How to Rip a DVD to ISO on Windows and Mac in 2026

You can rip a DVD to an ISO image by using DVD copy or disc-imaging software. A 1:1 Clone ISO preserves the complete disc without recompression, while Full Disc, Main Movie, or customized ISO backups can keep different parts of the DVD depending on the copy mode you choose.

When I back up a DVD to ISO, I first decide whether I need an exact clone, the full DVD with menus and extras, or only the movie and tracks I actually want to keep. Below, I'll show practical methods for Windows and Mac, including dedicated DVD copy software for protected discs and free imaging tools for DVDs your computer can already read.

What Type of DVD ISO Do You Need?

An ISO is a disc-image file, but not every DVD ISO is created in exactly the same way. The copy mode determines how much of the original DVD is kept and whether compression is used.

For example, DVDneXtCOPY uses Clone/Burn for a 1:1 copy, while Full Disc, Main Movie, and Customize give you different levels of content selection. If you reduce a DVD-9 backup to DVD-5 in a mode that supports compression, the result is no longer a 1:1 clone.

Which DVD to ISO Method Should You Use?

The right method mainly depends on your operating system, whether the DVD is protected, and whether you need an exact clone or a more selective ISO backup.

How to Rip a DVD to ISO on Windows with DVDneXtCOPY DVD Copy

DVDneXtCOPY DVD Copy can load protected DVD discs, ISO files, and DVD folders and save a backup as an ISO image, DVD folder, or blank disc. For DVD-to-ISO work, the most relevant copy modes are Clone/Burn, Full Disc, Main Movie, and Customize. Clone/Burn makes the 1:1 copy, while the other modes let you preserve the whole DVD or only selected content.

It also handles region code, RipGuard, ARccOS, and RC protections, and provides title, chapter, audio, and subtitle selection together with DVD-5/DVD-9 output settings where applicable. Hardware acceleration, batch processing, and real-time preview are available for larger backup jobs.

Step 1: Load the DVD into DVDneXtCOPY

Download and launch DVDneXtCOPY, then open the Copy module. Insert the DVD into your optical drive. If the disc does not load automatically, click Add Source. You can also load a DVD ISO or folder from the same interface.

Step 2: Choose the ISO Copy Mode

Open Copy Mode and choose the type of ISO you want to create:

• Clone/Burn: create a 1:1 exact image without recompression.
• Full Disc: keep the complete DVD, including menus and extras.
• Main Movie: keep the main feature without the extra titles.
• Customize: select specific titles or chapters.

Step 3: Set DVD Size, Titles, Audio and Subtitles

If the selected mode supports customization, choose DVD-5 or DVD-9 as the output size and select the titles, chapters, audio tracks, and subtitles you want to preserve. Use the built-in preview when you need to confirm that the correct title or track is selected.

If you need a true 1:1 ISO, keep the Clone/Burn workflow instead of compressing DVD-9 content to DVD-5.

Step 4: Choose ISO as the Output

Select ISO Image File as the destination, choose the folder where the image should be saved, and enter a recognizable filename.

Step 5: Start Ripping DVD to ISO

Review the copy mode, DVD size, selected titles, audio, subtitles, and output path. Click Start to create the ISO.

Create an ISO from an Unprotected DVD with BurnAware Free

BurnAware Free is a straightforward Windows option when the source DVD can already be read normally. The current BurnAware 19.2 Free edition supports Backup discs (copy to ISO images) for personal use, and its Copy to ISO tool saves the written sectors of a readable optical disc into an ISO image.

BurnAware is not a DVD decryption tool, so it is better suited to homemade DVDs, data discs, software discs, and other readable media than to encrypted commercial movie DVDs.

Step 1: Open Copy to ISO

Install and launch BurnAware Free, then click Copy to ISO in the main window.

Step 2: Select the DVD Drive

Insert the DVD and select the optical drive containing the source disc.

Step 3: Choose the ISO Destination

Specify where you want to save the image and enter a filename for the new ISO.

Step 4: Copy the DVD to ISO

Click Copy. BurnAware reads the disc and saves the image to the selected location.

