Summary:

    Want to convert DVD to video files like MP4 or MKV for unlimited DVD movie playback on various media players and devices? Looking for the best free DVD to MP4 converters that could handle even commercial DVDs? You've come tothe right place. You can get 5 best free DVD to MP4 converters here to help you convert DVD to MP4, regardless of disc regions and restrictions.

“Can you convert DVD to MP4 video with Windows Media Player? I have tried to use Windows Media Player to convert music CD to video files, but now I would like to get MP4 videos off DVD movies. Can Windows Media Player do this?”

To give you a frank answer: No. Windows Media Player won’t convert DVD movie files. You have to use other DVD to MP4 converter tools. And here in this guide, we would like to recommend you some free DVD to MP4 converters and professional DVD to MP4 converter to help you convert DVD movie to MP4 video free.

Ten years ago, having a massive DVD collection was something to be proud of. These days, however, we live in a world where we hope every movie and TV show we own to be available at our fingertips on every electronic device. So we probably want to extract the video in DVD and transfer to portable devices to play movie on the go, or just backup the media of DVD on hard drive. Fortunately, there is more than one way to convert DVDs to a format that's compatible with a wide range of devices. For that purpose, we prefer MP4, the most common format.

With that in mind, here's our guide on how to convert DVD to MP4 with DVD to MP4 converters. We here will provide you all-inclusive free and paid solutions to help you convert DVD to MP4 video files for free, and convert protected DVD movies to MP4 videos at low cost.

Note: Keep in mind that reproducing copyrighted material is illegal, so be mindful of whether or not the DVD movie you are ripping is protected.

Part 1: 3 Free DVD to MP4 Converters to Convert DVD to MP4 for 2024

Firstly, we would like to recommend you 3 free DVD to MP4 converters to help you rip and convert DVD movie to MP4 video files on Windows 10/8/8.1/7 computers. There are VLC media player, MakeMKV and HandBrake. We will show the detailed operation of how to convert DVD to MP4 with VLC, MakeMKV and HandBrake separately below.

1. Free Convert DVD to MP4 with VLC Media Player

Acting as an ultimate media player, VLC media player, commonly known as VLC, is a free and open-source, portable, cross-platform media player and streaming media server. VLC can help users play back media files and stream files, discs, webcams, devices and streams. Besides that, VLC also could edit media files like trimming and cropping videos, download M3U8 live stream videos, and convert media files, for example in our case, converting DVD to MP4 with VLC. In terms of supported systems, VLC is available for desktop operating systems and mobile platforms, such as Android, iOS, Tizen, Windows 10 Mobile and Windows Phone. For digital distribution platforms such as Apple's App Store, Google Play, and the like, there is access to VLC on these platforms, thus making VLC very popular among users. Back to our topic here, we can use VLC as a media converter to convert DVD to MP4 for more flexible playback on any media player or software.

convert-dvd-to-mp4-free-with-vlc-01

Suppose many of you do not have an idea about how to convert DVD to MP4 using VLC, let alone those even do not know VLC as a media converter, you can follow this guide to learn to convert DVD with VLC:

  1. Make sure VLC is installed on your PC correctly. If you do not have one, go online, download the installation package and install it on your computer. The installation package of VLC can be found on a lot of different websites. Launch the media player after installation is complete.
  2. Insert the DVD disc to the PC. Open your DVD tray and insert the DVD to the computer.
  3. Open disc on VLC. Click "Media > Open Disc" to enter the Open Media page.
  4. Choose the disc to convert. Under the Open Media page, tick DVD under Disc Selection, and tick No disc menus.
  5. Convert DVD to MP4 with VLC. Click “Play” button and choose “Convert” from the drop down menu, which will lead to a page for setting the output format from the Profile box.
  6. After MP4 is chosen, click “Start” and you will need to specify the directory to save the output MP4 files before the process really takes place. Then the conversion from DVD MP4 with VLC starts immediately.

By following the above steps, you could easily rip and convert DVD movies to MP4 video files for totally free. When the conversion completes, you will get MP4 videos off your source DVD discs.

2. Free Convert DVD to MP4 with MakeMKV

MakeMKV is your one-click solution to convert video, DVD and even Blu-ray movies for on-the-go watching. It converts the video clips from proprietary (and usually encrypted) disc into a set of MKV files, preserving most information but not changing it in any way. The MKV format can store multiple video/audio tracks with all meta-information and preserve chapters. Additionally, MakeMKV can instantly stream decrypted video without intermediate conversion to wide range of players, so you may watch Blu-ray and DVD discs with your favorite player on your favorite OS or on your favorite device

The below steps would help you convert DVD movies to MP4 video files for free with MakeMKV:
Have MakeMKV downloaded and installed on your computer, have the DVD disc put in your DVD drive and launch MakeMKV.

convert-dvd-to-mp4-via-makemkv-02
  1. Click the DVD drive icon that appears after MakeMKV detects the disc and MakeMKV will start to load the disc automatically.
  2. Click DVD disc on top of the left column to view all the content in the disc. There will be a box in front of every video title, audio track and subtitles. Check the box of the content you want and they will be included in the output video.
  3. Click the file folder icon next to the Output folder box to set a location for the MKV video that we are about to create.
  4. Click the MakeMKV button next to Output Folder to start ripping the protected DVD to MKV.
  5. Once the DVD to MKV conversion complete, you could then use online video converters or free video converters to convert MKV to MP4 files.

