This wikiHow teaches you how to play DVDs on a Windows computer. Unfortunately, the Windows Media Player program doesn't support DVDs in Windows 8 and 10. This means you'll need to use the free VLC Media Player program instead.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Installing VLC Media Player
Step 1. Open the VLC Media Player website
Visit https://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-windows.html via a computer web browser. The VLC Media Player download page will appear.
Step 2. Click Download VLC
It's an orange button on the right side of the page.
Step 3. Wait for VLC to finish downloading
The VLC installation file will download after three seconds, but you can click the link “ click here ” orange at the top of the page to manually download the file if the download doesn't start within 10 seconds.
Step 4. Double-click the VLC installation file
This file is in your browser's main download directory.
Step 5. Click Yes when prompted
With this option, you allow the VLC installation window to be displayed.
Step 6. Install VLC
Once the VLC installation window opens, click “ Next ” in the upper right corner of the window until the program is installed, then click “ Finish ” when the installation process is complete. Once you've successfully installed VLC, you can make the program your computer's main video player.
Part 2 of 3: Setting VLC As Primary Media Player
Step 1. Open the “Start” menu
Click the Windows logo in the lower-left corner of the screen.
Step 2. Open “Settings”
Click the gear icon in the lower-left corner of the “Start” window. The “Settings” window will open after that.
Step 3. Click Apps
This option is in the “Settings” window.
Step 4. Click Default apps
This tab is on the left side of the “Apps” section.
Step 5. Scroll to the "Video player" segment
This segment is at the bottom of the page.
Step 6. Click the currently selected main video player
This option is under the “Video player” section, and is usually shown as “ Movies & TV " Click an option to open a drop-down menu.
Step 7. Click on VLC media player
This option is in the drop-down menu. Once selected, VLC Media Player will be set as your computer's primary video player, making it easier for you to play DVDs later using the program.
Part 3 of 3: Playing DVD
Step 1. Try playing DVD automatically
By inserting the DVD into your computer, you can open it in VLC without any problems. But if that doesn't work, you can "force" the program to open the DVD by following the next steps in this method. Make sure that VLC Media Player is not already open, then follow these steps:
- Insert the DVD into the computer's DVD drive.
- Click notification " Select to choose what happens with DVD movies ” in the lower right corner of the screen.
- Click " Play DVD Movie ” in the pop-up menu that appears in the upper-right corner of the screen. As long as VLC is installed, this option will be selected by default the next time the DVD is inserted into the computer.
Step 2. Open the “Start” menu
Click the Windows logo in the lower-left corner of the screen. If your computer doesn't display a notification when a DVD is inserted in the drive, you can select the DVD from the “This PC” window and force open it in VLC afterwards.
Step 3. Open File Explorer
Click the folder icon in the lower-left corner of the “Start” window. The File Explorer window will appear.
Step 4. Click This PC
It's in the left sidebar of the File Explorer window. The “This PC” application will be opened after that.
You may need to swipe up or down the left sidebar of the window to find the option “ This PC ”.
Step 5. Right-click the DVD name
In the "Devices and drives" section at the bottom of the window, you should see a disc icon with the DVD name on it. Right-click the icon to display a drop-down menu.
- If your mouse doesn't have a right-click button, click the right side of the mouse or use two fingers to click the button.
- If your computer uses a trackpad instead of a mouse, use two fingers to touch the trackpad or press the lower right side of the control device.
Step 6. Click Play with VLC media player
This option is in the drop-down menu. The DVD will force open via VLC Media Player and play after a few seconds.
Most DVDs require you to click the “ Play ” on the DVD title page before the movie starts.
Tips
- Users of Windows 7 Home Premium (and later versions) can use the Windows Media Player program to play DVDs. To play it, simply insert the DVD into your computer, then open the Media Player program and double-click the DVD name in the right pane of the window if the DVD doesn't play automatically.
- VLC works on most versions of Windows (including XP). However, you will need to select the DVD via the VLC program itself. To play a DVD loaded into the computer directly from the VLC program, click “ Open Disc… ” on the drop-down menu, and click “ Play ” at the bottom of the window.
Warning
- Some of the causes of DVD malfunctions that are not related to VLC or Windows Media Player include: regional restrictions on the DVD, damage to the disc, and interference with the computer hardware.
- Both Windows Media Player and the Movies & TV app on Windows 10 can play DVDs so you will need to use VLC (or any other video player with DVD features) to play them.
