How to Play DVD on VLC and Fix VLC Won't Play DVD Issue

VLC can play everything, from files, webcams, devices, streams to discs, with no codec packs needed. However, there are still a big crowd of users asking questions such as "how do I play a DVD on VLC media player?", "why is VLC not playing my DVD?", "can VLC play DVDs on Windows 11?". Given the difficulty and time consumption to find a complete answer from the crowded Google results, here we offer the trustful VLC tutorial here in response to your DVD playback troubles with VLC.

Quick Diagnostic: Common VLC DVD Errors & Instant Fixes

Pro Tip: While VLC handles standard DVDs well, complex copy protections (like Disney 99-title, RCE, or region codes) and disc scratches often cause VLC to freeze, stutter, or throw MRL errors. The easiest fix is to digitize your DVD to MP4 (H.264+AAC) using WinX DVD Ripper. It handles disc encryption and hardware decoding conflicts, ensuring 100% smooth, error-free playback in VLC or on any device.

How to Play DVDs on VLC (Windows & Mac)

Step 1. Download and Install VLC

Free download the official latest version of VLC media player (v3.0.24) for Windows or Mac from VideoLAN's offcial site. Follow the installer wizard to complete setup.

Make sure not to download VLC V2.0.5 with ASF files, a great bug that will crash VLC memory process. Next, install it on your computer.

Step 2. Insert Your DVD Disc

Insert the DVD movie into your internal drive or connect an external USB optical drive to your PC/Mac.

Step 3. Open the DVD Disc in VLC (Platform-Specific Menu)

• For Windows Users: Launch VLC > Click Media on the top menu bar > Select Open Disc... (or press Ctrl + D). Select DVD under Disc Selection and click Play.
• For Mac Users: Launch VLC > Click File on the top menu bar > Select Open Disc... (or press Cmd + D). Confirm your optical drive is detected and click Open.

During playback, you can use the bottom toolbar or right-click context menu to change audio/subtitle tracks, adjust volume, or switch to Fullscreen (Video > Fullscreen).

Why and How to Fix VLC Won't Play DVD Errors

Steps are simple but results are various, and even faulty. The VLC not playing DVD errors put users in an embarrassing situation. But we are here to get you out. Based on users' feedbacks, we've list four major errors while playing DVDs in VLC media player. Reasons and fixes for VLC not playing DVD are given in detail.

1. VLC is unable to open the MRL or DVD read error

There are cases VLC won't read or play certain DVDs. Typically, the DVD disc or video_ts folder is always ejected, cannot open, and even nowhere to be found. This is down to the region code, DVD copy protections, and dust or scratch on DVD.

So before playing a DVD with VLC, you need to:

• Make sure the physical disc is clean and intact, because dust and scratch on DVD will also lead to DVD read error.
• Make sure the disc playback is not restricted by parental control options.
• Make sure your DVD region code matches with that of your DVD drive. If not, change DVD region code (for at most 5 times) to fix it.
• Most commercial DVDs (e.g., Disney/Warner movies) use CSS and region restrictions. To play them, VLC requires decryption libraries (libdvdcss). VLC 3.0+ usually bundles basic decryption tools automatically on Windows. While macOS VLC does not include libdvdcss by default. You must install it via Homebrew (brew install libdvdcss) or manually place the libdvdcss.2.dylib file into /usr/local/lib/ for VLC to read encrypted discs.

Click here for detailed solutions to fix VLC unable to open the MRL >>

Be noted that even you install libdvdcss for VLC, you still can't use VLC to play DVDs with advanced copyright protections like Sony ARccOS or Disney DRM. That's because libdvdcss for VLC can only help you handle CSS and region code protections. Consequently, you're suggested to rely on professional DVD protection removal software like WinX DVD Ripper to disable encryption from DVD disc if what you keep is strictly protected by more powerful encryption tech.

2. No audio or muted sound during playback

Some users point out that there is no audio during DVD playback with VLC media player. Some of them have checked all the settings but it was no help. If this happens to you, try this:

1. From the Tools menu, select Preferences (or press Ctrl+P).
2. At the bottom left, select Show settings -> All.
3. Under Audio, click Output modules.
4. Set the Audio Output module to Windows Multimedia Device output (MMDevice) (or DirectX Audio output for older Windows versions).
5. Save and restart VLC.

