Unlock DVD Region Code: Convert DVD to Region Free on PC/Mac

Convert DVD Region Codes without Changing Region Code on DVD Player

DVD drives allow you to change the region code up to five times. After reaching the region change limit, the DVD drive becomes locked and you can no longer play a foreign DVD. In this case, you can remove the region from a DVD for an infinite number of times using:

WinX DVD Ripper - [100% free and safe] Remove all region codes from DVDs on Windows (11/10) and Mac in 3 steps. Remove region codes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and convert regional DVDs to region-free MP4, MOV, AVI, WMV, 350+ profiles without quality loss. Easily bypass DVD region codes, UOPs, RCE, Disney X-project DRM, Sony ARccOS, and other encryptions. Play regional DVDs on any DVD player without the 5 maximum DVD region change limit.

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Part 1. How to Manually Change DVD Region on DVD Player, Windows, Mac, or PS4? 

Although it is not possible to kill region codes on DVD players and other hardware, you can modify the region code of the DVD player or drive to match the code on the DVD; if not, you'll receive the wrong region error when playing DVDs. It makes it easy to watch a foreign movie DVD on a computer. Let's take a look at how to change DVD region codes on DVD player, Windows, Mac, and game consoles. . We'll also demonstrate how to unlock the region code on your standalone DVD player and PS4.

1. How to change the DVD drive region code in Windows (11/10)

To change the DVD region code on Windows 11/10 PCs, try the following steps:

Step 1. Open File Explorer and find the DVD drive.

Step 2. Right-click the DVD drive and move to Properties.

Step 3. Click the Hardware tab and select the DVD drive. Hit the Properties button in the Device Properties panel.

Step 4. Click the DVD Region tab and change the region code to what you need. Click OK.

 You can only change the DVD region code of a PC, Mac, DVD player, console, or other device 5 times. Once you reach the maximum DVD drive region change limit, the region code will be locked as the last code you set, even if you reinstall the operating system. So change the region code on DVD drives carefully.

To obtain a fresh region code after five modifications, the DVD/CDROM drive must be replaced. It's important to note that most warranties do not cover the cost of replacing the device's drive.

2. How to Change the Region Code of a DVD Drive in a Mac 

When you play a DVD for the first time on a Mac, the region code of the DVD drive on the Mac is automatically set. To change the DVD region code on a Mac, follow the steps below:

Step 1. Insert a region-coded DVD into your Mac’s built-in or external DVD drive.

Step 2. Open Apple DVD Player. If the DVD’s region does not match the current drive region, a prompt will appear automatically.

Step 3. In the pop-up window, select the correct region code that matches the DVD you want to play.

Step 4. Click "Set Drive Region" to confirm the change and apply the new region setting.

Learn more about how to change DVD drive region in macOS

3. How to change the region code on a DVD player

To change the region code on a standalone DVD player, try the following steps. Note that this method works only if your DVD player supports manual region changing; procedures vary by brand and model.

Step 1. Turn on your DVD player. Take your disc out of it.

Step 2. Then click the Start button and choose Control Panel. Find System and Maintenance and choose Device Manager.

Step 3. Next, press 3 1 4 1 5 9 on the remote control. After that, you should see CODE or FF on your TV screen. Now, you should enter the desired region code. For example, if you want to change your DVD player's region code to 0, just enter 0 on your remote.

Step 4. Press PAUSE again on the remote.

Step 5. Once you finish changing the DVD region code on the DVD player, turn it off.

Important: Not all standalone DVD players support this method, and there is no universal code sequence that works on every brand. For many units, region settings are fixed at the factory or can only be changed via hidden service menus or manufacturer tools. Some players marketed as "region free" are modified versions specifically designed to bypass region locks.

4. How to change DVD region code on the PS4/PS5/PSP

PS4, PS5, and PSP consoles have fixed DVD region codes that cannot be manually changed. If a DVD's region doesn't match the console's region, the system will block playback. Users must either use region-free discs or convert the DVD to a compatible digital format. Below are recommended steps to change region code on PS4/PS5.

