How to Rip a DVD Free with MakeMKV and HandBrake Easy
Your DVD collection is gathering dust on a shelf while your streaming library lives on every screen in the house. Ripping those discs to digital files fixes that. Two free tools handle the job cleanly: MakeMKV pulls the raw video off the disc, and HandBrake compresses it into a file your devices can actually play. Together they cover every step from disc to finished file.
What You Need Before You Start
Get these three things in order before you touch either program.
A DVD drive is the obvious requirement. External USB drives cost around $20 and work fine if your laptop has no built-in optical drive. Make sure it reads DVDs, not just CDs.
Free disk space matters more than most guides admit. A two-hour DVD can produce a raw MKV file around 7GB. HandBrake’s compressed output usually lands between 1GB and 3GB depending on your settings. Plan for at least 10GB free per disc during the process.
Download both programs from their official sources. MakeMKV is at makemkv.com and HandBrake is at handbrake.fr. Both run on Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Step 1: Rip the DVD with MakeMKV
MakeMKV’s job is simple. It reads the disc, bypasses the copy protection, and writes the video, audio, and subtitle tracks into an MKV container without re-encoding anything. The quality is identical to the source because the video data stays untouched.
Opening the Disc
Launch MakeMKV and insert your DVD. The program detects the drive automatically and shows a large disc icon. Click that icon to start analyzing the disc. This takes 30 to 90 seconds.
Selecting Your Tracks
Once analysis finishes, MakeMKV shows a tree of titles on the left side. The main feature is almost always the longest title, typically between 90 and 180 minutes. Check that title and expand it to see the available tracks.
Here is what to select in most cases:
- The main video track (there is only one per title)
- The English audio track in the highest quality format, usually AC3 5.1 or DTS
- English subtitles if you want them, or the full subtitle set if you plan to keep the file long-term
Deselect bonus features and short clips you have no use for. They add time and space without value.
Running the Output
Choose an output folder with enough free space, then click the “Make MKV” button. A two-hour disc takes 10 to 25 minutes depending on drive speed. The result is a large MKV file ready for HandBrake.
Step 2: Compress the File with HandBrake
HandBrake re-encodes the raw MKV into a smaller, widely compatible file. The default preset is good enough for most people, but a few adjustments produce much better results.
Choosing a Preset
Open HandBrake, click “Open Source,” and select the MKV file MakeMKV created. HandBrake loads the video and applies a default preset. Go to the Presets panel on the right and select from the “General” category.
| Preset | Best For | Typical File Size |
|---|---|---|
| Fast 1080p30 | Quick archiving, large storage | 2.5 to 4GB |
| HQ 480p30 Surround | Matching DVD native resolution | 1 to 2GB |
| Super HQ 480p30 Surround | Best possible quality at DVD res | 1.5 to 2.5GB |
| Fast 480p30 | Saving space, acceptable quality | 600MB to 1GB |
For a DVD, “Super HQ 480p30 Surround” is my recommendation. DVDs top out at 480p, so encoding to 1080p gains you nothing. Stick to the native resolution and put the quality budget into the encode settings instead.
Adjusting the Quality Slider
Under the “Video” tab, find the RF (Constant Rate Factor) slider. Lower numbers mean higher quality and larger files. Higher numbers mean smaller files with more compression artifacts.
For DVD source material, RF 18 to 20 is the sweet spot. RF 22 is HandBrake’s default and acceptable. RF 16 produces files that are noticeably sharper but roughly twice the size of RF 20. Pick based on how much storage you have.
Audio and Subtitles
Click the “Audio” tab. If MakeMKV captured an AC3 or DTS track, set it to “Auto Passthru” so HandBrake copies it without re-encoding. This keeps the surround sound intact and saves encoding time.
Under the “Subtitles” tab, add the subtitle track if you want it burned into the video or stored as a selectable soft subtitle. Soft subtitles are more flexible because you can turn them off.
Starting the Encode
Click “Add to Queue,” then “Start Queue.” HandBrake shows a progress bar, estimated time, and current frames per second. A two-hour DVD at Super HQ 480p30 takes 20 to 60 minutes depending on your CPU. Older machines take longer. Let it run.
Organizing Your Finished Files
Once HandBrake finishes, play the output file in VLC or your media player of choice before deleting anything. Check the first five minutes, a middle section, and the final scene. Confirm the audio syncs correctly and subtitles appear if you added them.
Name your files consistently. A format like “Movie Title (Year).mkv” works well with media servers like Plex or Jellyfin, which can automatically pull artwork and metadata based on that naming pattern.
Delete the large raw MKV from MakeMKV once you confirm the HandBrake output is solid. No point keeping a 7GB file when the 1.5GB version looks identical on a TV screen.
Key Takeaways
- MakeMKV extracts the raw disc content without quality loss. HandBrake compresses it into a manageable file.
- Use “Super HQ 480p30 Surround” in HandBrake for DVD source material.
- Set RF between 18 and 20 for sharp results without excessive file sizes.
- Pass through AC3 or DTS audio to preserve the original surround mix.
- Always verify playback before clearing the raw file from your drive.
Start with one disc you know well, so you can judge the output quality against a film you have seen plenty of times. Once you nail the settings, the whole process runs on autopilot and your collection moves to digital storage one disc at a time.
