How to Copy a DVD on Mac (Protected & Homemade)

When you have purchased your favorite DVD movie, you must wish to make a copy of it for safeguarding the disc from being damaged or lost in the future. So how to copy a DVD on Mac without quality loss? In the following, you will be introduced to three effortless methods to copy both protected and homemade DVDs on Mac easily. Please scroll down and read.

Contents

Part 1. How to Copy Unprotected DVD on Mac

For the unprotected DVDs, Mac OS X provides a hidden method to copy the content without extra software or extensions installed, which is by utilizing the built-in Disk Utility feature. Below provides the guidance on how to manipulate the function to copy a DVD on Mac.

Step 1. First, please insert the DVD you wish to copy to Mac. Subsequently, turn to Applications >> Utilities >> Disk Utility.

Step 2. On the left pane, turn to DVD section and select to load your DVD by going to File >> New >> New Image from [your DVD's name].

Step 3. Please type a name for the content, subsequently, select the DVD/CD Master option under Image Format. When complete, simply tap Save to confirm creating the disc image.

Copy DVD in Disk Utility

The copied DVD can directly be saved on your Mac. If you also consider to copy it to another blank DVD disc, simply take out the original DVD disc and insert the blank one. Subsequently, select the blank disc as an output destination in Disk Utility and start burning the DVD image to it by tapping the Burn button.

Part 2. How to Copy Protected DVD on Mac

We all know that Disk Utility only facilitates homemade DVDs copying or those without any DRM encryption. What if we got a protected DVD required to copy? Under this circumstance, the professional DVD copying software, VideoByte DVD Copy can bring the help.

VideoByte DVD Copy allows people to copy both protected and homemade DVDs on desktops with high productivity. Through decrypting and cloning the DVD discs for moving the content to a backup disc or folder, people can enjoy or save the DVD content more flexibly.

Sparkling Features of VideoByte DVD Copy:

  • Retain the 1:1 original quality to copy both protected and homemade DVDs.
  • It is able to rewrite the DVD content to a black disc of popular disc types such as DVD-5, DVD-9, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD+R DL, DVD-R DL and DVD-RAM.
  • Pre-check the disc label, chapters, and other metadata information about the DVD before copying.
  • Offer 3 copy modes to best customize the DVD copy content in personal preferences.
  • Save your time by setting the DVD writing speed to "×2.0 - Recommended" or "Max".

After learning more about VideoByte DVD Copy, we also take a simple look at the detailed steps to copy DVD with the program on Mac.

Attention

Please note that you only copy the protected DVDs for personal use instead of commercial purposes, otherwise you may be accused of copyright infringement.

Step 1. Load DVD Source in VideoByte DVD Copy

First, please install VideoByte DVD Copy on computers. When this procedure completes, insert the Protected DVD disc and run VideoByte DVD Copy for loading the content in File >> Select Source.

Step 2. Choose Target to Output

Please turn to File >> Select Target and choose the file format you wish to output. If you have to copy the protected DVD to another blank disc, you need an extra hard drive for inserting the disc to let VideoByte DVD Copy detect it as an output location.

Select Source2

Step 3. Select Mode to Copy DVD

Subsequently, you can choose a copying mode to copy the DVD basic on your requirement. VideoByte DVD Copy provides three options, including Full Copy, Main Movie, and Customize to copy the DVD content flexibly.

Full Copy

Step 4. Set Output Options and Copy DVD

When tapping the Next button, you will be allowed to set the output options before starting the DVD copying process. After making the choices, simply tap Start and the DVD copy will be initiated.

Copy Option

When the copying process completes, the DVD movies will be well converted to the unprotected status in your selected output location.

Part 3. How to Save DVD to Mac with Handbrake

Handbrake also plays a free role in helping people to copy DVD to Mac without paying a penny. This popular DVD copy software can work with libdvdcss to read and copy protected DVD on Mac easily. The following step will walk you through the detailed procedures to do it.

Step 1. If you need to copy protected DVDs, first, you need to install libdvdcss to Mac.

  • Mac OS X Yosemite or older OS: directly install libdvdcss.pkg and process the installation through double-clicking it.
  • Mac OS X El Capitan or later: install Homebrew and awake the command line window for access libdvdcss for installing it on Mac.
Handbrake Install Likbdvdcss

Step 2. Now please install and run Handbrake as well. You can directly insert the DVD disc and select to Open Source in Handbrake for loading the DVD content.

Step 3. Subsequently, select the output settings on the main feed for converting the DVD videos to.

Step 4. When settings are completed, tap Start button provided on the top panel, and Handbrake will initiate the DVD copying process to rip the protected DVD locally.

Handbrake Copy DVD on Mac

Part 4. Comparison Table: Find Your Best DVD Copy Software for Mac

In the final part, review the features of the three methods for selecting the best DVD copy software for Mac to help you copy DVDs on the device more conveniently:

 

Output Types

Quality

Built-in Editor

Copying Speed

Protected DVDs

Pricing

Disk Utility

Apple File System (APFS), Mac OS Extended, MS-DOS (FAT), and ExFAT

Good

No

Slow

No

Free

VideoByte DVD Copy

DVD disc, DVD ISO Image, VIDEO_TS folder

1:1 ratio

Yes

Speedy

Yes

Free trial provided (registered version starts from $29.95/month

Handbrake

FLV, WEBM, MP4, and many other formats

Good

No

Normal

Yes (extra extension required)

Free

Conclusion

Copying both homemade and commercial DVDs is not a tough work with the help of these three reliable DVD copy software. Accordingly, they all come with great advantages and also certain shortcomings. Therefore, just based on your requirements and select the most suitable program to facilitate a more convenient and quality-guaranteed copying process on Mac. Enjoy!