Step 1. Insert the DVD into your PS4, PS5, or PSP. If the disc is from a different region, a message will appear saying the disc cannot be played.

Step 2. Eject the DVD and check the disc's region code, usually printed on the packaging or disc surface.

Step 3. If the disc is not compatible, use a DVD ripping tool (such as WinX DVD Ripper Platinum) on a computer to convert it to a digital video file in a region-free format (MP4, MKV, etc.).

Step 4. Transfer the converted video file to your PS4/PS5/PSP via USB, media server, or compatible app, and play it without region restrictions.

What if you have reached the 5 limits and don't want to replace the DVD drive to get a different region? You can convert the region code DVD to a video file with region code removal. There is no limit or extra cost.

Part 2. How to Unlock DVD Region Code to Region Free?

Ripping and copying regional DVDs is the best way to avoid resetting a PC's DVD drive's counter and to play foreign region-coded DVDs without limits. WinX DVD Ripper is the best free DVD region killer for DVD region unlock:

• Convert DVD to region free: it will unlock all DVD region codes and unlocks any regional DVD. The DVD ripper for copy-protected DVDs can remove regional-playback control (RPC), Region-code Enhanced (RCE), UOPs, RCE, Disney X-project DRM, and other encryptions.
• Change region codes on DVD: As a DVD region killer, it changes regions 1-6 to region 0. The output file is region free and you can play it on any DVD player without worrying about region issues.
• Convert regional DVDs to MP4: It can convert region-locked DVDs to AVI, MP4, H.264, HEVC, MPEG, WMV, MOV, etc. Users can then transfer the region-free movies onto a memory stick, hard drive, USB, or play on Android, iPad, iPhone, Apple TV, PSP, and more.

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How to Remove DVD Region Codes to Bypass DVD Drive Region Limit?

Warm-up: Download and install the DVD region converter on your Windows (11/10) PC or Mac.

Step 1. Insert a region 1/2/3/4/5/6 DVD into your DVD-ROM, launch the software, and click the "DVD Disc" button. It will remove the DVD region codes or other copy protections and find the main movie title automatically.

Step 2. Choose an output format according to your needs. It's a good option to convert regional DVDs to MP4 for playback on mobile devices, laptops, TVs, etc.

The DVD region converter has 350+ built-in profiles, so you can convert the region code DVD to general mobile/tablet video, PC video or Mac video. You can also try the main title content copy, which is one of the fastest solutions to copy and save the region (2) DVD with selected audio/video tracks as an MPEG2 digital file without quality loss on image and sound.

Step 3. Change the Destination Folder to an easy-to-find folder on your computer. If you select to convert the DVD to region-free ISO image or MPG format, make sure the output folder has enough free space. Try to avoid saving it on Disk C.

Step 4. Hit the RUN button and start to convert the region code DVD. Once finished, the DVD video is totally region free and you can play it on any device without resetting the region codes.

Note: Enable the Safe Mode box on the software's interface if you are unable to convert a regional DVD. It is specifically made to guarantee a seamless converting procedure and prevent any potential ripping problems. Next, give the DVD conversion another go.

Disclaimer: Digiarty Software does not advocate converting region-locked DVDs for any commercial purpose and suggests referring to the DVD copyright laws in your country before doing so.

[YouTube Video Tutorial] How to Convert Region Code DVDs

Option 2. Unlock Region Code DVD with VideoByte BD-DVD Ripper

VideoByte BD-DVD Ripper is a paid Blu-ray and DVD region killer. It's able to help users bypass DVD region codes and various other encryptions. You can also use it to convert regional DVDs to DRM-free MP4, MOV, MKV, and other formats as you need. So you can convert region 2/4 to region 1 DVD player. Below is how to change DVD region code with this ripper:

Step 1. Download the BD-DVD Ripper and insert the DVD into your computer's disc drive.

Step 2. Click the + icon to load the source regional DVD. It will ignore all the region codes on the DVD and find the correct movie title.

