How to Convert DVD to MP4 on Mac: 3 Easy Ways

Summary: If you're looking to convert DVD to MP4 on Mac, you're in the right place. Whether it's home videos, old movies, or workout DVDs, here are 3 easy ways to get it done, using both free and paid software.

Although DVDs might seem a bit outdated now, they still hold countless memories—home videos, wedding DVDs, nostalgic movies, yoga sessions, and more. But what if you could enjoy them all more conveniently on your Mac?

In this guide, I’ll walk you through 3 simple methods for converting DVD to MP4 on Mac. Free software works great for home DVDs but has limited format support. Paid software, priced similarly to two cocktails, can handle DVDs that free software often struggles with.

I’ve narrowed it down to these 3 methods because they cover everything you need—whether you're dealing with personal DVDs or commercial, encrypted discs. Depending on the type of DVD you have, you'll find the best solution below.

Which Method Should You Use to Rip a DVD to MP4 on Mac

The best method depends on the type of DVD and how much control you need. HandBrake is the best free starting point for homemade or unprotected discs, while VLC is convenient for occasional conversions if it is already installed on your Mac. For a more straightforward, DVD-focused workflow, particularly with discs that free apps may not read reliably, VideoProc Converter AI is the stronger overall choice. Disk Utility serves a different purpose: it creates a complete disc image rather than an MP4 video. The table below compares these macOS options by cost, suitable use, and key limitation.

What You Need Before Converting a DVD on Mac

Before you rip a DVD to MP4 on a Mac, take a moment to check the disc, the drive, and the available storage. A little preparation can prevent most scanning failures and incomplete output files.

• An external DVD drive: Most recent Mac models do not include a built-in optical drive. Connect a compatible USB DVD drive directly to your Mac or through a powered adapter or hub.
• Enough free storage: File size depends on the codec and quality settings. For a two-hour DVD movie, an MP4 file typically uses about 1–3 GB with H.264 or 700 MB–2 GB with HEVC or AV1. Creating a full DVD image may require an additional 4.7–8.5 GB, while temporary conversion files can take up several more gigabytes.
• A clean, readable disc: Dust, fingerprints, and scratches can interrupt title scanning or cause the conversion to stop. Wipe the disc gently from the center toward the edge with a soft, lint-free cloth.
• Permission to copy the content: Only convert homemade DVDs, personal recordings, or other material you own or are legally permitted to copy. Rules concerning commercial discs and copy protection vary by country and region.

Method 1. Convert DVD to MP4 on Mac with VideoProc

Supported OS: macOS 10.13 High Sierra and later (also works on Windows 7/8/10/11)

Price: Start with a free trial or subscribe for US$34.95 per year

VideoProc Converter AI makes it easier to rip DVDs to MP4 on a Mac, including many discs that HandBrake or VLC cannot read. Its regularly updated DVD engine is designed to handle region-coded and copy-protected commercial DVDs that use CSS, UOPs, ARccOS, or Disney X-Project. Compatibility may still vary depending on the protection used and the condition and structure of the disc.

It also works with homemade DVDs, movie and training discs, and common recordable formats such as DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD-R DL, and DVD+R DL. After loading a disc, the software can detect the main title automatically while still allowing you to select individual chapters, audio tracks, and subtitles.

For converting DVDs to MP4, VideoProc supports H.264, HEVC, and AV1, with ready-made profiles for common devices and platforms. It can also export MOV and MKV, or preserve the full disc as an ISO image, DVD folder, or 1:1 copy.

📌 Key Features of VideoProc Converter AI

• Supports homemade, commercial, 99-title, and many non-standard or slightly scratched DVDs.
• Handle CSS, UOPs, RCE, APS, Sony ARccOS, and other newer or more complex encryption scheme
• Auto identify the main title or pick the certain titles, chapters, audio tracks, and subtitles.
• Ready-made MP4 profiles for popular devices & platforms, with 420+ output file types in total.
• Fast DVD to MP4 covnersion speed on Mac, powered by the level-3 GPU acceleration technology.
• Feature-rich: 1:1 DVD backup, make basic edits, deinterlace footage, AI-upscale DVD video quality...

How to convert DVD to MP4 on Mac with VideoProc Converter AI

Step 1. Insert the DVD into the disc drive on your Mac. If your Mac dropped the DVD drive, you can connect an external DVD drive to the Mac. Run VideoProc Converter AI, click DVD, and then hit the Disc icon. Choose the target disc for adding it to this DVD ripper.

Step 2. Scroll to the bottom and select an MP4 output profile, such as MP4 H.264, MP4 HEVC, or MP4 AV1. You can also click Target Format to explore more options, including profiles optimized for popular devices and platforms.