If you are using VLC to play video files, and encounter the no sound issue, here is the complete solution to fix VLC no sound error >>

3. DVD stuttering, lag, or crashes in seconds

Users of VLC often complain that playing DVD, even it is new, is choppy and unwatchable, because video and audio files are messed up, with yellow warning notification. On the other hand, VLC won't play the whole DVD movie, and even stops or crashes after very few seconds of playing. Why does this happen?

Some argue that it is the DVD problem or faulty DVD drive. While the real culprit is the copy protection, which cannot be decoded or analyzed even with libdvdcss installed. You'd better handle DVD protections with a professional DVD decrypter to fix the issue.

4. Video distortion, green screen, or interlacing lines

Perhaps bad quality is the last thing DVD owners want to see. But VLC cannot fix the quality error unfortunately. For example, the pictures are distorted, interlaced, and there is a green screen in VLC while watching DVD, with audio still playing. Sometimes, VLC settings will help to play DVD at times.

Go to Tools > Preferences to activate the Show Settings options, then select All > Filters > check the Deinterlacing video filter > choose Yadif mode and hit Save.

Besides, You can go to Preferences > Input/Codecs > Disable HW decoding to disable hardware decoding in such a way to fix the green screen issue.

Check the solution to fix VLC green screen error when playing DVD >>

5. VLC won't play DVD after Windows/macOS update

Occasionally, VLC DVD player fails to work after each macOS or Windows update. For example, some users notice VLC won't play DVD after upgrading to Windows 10.

In this situation, just wait and upgrade to the latest VLC version to fix the compatibility error. Just go to Help on the menu and click Check for Update. Additionally, you can go to Security and Maintenance -> Troubleshooting Computer Problems -> Programs -> Run programs previously made for Windows -> select VLC and then click Try Recommended Settings and Test The Program.

Actually, VLC DVD playback errors are diversified, trying the solutions mentioned above is still circumscribed. For example, there are a diversified of DVD copy protections except for CSS, region code, ranging from RCE, Sony ARccOS, to Disney X-project, which are hard to crack with libdvdcss. While playing damaged/scratched DVD is unresponsive in VLC. So, if you still can't solve VLC not playing your DVD issue, you can digitize DVD to a format that VLC will accept without worrying about the protection or DVD fragility.

Ultimate Fix: Convert DVD to Digital Format for Flawless VLC Playback

Above all, let's download and install WinX DVD Ripper. It is a reputable free DVD ripping tool recommended by high-authority editors from CNET, Techradar, etc and with over 20-year experience in the field. Supporting encrypted, new releases, 99-title, and damaged discs, WinX DVD Ripper uses Level-3 Hardware Acceleration to digitize a full-length DVD to MP4 in 5 minutes (up to 47X faster) while preserving high audio/video quality.

After finishing the installation, let's start ripping DVD.

Step 1. Insert target DVD into the DVD drive. Open WinX DVD Ripper and click DVD Disc button to import the DVD.

Step 2. Select MP4 Video (H.264+AAC) under General Profiles as the output format. This guarantees 100% smooth playback on VLC, smart TVs, and mobile devices while reducing the original DVD file size by ~80% without quality loss.

Step 3. Hit RUN to begin ripping DVD. Once done, you can put the DVD rip file into VLC for flawless playback.

Watch video tutorial on how to play DVD when VLC doesn't work

In conclusion, by following these steps, you should be able to troubleshoot and fix common DVD playback issues with VLC media player. If the problem persists, there might be compatibility issues between your DVD and VLC's library. Consider checking online forums for user-reported solutions specific to your DVD or drive. You can also try using alternative media players designed specifically for DVD playback. With a little troubleshooting, you should be enjoying your favorite movie nights again in no time.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why does VLC freeze or lag when playing a 99-title or Disney DVD?

This is usually caused by complex DVD copy protection schemes (like playlist obfuscation or fake chapters) that confuse VLC's default parser, or hardware acceleration glitches. Disabling hardware decoding in VLC (Preferences > Input/Codecs) or converting the DVD to MP4 via WinX DVD Ripper can resolve the freezing issue completely.

2. Does VLC change or deplete my computer's DVD drive region counter?

On Windows, when VLC uses libdvdcss to read raw disc data (RPC1 mode), it can often bypass region checks without burning your drive's official 5-change limit. However, hardware-locked RPC2 drives or macOS systems may still block mismatched region discs until digitized.

3. What is the best deinterlacing mode in VLC for old DVD movies?

Yadif (2x) is recommended for fixing interlaced lines or horizontal jitter in old DVD video. Navigate to Tools > Preferences > Video, set Deinterlacing to On, and select Yadif (2x) under Deinterlacing mode.