Step 3. Select an output format. You can convert the region code DVD to MP4 or other format as you need.

Step 4. Next, click "Rip All" to start converting. It also supports GPU acceleration so after a while, you can find a region free file in the output folder.

Option 3. Conert Region Code DVD with Handbrake

Handbrake itself is not a DVD region killer as it doesn't support DVDs with any type of copy protection. With the aid of libdvdcss, it can be transformed into DVD region free software, though. The library performs an excellent job of removing region code and CSS from a DVD, even if it might not be able to remove more intricate encryption techniques. Put another way, you must first have libdvdcss in order to utilize Handbrake as a DVD region-killing program. (Downloading libdvdcss on your computer might be a bit tricky and error-prone, especially if you're using macOS. Follow this guide on how to install libdvdcss for Handbrake)

The region will be unlocked by libdvdcss when you import a foreign DVD into Handbrake. After that, you utilize Handbrake just like you would any other non-protected DVD. With Handbrake, you may convert the regional DVD to MP4 or MKV. In addition, there are a tonne of parameters to modify the output video's quality, crop, trim, add subtitles, and more. Additionally, GPU encoders are available to speed up the entire DVD region unlocking procedure.

Step 1. After you install libdvdcss and Handbrake, insert the regional DVD into your computer's disc drive.

Step 2. Open Handbrake and load the DVD. The libdvdcss library will work in the background to help Handbrake remove the region code and access the DVD data.

Step 3. Select a ripping preset such as Fast 480p30 or Fast 576p25 and choose an output format under Summary. You can convert a regional DVD to MP4 or MKV using Handbrake.

Step 4. Click Start Encode to change the region code for your DVD ripper.

Option 4. Unlock DVD Region Codes with MakeMKV

MakeMKV transcodes DVD and Blu-ray discs to MKV with most information like all video/audio tracks, chapters of original disc/video source. It's able to tackle encrypted DVDs and kill all region codes, CSS and other protections.

This DVD region free software allows you to select single or multiple/all chapters to convert. The minimum title length (in 120 seconds by default) can be modified to skip some disturbed chapters. Also, the stream service is pushed out enabling you to instantly stream selected item to various players/devices without conversion. It released a free beta version with time-limited functionality in 60 days. This beta version can fully support DVD and Blu-ray.

MakeMKV only outputs MKV making some users have to use video converter to get a resulting file with other formats. Its interface is not so easy-to-understand so beginners may need a guide before using it. But, working as a DVD region killer, it becomes one of the best alternatives for some free DVD rippers (for example HandBrake) which cannot rip copy-protected DVDs.

Option 5. Remove DVD Region Codes with DVD Decrypter

DVD Decrypter is a famous DVD ripper for copy-protected DVDs, which can kill DVD region codes and other copy protections, including CSS, user operation prohibition, Macrovision content protect and more. It easily convert a region code encrypted DVD to a region-free copy.

DVD disc and main title will be automatically detected after you insert one into DVD drive. Then, you just need to set destination and click the "DVD to HD" image button to start DVD copy process. By default, DVD copy protection removal options have been checked for every mode (File, IFO, ISO Read and ISO Write). You can open Settings dialogue box under Tools and check and reset decryption options. You can also manually set region code with this DVD region killer. Click Tools > IFO > Region Path and then make one IFO file region free or transfer it to other regions (1/2/3/4/5/6 and special 7/8).

Unfortunately, this region free DVD software had stopped developing in 2005 for legal issue. Therefore, it cannot well handle copy protections on newly released DVDs. And, there is no official support for you to fix various errors (for example failed to set data for "DVDDecrypterPlayDVDMovieOnArrival") or bugs.

Option 6. Convert Region Code DVDs with AnyDVD HD

AnyDVD HD is a DVD region unlock software that allows you to decrypt and remove copy protection from DVDs and Blu-ray discs. To be specific, it's able to unlock DVD region codes, user operation prohibitions (UOPs), and parental restrictions. It also allows you to adjust the display frequency of your monitor for both NTSC and PAL displays.