Tips:

If you're looking for a balance between quality and file size, MP4 H.264 is a solid choice. For better compression with minimal quality loss, MP4 HEVC is ideal. If you want the latest codec for even smaller file sizes without sacrificing quality, MP4 AV1 is the best option—though keep in mind that it may not be as widely compatible with older devices and software.

Step 3. Select an output folder and click Run to start converting DVD to MP4 on Mac.

Method 2. Convert DVD to MP4 on Mac Using VLC

Supported OS: Mac OS X 10.7.5 and later (also works on Windows XP and later, Linux)

Price: Free and open-source software

VLC is best known as a free, open-source media player, but it also includes basic tools for converting and streaming media, including readable DVDs. For beginners, sticking with one of its built-in conversion profiles is usually the safest option. Once you start customizing the container, video codec, or audio settings, it is easy to end up with a missing audio track, a black screen, or an MP4 that will not play properly. VLC is also not designed to bypass copy protection, so it cannot help you rip protecetd DVDs to MP4 on Mac.

How to convert DVD to MP4 on Mac with VLC

After inserting the DVD to the drive, follow these steps to digitize the DVD to MP4 on your Mac:

Step 1. After installing VLC on your Mac, click File > Convert / Stream from the menu. The keyboard shortcut for Open Disc is Command-D (⌘D).

Step 2. Click the Disable DVD menus button, and make sure Stream output is checked. Now you shall be able to click the Settings button at the bottom right corner.

Step 3. In the pop-up window, click the Browse button to set the name and output directory to store the digitized DVD.

Step 4. In the Encapsulation Method section, click the drop-down menu and select MPEG-4 as the output format.

Tips:

VLC allows you to customize the output encoding settings. However, customizing the output profile can result in an MP4 with no sound, a black screen, or a file that will not play. If you are unfamiliar with codecs, it is safer to start with one of VLC's built-in conversion profiles.

Step 5. Click the Open button, and VLC will start to digitize the DVD to MP4 to the designated path.

Besides ripping DVD to MP4 on Mac using VLC media player, you can also use it to copy audio from DVD disc.

Why Won’t VLC Convert My DVD to MP4 on Mac?

VLC may fail to convert some DVDs to MP4 on Mac, especially when the selected video, audio, and container settings are incompatible. VLC is also not designed to bypass DVD copy protection, so it may be unable to read some region-locked or copy-protected commercial discs. Damaged discs and non-UDF DVDs can also produce incomplete or unplayable output files.

Method 3. Convert DVD to MP4 on Mac in Handbrake

Supported OS: The current HandBrake release supports recent versions of macOS and runs natively on Apple silicon. Older macOS versions may require an archived HandBrake release.

Price: Free and open-source software

Handbrake is a popular video transcoder recommended by Reddit users and forum frequenters. In fact, when it is conceived initially by Eric Petit in 2003, Handbrake was designed to convert DVDs into digital formats. It later evolved into an integrated tool with more features.

HandBrake uses FFmpeg, x264, x265 and other components from third-party libraries, so that people without any knowledge of command line tools can somehow navigate the Graphic UI provided by Handbrake.

However, Handbrake is less capable to deal with scratched DVDs, or DVDs with certain subtitles that Handbrake doesn't support. It does not include DVD decryption and cannot open most copy-protected commercial discs. Its official documentation recommends creating a readable disc copy with a separate tool before encoding it in HandBrake. In case you need, you can read how to fix the issues when Handbrake won't convert DVD.

How to convert DVD to MP4 on Mac with HandBrake

Step 1. Insert your DVD into the DVD drive on your Mac. If your Mac doesn't come with a DVD drive, plug-in an external DVD drive.

Step 2. Install and Launch Handbrake on your Mac.

Go to Handbrake's official site to download the latest version for your Mac. The Mac Installer of Handbrake is a universal version, meaning both Apple Silicon Macs and older Intel-based Macs can use the software.

Step 3. Import DVD into Handbrake.

• On the home screen, click the Open Source option to browse the DVD drive.
• Handbrake will start to read and import DVD titles into the software.

Step 4. After the analysis is finished, you can click the dropdown menu of Title and Chapter to choose the desired content. By default, Handbrake will choose the main video (the longest title).

Step 5. Choose a preset to convert DVD to MP4 on Mac.

NTSC vs PAL:

Use a 480p30 preset for an NTSC DVD and a 576p25 preset for a PAL DVD. HandBrake normally detects the source dimensions and frame rate, so avoid changing them unless you have a specific playback requirement. NTSC is used in North America, some regions in South America, Taiwan, Japan, etc., while PAL is more commonly seen in Western Europe, China, Australia, etc.