MakeMKV was born to DVD digitalization, but it only converts DVDs to MKV files which are not well supported by many players. If you want a better-supported MP4 copy of your DVD, then you have to re-convert it with other video converters or transcoders.

3. Free Convert DVD to MP4 with HandBrake

To rip DVD to MP4 on Windows 10/8/8.1/7/Mac, people also have another choice: Handbrake. Handbrake can directly convert DVD to MP4 on Windows 10/8/8.1/7/Mac. Normally, Handbrake can only deal with DVDs with no copy protection. But all it needs is a file libdvdcss-2.dll for HandBrake. You can go download it online and have it put in Handbrake's program folder which is C:\Program Files\Handbrake by default. After placing the file in the right folder, let's begin with the DVD ripping process.

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Follow the below steps to learn how to rip and convert DVD to MP4 for free with HandBrake:

  1. Open Handbrake and then click the Source button. On the following Source Selection sidebar, click on the DVD Disc option to import content in the disc to Handbrake.
  2. The videos imported to the program will be in the Title drop-down menu. Click on the menu and select one title you need. And then click on the Add to Queue button to add the video to the video ripping queue. If you have more than one title that you want to rip, choose each title from the Title drop-down menu and add it to the queue one by one.
  3. Select a location for the videos you've chosen to rip by clicking the Browse button. Then the output path will be shown in the output path box on the right side of the Browse button.
  4. Select a preset for the video from the Presets list on the right side of the interface. If you plan on watching DVD on Apple TV, you can choose the presets for Apple TV. And it's got other presets for other devices. If you don't have a specific preset in mind, just go with regular presets like Normal or High Profile.
  5. Click the Start button and Handbrake will start to rip DVD to MP4.

Go through the above steps carefully to learn how to convert DVD movies to MP4 video files with HandBrake as you like.

Part 2. Convert DVD to MP4 Free Online

You could also turn to online free DVD to MP4 converters to help you convert homemade DVD movies to MP4 files online for free. Convert.Files is a web-based online DVD to MP4 converter, which is also the easiest converter to operate due to its simple conversion progress and interface. This converter is able to convert video, audio, eBook to any commonly-used format that you prefer to. If you want, you can also input your email address to receive the download link of the converted vide. In the end, you can feel free to share the MP4 files with your friends & families easily.

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The interface of Convert.Files is so concise to use. And this online DVD to MP4 converter enables you to convert files in a few seconds. Just follow only five simple steps.

  • Step 1. Launch Convert.Files and put the DVD disc in your computer.
  • Step 2. Click "Browse" to drag the video to the webpage.
  • Step 3. Select output format from the drop-down list at the right side.
  • Step 4. You can also input your email address which is used to receive converted file.(optional)
  • Step 5. Click the "Convert" button. In a while, the conversion will be finished.

As we all know, to convert DVD to MP4 online is convenient and time saving mostly. But online DVD to MP4 converter always has its conversation limitation, such as the key factor, Internet condition. To overcome such kind of limitation, it is not a bad idea to try an offline alternative - Leawo DVD Ripper.

Part 3. Best Protected DVD to MP4 Converter for Windows/Mac - Leawo DVD Ripper

All the above DVD converters are wonderful tools to help you convert DVD to MP4 video files, but they are not perfect. HandBrake and VLC only handle homemade DVD content, while MakeMKV only outputs MKV files. Therefore, we would like to recommend you the best protected DVD to MP4 converter to help you convert both homemade and copy-protected DVD movies to MP4 files. That’s Leawo DVD Ripper.

As a professional DVD converter, Leawo DVD Ripper could help you convert DVD to video and audio in 180+ formats, like MPEG, MP4, AVI, FLV, RMVB, etc. for various media players and devices. You could even adjust the video and audio parameters of output files so as to let the output files meet your HDTV or other media players exactly. In addition, Leawo DVD ripper can also act as a video editor to help you trim DVD movie, crop DVD video size, add image or text watermark, create 3D movie, etc. And it can help you to select subtitles and audio tracks from source DVD movies for output videos.

