Visual Tutorial: Effortless DVD Extraction via HandBrake - Detailed Instructions & Images

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How to Rip Protected DVDs using Handbrake? [Steps with Pictures]

Using Handbrake to rip DVDs on Windows and Mac is confusing. The complicated process to download libdvdcss, adjust the settings, and various Handbrake DVD ripping errors make things even harder. How to easily rip DVD with Handbrake?

By Bella Brown ｜Last updated onJanuary 25, 2024

Handbrake is no doubt the most-recommended tool we use to back up and convert DVDs. That being said, it doesn’t mean it’s the easiest. Ripping DVDs in Handbrake is daunting for beginners, especially for less tech savvy users. Its interface is old-fashioned and there are so many settings. How to get started with Handbrake?

In this guide, we have a step-by-step guide on how to rip DVDs with Handbrake on Windows 11/10/Mac. You will know how to install libdvdcss, adjust the DVD ripping settings, and how to deal with different Handbrake errors. Follow the steps with pictures, and you should be able to rip a DVD in Handbrake on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

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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.

Handbrake load DVD from Mac/PC

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.

What to Do if Handbrake won’t Rip a DVD on Windows/Mac?

Will users be able to handle various Handbrake DVD ripping errors?

In fact, according to stastics, most DVD owners are non-techies and using Handbrake to rip DVDs is overwhelming for them.

“I tried Handbrake to rip my DVDs to play without a DVD player, and it’s complicated and not working for me.”
“I found Handbrake to complicated for just converting a DVD to video - too many options.“
“Handbrake newbie, I need recommended video setting, confused with the settings.”
“I have difficulty finding a folder recommending Homebrew and just end up confusing the situation even more.”

Beyond the tricky steps to rip DVDs with Handbrake on Windows 11/10/7 and Mac, users are also facing with various errors. For example, below are some of the most common issues using Handbrake to rip a DVD.

Handbrake no valid source or titles : Handbrake says “No Valid Source Found Error” when rippping protected DVDs.
Handbrake cannot read DVD : Handbrake fails to read a copy-protected DVD.
Handbrake cannot scan right title : Handbrake scans a multi-title DVD but select a wrong title.
Handbrake high CPU usage : Ripping DVDs with Handbrake leads to high CPU temperature and computer freezes.
Handbrake can’t scan a DVD : Handbrake gets stuck or crashes when loading a DVD.
Handbrake cannot rip full DVD movie : Handbrake rips only part of a DVD movie.

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How to Rip Protected DVDs with Handbrake Alternative in 3 Clicks?

Free download the Handbrake alternative DVD ripper on Mac/Windows:

Mac Version (macOS Sonoma incl.)
Windows Version (Windows 11/10 incl.)

Step 1. Insert your DVD into the hard drive and run the ripper. Then click the Disc button to load it. No matter what DVD (new movies, protected discs, TV series, workout titles…), it will automatically detect its correct title.

Step 2. Select an output format. It offers MP4, MOV, HEVC, MKV, AVI, WMV, and other popular video/audio formats. For those who don’t want to bother, select the device you want to play the final DVDs on. 350+ profiles are built in with perfect settings.

Step 3. Click RUN and start to rip. It will automatically apply GPU acceleration if possible.

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.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bella Brown

Bella has been working with DVD digitization for over 12 years. She writes articles about everything related to DVD, from disc drive, DVD copyright protection, physical structure, burning and backup tips. The unceasing passion of DVD movies helps her build a rich DVD library and ensure a practical solution to address almost all possible DVD issues. Bella is also a crazy fan for Apple products.

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Visual Tutorial: Effortless DVD Extraction via HandBrake - Detailed Instructions & Images