Best presets to convert DVD to MP4 in Handbrake:

Under the Presets > General option, you can use one of the following settings:

• HQ 480p30 Surround – NTSC region, high quality (30fps, Constant quality 18 RF)
• HQ 576p25 Surround – PAL region, high quality (25fps, Constant quality 18 RF)
• Super HQ 480p30 Surround – NTSC region, super high quality (30fps, Constant quality 16 RF)
• Super HQ 576p25 Surround – PAL region, super high quality (25fps, Constant quality 16 RF)

The video quality is controlled by bitrate and measured by the RF value in Handbrake. A lower RF value generally produces higher visual quality and a larger file. Encoding speed is also affected by the encoder and preset, not only the RF value.

Step 6. Set the output directory at the bottom of the interface. You can click Browse to designate a folder.

How to change M4V to MP4 in Handbrake

"I was trying to convert DVD to MP4 in Handbrake, but the output format is M4V, not MP4. The preset is set to MP4, why?"

It's easy to force Handbrake to use MP4 container so that your converted DVD will have an .mp4 extension. Simply go to Preferences from Handbrake's menu, and Click Output Files > MP4 File Extension. Change the default Automatic option to Always use MP4.

Step 7. Click Start Queue (the green button) to start transcoding DVD to digital MP4 format on your Mac computer.

Best DVD-to-MP4 Settings for Mac

A DVD has already been compressed once, so the goal is not to manufacture extra detail—it is to retain the original picture while producing a file that plays smoothly on your preferred devices. For most people, MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio remains the safest combination.

H.264: Best for Playback Compatibility

Choose H.264 if the MP4 needs to work across Macs, iPhones, iPads, smart TVs, media servers, and older devices. It encodes relatively quickly and is the least likely of the three codecs to cause playback problems. The tradeoff is a larger file than HEVC or AV1 at comparable visual quality.

HEVC: Best for Smaller Files

HEVC, also known as H.265, can produce a smaller file than H.264 while retaining similar visual quality. It is a sensible choice for personal archives and newer Apple devices, although software encoding usually takes longer and some older players cannot decode it smoothly.

AV1: Efficient, but Not the Most Compatible

AV1 offers high compression efficiency and can be useful when minimizing storage is the main priority. However, AV1 encoding can be considerably slower, and playback support is still less consistent on older Macs, TVs, and media devices. Use it only after confirming that every device on which you plan to watch the video supports AV1.

Keep the DVD’s Original Resolution

NTSC DVDs normally store video at up to 720 × 480, while PAL DVDs use up to 720 × 576. Keep the source dimensions and aspect ratio unless you have a specific delivery requirement. Enlarging a standard-definition DVD to 1080p or 4K increases the file size but cannot restore detail that is absent from the disc.

If the DVD uses anamorphic widescreen video, leaving anamorphic or pixel-aspect-ratio handling on Automatic is usually safer than entering custom dimensions.

Use Decomb or Deinterlace Only When Needed

Some DVDs contain interlaced video, which can produce horizontal “comb” lines during movement. In HandBrake, the default Comb Detect and Decomb settings are a good starting point because they process frames in which interlacing is detected while leaving progressive frames alone.

Avoid applying aggressive deinterlacing to every DVD without checking the source. It can soften progressive video and increase encoding time. Preview a scene with fast movement before converting the full title.

FAQs

Can I Use the QuickTime Player to convert DVD to MP4 on Mac?

No. QuickTime player doesn't support DVD to MP4 conversion, nor doesn't it designed to play DVDs. Although you can use QuickTime player to convert digital formats to another one, physical DVDs are not supported.

Can I Use iTunes to Convert DVD to MP4?

No, you can't. iTunes only supports importing songs from CDs into the library. It doesn't allow you to load DVDs and even digitize them. But it works the other way around: you can transfer digitized DVD movies into iTunes to playback and build up your personal media library.

Can I save DVDs into digital videos on my Mac with Disk Utility?

Yes. The default Disk Utility app on Mac can be used to save DVDs into a digital backup file.

Step 1. Open Disk Utility from the launch pad and click the DVD you just inserted.

Step 2. In the Image Format drop-down menu, select DVD/CD master.

Step 3. Disk Utility on Mac will start to save DVD to CDR image format (.cdr).

The image format will mirror everything that's on the DVD to the digital file, with titles and chapters retained. Therefore, it serves as the best backup file. You can also use VideoProc Converter AI mentioned in method 1 to convert the DVD .cdr file to MP4 on Mac.

Disclaimer: Please make sure you have the consent of the copyright owner when trying to convert DVD for fair use. It is recommended to check with your local legal regulations before using a DVD to MP4 converter on Mac.