This DVD region killer works in the background and help other DVD/Blu-ray backup software or players access the contents of DVDs or Blu-ray discs from different countries. Therefore, users can watch movies from different regions on your computer without having to worry about region codes. In addition to the region codes, it can also help disable forced subtitles, forced delays, no-skip marks, and other unwanted parts of the DVD.

Overall, AnyDVD HD is a powerful DVD region decrypter that provides flexibility and convenience for individuals who want to watch DVDs and Blu-ray discs from different regions without restrictions.

Part 3. Other Ways to Unlock or Bypass DVD Region Restrictions

If your DVD drive has reached the five-region change limit or your DVD player does not support manual region switching, there are still a few alternative solutions. However, keep in mind that not every method works for every device. Some options depend on the DVD player model, drive firmware, or available manufacturer support.

Option 1. Try a Region Hack for Supported DVD Players

Some standalone DVD players can be converted into region-free players through unofficial region hacks. These methods are usually shared by users on forums and vary greatly depending on the brand and model. A hack that works for one DVD player may not work for another.

For example, certain LG DVD/Blu-ray players support hidden service menus or region settings that allow users to switch to a universal region (Region 0). Before trying any region hack, make sure it matches your exact DVD player model and follow instructions from reliable sources.

Not all DVD players can be hacked. Many newer models have fixed region settings, and attempting unsupported modifications may cause playback issues or void the device warranty.

For more information about making a DVD player region-free, check this guide.

Option 2. Check for DVD Drive Firmware Updates

Some DVD drive manufacturers occasionally release firmware updates that improve compatibility or fix playback issues. Check the manufacturer's official website or contact customer support to see whether a firmware update is available for your specific drive model.

However, firmware updates usually cannot fully remove the built-in five-change region limit on RPC-2 DVD drives. If your drive is permanently locked, replacing the drive or using a region-free playback solution may be required.

Option 3. Use DVD Region Bypass Software

DVD region bypass software can help computers access region-locked DVDs without changing the drive's region setting. These tools work in the background to bypass region restrictions and other playback limitations, allowing DVDs from different regions to be played on compatible systems.

For users who frequently watch foreign DVDs, converting the disc into a region-free digital format is often more convenient because it avoids the five-change limit and allows playback on more devices.

Option 4. Use a Region-Free DVD Player or External Drive

If you often play DVDs from different countries, a region-free DVD player or multi-region external DVD drive can be a practical long-term solution. These devices are designed to handle multiple DVD regions without repeatedly changing the region setting.

This option is especially useful for collectors who own DVDs from different regions and want a simple plug-and-play experience.

Part 4. What is DVD Region Code?

DVD region code is a digital rights management technique used mainly by the distributors to control DVD content, release date, and price. It defeats many region-locked DVD drives and regular DVD players. When playing a region code encrypted DVD, the DVD player should be set to the same geographic area to make the DVD drive play the DVD encoded for that region. In other words, users should know the exact region and country of the DVD. Otherwise, you will get the wrong region error message.

But it is not the main concern. The limitation on DVD region changing times completely disappoints us. You can change the DVD region code on a DVD player or DVD drive a limited number of times (mostly 5) before it's permanently locked. You cannot change the DVD region after five attempts unless you reinstall Windows or use a different DVD drive. 

Here is a list of DVD regions and their ranges of application (countries):

• Region 1 (R1): the U.S.A., U.S. Territories and Canada.
• Region 2 (R2): Europe, Japan, the Middle East, Egypt, South Africa, and Greenland.
• Region 3 (R3): Taiwan, Korea, South Korea, Hong Kong SAR, Macau.
• Region 4 (R4): Mexico, South and Central America, Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, Caribbean
• Region 5 (R5): Russia, Eastern Europe, India, Africa (excluding South Africa), North Korea, Mongolia
• Region 6 (R6): People's Republic of China, Hong Kong SAR

Note: If you try to play a DVD from one region in another, for example, a USA DVD in the UK, it will not play, and a "This disc is not formatted to play in this region" message will appear on the screen.