You have a collection of DVDs that you want stored on your computer or mobile device. They may be movies or TV shows you’ve purchased or home movies. If you want to rip your DVDs into digital files that you can play and even edit, without relying on the discs, there are a host of free and paid tools that can help you in this endeavor.
Ideally, you want a program that can rip digital files from any source accessible from a DVD, including the disc itself, an ISO image, or folders of DVD files. That latter option means you’ll be able to rip files stored in those VIDEO_TS folders you often find on DVDs. A good program should also let you rip discs to a variety of file formats, such as MP4s, AVIs, WMVs, and MOVs, and even more compact formats designed for mobile devices.
Your best bet for ripping DVDs and Blu-rays is to start with a reliable and free program, such as Handbrake or VLC Media Player. Be wary of other free DVD rippers. Certain ones try to install unwanted extra software and, in some cases, malware. If you want more speed and advanced features, consider a paid program, such as WinX DVD Ripper or WonderFox DVD Ripper.
A Legal Warning
You can certainly legally rip your own personal videos, but it is illegal to rip commercial, copyrighted, copy-protected videos with the intent to resell or share the copies. We strongly discourage such activity.
Ripping copy-protected DVDs for personal use is still technically illegal in the United States, whether you’re just backing them up or viewing them on a computer or mobile device. After all, you’re bypassing the copy protection. However, the feds aren’t likely to come knocking on your door if you restrict the copies to your own personal use.
WinX DVD Ripper Platinum
Offered by Digiarty Software, WinX DVD Ripper Platinum is available as a free trial version but with certain limitations. You can’t rip a video longer than five minutes and you can’t rip copy-protected discs. To rip longer videos and copy-protected DVDs, you’ll need to plunk down $39.95 for the full version, though at least you can try before you buy. With the paid version, I was able to successfully and easily rip DVDs from both my own home videos as well as from copy-protected ones.
Unlike some DVD rippers, WinX DVD is easy to use. The simple interface prompts you to perform the rip in three basic steps. First, click on one button to load the DVD. The program can handle individual video files as well as folders on a DVD.
Click on another button to choose the output. You can select from MP4 video, AVI video, WMV video, MOV video, and smaller formats for iOS and Android devices. Next, choose the destination folder for the video file and then click Run. After the process is finished, double-click the digital file to view the video.
One PCMag reader ran into technical issues with WinX DVD, and Digiarty Software’s customer service was slow to respond and issue a refund. However, my experience has been quite positive after using the program for years. I have yet to experience the same technical issues and customer service has been quick and thorough on the occasions I have contacted them.
Handbrake
Handbrake is a free program for Windows, macOS, and Linux, but it’s a bit more complicated than WinX DVD Ripper. Handbrake can rip your personal videos, but does not support the removal of copy protection. For that, you will need to get a little help from the web.
Find a file online called libdvdcss-2.dll. You should be able to locate it on a few different websites, such as the VideoLAN download index. VideoLAN offers the excellent VLC Media Player software. The libdvdcss-2.dll can decrypt DVDs encrypted with a type of copy protection called Content Scramble System (CSS).
Download the file and copy it to the C:Program FilesHandbrake folder. Then restart Handbrake, and now it should be able to rip a DVD encrypted with CSS. To begin a new rip, the program asks you to choose a source, which can be a single video file, a folder of files, or the DVD directly.
You can then choose the format for your video output from among a few dozen types, including those for PCs, the web, mobile devices, game consoles, and set-top boxes. Pick a destination folder and create a name for your video file. Tap Start Encode to trigger the rip, then segue to the destination folder when finished and double-click the file to play the video.
I was able to rip both my own personal videos and a copy-protected video, once I downloaded the file from VideoLAN. Handbrake can be slow, especially when dealing with long videos. Be prepared to take a nice, long coffee break while your DVD is ripped.
WonderFox DVD Ripper
WonderFox DVD Ripper is simple to use and provides a healthy lineup of features. You start by picking your source—the DVD itself, an ISO image, or a DVD folder. You then choose the output format; it supports a variety of them, including AVI, MP4, MKV, WMV, and MOV.
You can keep the default settings or play around with your options by choosing the resolution, frame rate, bit rate, encoder type, and more. If you like the settings you have chosen, save them as a selectable profile. Browse to and select the output folder, then click Run to let it rip.
WonderFox DVD Ripper comes in a free, unregistered trial version that can handle both personal and copy-protected videos. But the freebie limits you to just 15-minute videos. If you want to rip longer videos, you have to pony up for the paid $29.95 version. With the trial version, I was able to successfully rip my own personal videos as well as a copy-protected disc.
VLC Media Player
Yes, the same free VLC Media Player that so many people use to play videos can be enlisted to rip DVDs. The process is fairly quick and painless. From the Media menu, click Convert/Save. Select one or more files or an entire disc. You can choose a DVD, Blu-ray, audio CD, or VCD and set other options if you wish. Then click the button to convert your disc. The only downside is that VLC is slower at conversion compared with other rippers. But if you’re in no hurry, the results are worth the wait.