Its advanced disc decryption feature has made it able to convert both protected and non-protected DVD movies to MP4 and other video files. The below steps would show you how to rip and convert DVD movies to MP4 videos with Leawo DVD Ripper in detail:

Step 1: Get prepared

  • Leawo DVD Ripper
  • Leawo DVD Ripper

    ☉ Convert DVD to video/audio files like MKV, MP4, AVI, FLV, RMVB, etc

    ☉ Convert DVD to iPad, iPhone, Android devices

    ☉ Edit DVD video files with built-in video editor

    ☉ Add 3D effect with built-in 3D movie creator

    ☉ Selectable subtitles and audio tracks from source DVD movies for output videos

Download and install Leawo DVD Ripper via the above links, and then launch it. (Mac users please download the DVD Ripper for Mac). Meanwhile, insert DVD disc into the DVD drive that is connected to your computer, or get source DVD movie folder or ISO image file ready for converting.

Note: Leawo DVD Ripper is a module built in Leawo Prof. Media

Step 2: Load source DVD movie

add-source-file

Kick off Leawo Prof. Media, and then open the “Convert” module. Click “Add UHD/Blu-ray/DVD” button to import DVD disc, folder or ISO image files. You can also just drag the DVD file to the main interface.

Note: Leawo DVD Ripper offers 3 different content loading modes. The Full Movie mode loads all source DVD content, Main Movie mode by default loads the longest title (generally the main movie) but allows you to switch another title for loading, while Custom Mode enables you to select desired DVD title(s) for loading. Choose one according to your needs.

Step 3. Set MP4 Video as output format

Click the drop-down box before the big green “Convert” button. On the drop-down menu, click the “Change” option to enter the Profile panel, where you need to select MP4 Video as output format from “Format > Common Video” group. You could also select HD MP4 Video as output format from the “Format > HD Video” group. 

set-profile

Also, if you want to set the parameters of output profile, you can select “Edit” to enter the editing panel including “Video Codec”, “Bite Rate”, “Resolution”, “Frame Rate”, “Aspect Ratio”, “Audio Codec”, “Audio Sample Rate”, etc.

set-parameters

Step 4. Set directory and convert DVD to MP4 video

After adjusting the video settings, click “OK” button to return to the “Convert” main interface. And then click the big green “Convert” button. Select a target path to save the output file in the “Save to” box and then click the “Covert” icon below to start ripping DVD movie file to MP4 files.

set-directory

Part 4. Comparison to All Above Converters

With free DVD to MP4 converters, and online DVD to MP4 converters, why do we still recommend you the paid DVD to MP4 converter - Leawo DVD Ripper? Check the below comparison table and you will get the reasons.

Features Leawo DVD Ripper VLC MakeMKV HandBrake Online DVD to MP4 converter
Convert DVD to video Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Convert DVD to audio Yes No No No Yes
Convert DVD disc, folder and ISO file Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Convert encrypted DVD Yes No Yes No No
Play back DVD movies Yes Yes No No No
Get rid of disc region Yes No Yes No No
720P/1080P/4K video output Yes 720P only No No No
Select subtitles and audio tracks Yes No No No No
Trim DVD movie length Yes Yes No No No
Crop DVD video size Yes Yes No No No
Add image or text watermark Yes No No No No
Adjust video effect Yes No No No No
2D DVD to 3D video Yes No No No No
Rotate DVD video Yes Yes No No No
Merge DVD movies into one Yes No No No No

You could see how wonderful Leawo DVD Ripper is compared to other 4 free DVD to MP4 converter tools. It offers you actually quite a lot features the other 4 don’t. So, why not give Leawo DVD Ripper a good try?

Part 5. FAQs about Ripping DVD with VLC

Q1: No subs after convert/save

Under such a situation, you can refer to the below steps ( which are shared by Hitchhiker on Videolan forum): In the foremost, make sure that you have downloaded libdvdcss.

Next:

  • 1. In VLC click File -- Open disc and checkmark "No DVD menus".
  • 2. Change "Play" at the bottom to "Convert" which takes you to the Profile menu.
  • 3. Click the wrench button to the right of the Profile which should be H.264 + MP3 and in the Encapsulation menu which opens click the Subtitles tab and checkmark "Subtitles" and then click "Save" which takes you back to the Profile menu again.
  • 4. Then click the Browse button and navigate to where you propose to rip the DVD to, give it a name together with a .mp4 file extension and click Start.

Q2: No audio after DVD conversion

Searching Google and here is a recommended solution:

  • 1. Open VLC Player from the Start Menu
  • 2. In the menu bar click Media > Convert/Save
  • 3. Click the Add button and browse to the file you want to convert
  • 4. Click the Convert/Save button
  • 5. Under Destination click the Browse button and choose a location to save the file, and name the file.
  • 6. Under Profile choose Video -H.264 + MP3 (MP4)
  • 7. Click the edit profile button
  • 8. Click the Audio Codec tab
  • 9. Click Keep original audio track, click Save
  • 10. Click the Start button
  • 11. VLC should now convert the file
  • 12. Once converted try playing the file to ensure video and audio display correctly