How to Rip & Upload DVDs to Cloud (Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive)

With the dramatic reduction of DVD players and disc drives, it's time to digitize DVDs to free them from the shiny silver prisons for more flexible playback. Saving DVD digital copies to cloud services can make your DVD movies and TV shows accessible through Internet on any screens anywhere anytime. Uploading DVD to cloud also keeps you from troubles like disc loss, scratch, damage, declutters your room and saves your local storage space.

Nevertheless, you cannot directly upload DVD to cloud service, whether it's Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Amazon Photos or Apple iCloud. The proper solution is to rip DVD to cloud-friendly format with a DVD ripper and then upload the DVD movie library to cloud for later streaming to Chromecast, TV, Roku, Plex, etc.

Notice: Cloud storage services are well-suited for basic file backup and synchronization tasks, but their features are often more restricted. By incorporating cloud storage into a Plex setup, users can create highly customized home theater experiences with a wider range of possibilities.

Why You Need to Convert DVD First for Cloud Storage

DVDs cannot be uploaded directly to cloud storage services like Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive in a convenient streaming format. A DVD usually contains VIDEO_TS folders, VOB files, copy protection, and disc structures that many cloud platforms cannot preview or play properly online. Even if the upload succeeds, the files may not open smoothly across phones, tablets, smart TVs, or web browsers.

Another common issue is file size. Unconverted DVD rips typically take up 5 to 9 gigabytes per disc, dragging down upload speeds and eating up valuable cloud storage space. Converting the DVD into a compressed digital format solves this.

By ripping and converting your DVDs first, you can stream your movie collection more easily, back up old discs safely, and access your videos anywhere without carrying physical discs around. For most users, H.264-encoded MP4 files offer the ideal balance between visual quality, device compatibility, and fast upload speeds.

How to Rip DVD Movies for Cloud Storage

WinX DVD Ripper Platinum is the best DVD to cloud ripper in the market which is able to rip any copy-protected DVDs. It's the best choice to if you need to save your entire DVD collection to the cloud as it can rip a DVD to MP4 in 5 minutes. You can use it to convert DVDs to any format for iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, Amazon Photos, OneDrive, and more. The following how-to guide on Windows PC can be taken for reference:

• Digitize DVD to MP4 (H.264/HEVC), MOV, AVI, MKV and more for saving on cloud service or playing on PC, TV, phone, tablet, etc.
• Store DVD movies in cloud storage with 1:1 quality in MPEG-2 file and ISO image.
• Up to 47X real-time faster ripping with GPU hardware acceleration tech.
• Copy DVD to cloud storage, including old DVDs, new releases, 99-title DVD, DVD with playlist obfuscation, bad sector/damaged disc.

Preparation: Download and install the DVD to cloud converter on your computer.

Step 1. Load the DVD you want to upload to cloud.

Launch the DVD ripping software, click "DVD Disc" on the interface, and you can add any of your discs. More surprisingly, you are allowed to directly rip DVD folder or ISO image from your hard drive to the cloud/iCloud supported format.

Step 2. Choose a proper output format for cloud storage.

Select an output format to rip your DVD for your cloud storage service. If you're not sure which format that you can rip the DVD movie for the cloud storage, below are almost all the mainstream video and audio formats supported by different cloud services.

As each cloud storage service supports several formats, you may want to know which is the best format to store DVD digitally and put the movie library to the cloud. Below are some recommendations you can consider:

• For General Cloud Backup: Select MP4 Video under General Profiles. It offers the best balance between file size and quality—reducing a movie to ~1-1.4GB (up to 80% smaller than the original) with no visible quality loss, saving significant cloud storage space.
• For Specific Devices: If you plan to stream directly to Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, Smart TVs, or consoles (PS5/Xbox), you can also choose directly from 350+ optimized device profiles in the output list.

Click to see step-by-step tutorial of ripping your DVD collection to MP4 files >>

Step 3. Define the output directory.

Optionally, you can browse to choose any location on your computer disk as the destination to save the output files.

Step 4. Ready for DVD to Cloud Storage ripping.

Just click "RUN" button to start ripping the movie DVD to the digital file accepted by your cloud storage device.

Legal Disclaimer: WinXDVD, developed by Digiarty Software, is designed strictly for personal, non-commercial media backup under fair use. Digiarty Software strictly respects copyright laws and does not condone, facilitate, or support copyright infringement or unauthorized copying. Users are advised to check and comply with their local DVD copyright laws and regulations before use.

