you know, the commercial DVDs are always region-coded, which can also lead to VLC DVD playback failure. If the computer comes with an old DVD drive that use RPC-1 firmware, you can enjoy VLC DVD region-free playback without a hitch. You are allowed to change the region code of the DVD drive for only 5 times.

Here's how to reset the region code: Open Computer or This PC > right click DVD drive > Properties > Hardware tab > select your DVD Drive > Properties > DVD Region tab > scroll down and select the region that matches the region of the DVD you want to play. Click OK to save the settings.

But you have to know that, once you reach the maximum time limit, the region code of the DVD driver will be permanently locked to the region code that you’ve set at the fifth time. It can't be reset anymore even if you reinstall the computer.

7. Try Some VLC Alternatives

If the VLC not playing DVD issue still persists after walking through all of the above efforts, try to use some VLC alternatives like KMPlayer, PotPlayer, GOMPlayer, PowerDVD, etc.

Also Read: DVD Won't Play on Computer | Fix WMP Not Playing DVD | Fix DVD Won’t Play on Windows 10

The simplest solution to VLC player won't play DVD is to digitize DVD to a playable format like MP4, MKV with the help of a third-party DVD ripper. WonderFox DVD Ripper Pro is born for fast personal DVD backup, which offers a one-stop process to remove all DVD copy protection and convert DVD to more than 300 presets with high quality for hassle-free playback in VLC.

It can handle either homemade DVDs or newly-released store-bought DVDs. The cool black interface and self-explanatory features make it fairly easy-to-use.

Step 1 - Load DVD Content

Insert a homemade or copy-protected DVD disc that won't play in VLC into the DVD-ROM drive.

DownloadDownload, install, and run the application. Click "DVD Disc" and select the DVD drive letter, then press "OK" to scan the entire DVD content.

Step 2 - Select an Export Format

Press the "Format" image on the right side to expand the complete list of 300+ configured presets grouped by "Formats" and "Device". You can choose any common format or specific device model as the export format.

You're recommended to go to "Video" category and select "MP4" or "MKV" profile either because they can hold multiple audio and subtitle tracks, or most devices and VLC can recognize and play them easily. If you prefer a 1:1 DVD to DVD copy with all content preserved, just navigate to "1:1 Quick Copy" category and choose "ISO" or "DVD folder".

Step 3 - Convert DVDs to VLC Playable Format

Click on the "three-dots" icon on the bottom to specify a destination folder. Finally, press "RUN" button to start digitizing the DVD with hardware acceleration enabled. When the processing is complete, VLC will play the video file smoothly. That's how to solve VLC won't play DVD issue in a kind of roundabout way.

Optional - Modify Settings

Before the ripping process, you're allowed to select audio tracks or add external subtitles to DVD at will. You're also entitled to open "Settings" column to change some parameters like resolution for DVD upscaling, bit rate, frame rate, etc.

Disclaimer

WonderFox doesn't advocate any copyright infringement, all information provided in this article is presented to make digital copies of your own DVDs for personal backup and fair-use only. Figure out if it is legal to rip a DVD in your country beforehand.

Why won't VLC play my DVD? After reading the whole tutorial, you must figure it out and already have some basic knowledge of solving the VLC Media Player not playing DVD issue. Choose your favorite ones and knock yourself out! Thanks for reading!