Copy a DVD to ISO with DVDFab DVD Copy on Windows or Mac

DVDFab DVD Copy provides another DVD-to-ISO workflow on both Windows and Mac. It supports DVD disc, ISO, and folder sources, saves backups as ISO or VIDEO_TS folders, and provides six copy modes: Full Disc, Main Movie, Clone/Burn, Merge, Split, and Customize.

For ISO creation, Clone/Burn makes the 1:1 copy, while Full Disc and Main Movie can be used with or without compression depending on the selected output size. DVDFab also documents support for common DVD protections including CSS, APS, region codes, and DADC, which makes it suitable when Disk Utility cannot image a protected movie DVD normally.

Step 1: Load the DVD in the Copy Module

Launch DVDFab, open Copy, and insert the DVD. You can also click Add Source or drag an ISO/folder into the main interface.

Step 2: Select the Copy Mode

Choose Clone/Burn for a 1:1 image, Full Disc for the complete DVD, Main Movie for the feature title, or Customize for selected titles or chapters.

Step 3: Choose ISO and DVD Size

Set DVD-5 or DVD-9 if the selected mode allows it, adjust the available title, audio, and subtitle settings, then select ISO as the output and choose where to save the image.

Step 4: Start Copying DVD to ISO

Click Start. DVDFab creates the ISO according to the selected copy mode and output settings.

How to Create a DVD Disc Image on Mac with Disk Utility

macOS includes Disk Utility, which can create a DVD/CD master from a disc the Mac can read normally. Apple describes DVD/CD master as a disk image that copies all sectors of the source image, whether they are used or not.

The important limitation is that Disk Utility is a disk-imaging utility rather than DVD decryption software. Use it for readable or unprotected DVDs; use a DVD copy tool with decryption support when a protected movie DVD cannot be imaged normally.

Step 1: Select the DVD in Disk Utility

Insert the DVD, open Disk Utility, select the DVD in the sidebar, and choose File > New Image > Image from [DVD name].

Step 2: Create a DVD/CD Master

Enter a filename and save location. Under Image Format, choose DVD/CD master, then click Save. Disk Utility creates the image with a .cdr extension.

Step 3: Convert the CDR Image to ISO

If you specifically need the .iso extension, open Terminal and convert the CDR image with hdiutil:

hdiutil convert ~/Desktop/MyDVD.cdr -format UDTO -o ~/Desktop/MyDVD.iso

Depending on the filename macOS creates, you may need to rename the resulting image so the final extension is .iso.

Create a DVD ISO on Linux with Brasero

Brasero is a Linux CD/DVD mastering application that can create a disc image from a DVD the system can read normally. It remains available through current Linux repositories, but it should not be treated as a commercial-DVD decryption tool.

Step 1: Open Disc Copy

Insert the DVD, launch Brasero, and choose Disc Copy.

Step 2: Select the DVD and Image File

Select the optical drive containing the source DVD, then choose Image File as the destination instead of another disc.

Step 3: Create the Disc Image

Choose the filename and destination, then click Create Image to save the disc image.

How to Check the ISO After Ripping a DVD

After the ISO is created, check it before treating it as your final backup. Start with the file size: a 1:1 image should broadly reflect the amount of data on the source disc, while Main Movie, Customize, or compressed backups may be smaller.

Next, mount or open the ISO and confirm that the expected DVD structure is present. For a DVD-Video image, you should normally see the VIDEO_TS structure. If menus, audio tracks, subtitles, or extras were supposed to be preserved, test those elements as well.

Conclusion

A DVD ISO can be an exact clone or a more selective backup, so start by deciding what part of the original disc you want to preserve. DVDneXtCOPY DVD Copy provides the most flexible Windows workflow for Clone, Full Disc, Main Movie, and customized ISO creation, while BurnAware Free is a simpler option for readable discs.

On Mac, DVDFab DVD Copy can handle DVDs using supported protections, while Disk Utility provides a built-in imaging route for discs macOS can read normally. Whichever method you choose, check the finished ISO before treating it as your final backup.