How to Store Converted DVD Movies to Cloud Storage Device

Once being converted to digital files, your DVD rips can be transferred to the cloud service, and streamed later for different uses.The steps of uploading DVD movies to Amazon Photos, OneDrive, iCloud, Box, Google Drive etc. go the similar with Dropbox. Just follow the on-screen wizard to save dvd digital copies to your favorite cloud service.

1. How to upload DVD movies to iCloud

1. Select and open the iCloud Drive app on your Mac or PC.
2. Log in to your iCloud account with your account name and password.
3. Open iCloud Drive (or iCloud Photos), click the "Upload" button, and select your converted MP4 DVD video file. Alternatively, drag and drop the MP4 file directly into the iCloud Drive folder on your Mac or PC.

Note for iCloud Users: Large MP4 files may not always preview or play reliably in a web browser, depending on the file and browser. If a video stored in iCloud Drive won't play on iCloud.com, download it to your device and open it in a compatible media player. On iPhone or iPad, you can also access files through the Files app; on Mac, use Finder to access iCloud Drive files.

2. How to upload DVD movies to Dropbox

1. Navigate to Dropbox site and log in your account.
2. Click the "Upload files" button. Then you can find a window pop up, click "Choose Files".
3. Choose the converted DVD files and click "Open" to upload to the Dropbox.

Note: The maximum size per individual file uploaded via dropbox.com (web browser) is 50GB. For batch uploading large DVD libraries, using the Dropbox desktop app is recommended.. Find detailed solution to upload DVD to Dropbox here >>

3. How to upload DVD movies to Google Drive

1. Navigate to drive.google.com and log in your account.
2. Click the + New button and click File upload or Folder upload if you are going to upload the whole rips.
3. Choose the converted DVD files and click "Open" to upload to the Google Drive. There isn't any daily or monthly upload limit. And the maximum size per file is large and won't pose any problem at all. Detailed DVD to Google drive storing & uploading guide >>

4. How to upload DVD movies to Amazon Photos (Formerly Amazon Drive)

Important: Amazon Drive was officially discontinued on December 31, 2023. Video backups are now managed via Amazon Photos (supports video files up to 20 mins for prime, or within total storage limits).

1. Go to Amazon Photos or open the Amazon Photos desktop app.
2. Click the Add photos and videos button at the top right.
3. Select the converted MP4 DVD filefrom your computer and upload.

5. How to upload DVD movies to OneDrive

1. Open OneDrive website, login in with your Microsoft account, and then browse to the location where you want to add the DVD movies.
2. Click Upload.
3. Select the DVD movies you want to upload and then select Open. It will start to store DVD movies in the cloud.

After the storing DVD movies in the cloud, you can play the files directly online (but the Network speed is a deciding factor), and download them to local disks. Outstandingly, cloud service makes movies, music and photos more portable. Only if you have an online account, you can use the movies on your home PC, work PC and portable PC, stream it to an app, Chromecast, Smart TV, Roku player or a set-top box.

Tips: Best Movie Format for Cloud Storage

It’s important to choose a format that your platform supports. While MP4 works almost everywhere, some services also accept formats like MKV, AVI, WebM, or HEVC. The table below shows the most common video and audio formats supported by popular cloud storage services.

For the best compatibility, MP4 with AAC or MP3 audio is usually the safest option. If you prefer higher quality or advanced codecs, check your cloud platform’s supported formats before ripping your DVDs.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I upload raw DVD VIDEO_TS folders directly to Google Drive or OneDrive?

Yes, you can upload them as file archives, but you cannot stream or preview the movies online. Cloud players cannot decode encrypted .VOB files or DVD menu structures. Converting your DVD to standard MP4 (H.264+AAC) first is required for online playback.

2. Will uploading ripped DVDs to cloud storage trigger copyright issues or account suspension?

Ripping personal DVDs for personal backup generally falls under fair use, but cloud providers prohibit public sharing of copyrighted content. As long as you keep the uploaded DVD files in private folders and do not generate public sharing links, your account remains safe.

3. Which cloud service is best for storing and streaming ripped DVD movies?

Google Drive and OneDrive offer the best native web video players for MP4/MKV streaming. If you want a full media-center interface with automatic movie cover and metadata scraping, pairing cloud storage with a Plex or Jellyfin setup is highly recommended.