How to Burn a DVD

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 31 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time.

This article has been viewed 831,991 times.

DVDs are one of the most common ways to store, backup, and transfer files. They are also a great way to play movies from your computer on nearly any DVD player. If you have a DVD burner, you can quickly create DVDs using tools included in most modern operating systems. If you want to make a video DVD that works in most DVD players, you'll need the help of some free software.

To burn a DVD, purchase the correct disc format for your needs and, if needed, a DVD adapter. Insert the blank DVD into the burner and open it in your computer's explorer. Drag the files or folders into the blank disc's window, and then select Burn to disc in the top toolbar.

Choosing The Correct DVD Disc Format

• DVD+R means the disc is rewritable and you can (with appropriate software) delete files off the disc and replace with new ones. The file will just hide under the new ones and take up some disc space.
• DVD-R means the disc is not erasable and cannot be reused although files can be copied to another drive and burned on a new disc.
• ROM means it's Read Only Media that can not be erased and is permanently burned onto the disc.
• RW states the old file is erased completely taking no disc space at all after being rewritten or re-burned.

• Note which brands work better on the devices too. Some players are finicky about the brands of disc being played in them. Also some brands are thicker and more durable than others. Professional movie discs are an expensive grade of disc.

Burning DVDs

Video DVDs

• Purchase only DVD-R disc formats for this purpose. Many players don't play discs with DVD+R format correctly, and the menus on the DVD may not function right when burned on that format. You can tweak the settings of the authoring program to fix this problem but it's best left to more advanced users.

• WinX DVD Author - winxdvd.com/dvd-author/ (Windows)
• Burn - burn-osx.sourceforge.net (Mac)
• DeVeDe - rastersoft.com/programas/devede.html (Linux; Windows no longer free)
• DVD Styler - dvdstyler.org/en/
• DVD Flick- dvdflick.net/ (out of date but is operational and with practice you can create your own custom backgrounds and buttons; for Windows)

Create a new Video project in your DVD authoring program. The process varies a little bit depending on the program you are using, but generally you'll be presented with a menu when you start your program, allowing you to pick the type of DVD you are creating. Choose the "Video" option or tab.

• You can usually fit one full-length movie onto your DVD, or several hour-long TV episodes.

• If prompted during the video conversion, select the correct region for your DVD player. The US and Japan use NTSC, while most of Europe uses PAL.
• If you are using DeVeDe, the conversion happens at the end of the authoring process.
• If you are receiving errors when attempting to convert the file, you may need to use a dedicated conversion program like Handbrake. Click here for instructions on using Handbrake to convert your files to a DVD compatible format.
• Flash-Integro (or VSDC Movie Editor free version) also converts movies into needed formats and offers many editing options like cutting and splitting as well. Go to the Flash-Integro site and not the other fake ones.
• You can also record a video in a media player like VLC or PotPlayer in MPEG format to convert a file as well. It takes as long as the movie duration.

• In Burn for Mac, click the Gear button and select "Use DVD theme" to enable a basic menu for your DVD.
• When creating the menu, avoid placing buttons along the very edge of the frame. The edge is often cut off by older TVs and DVD players.

• If your computer opens the AutoPlay window when you insert the blank disc, just close it.

• Set the "Write Speed" low. While it may be tempting to set the speed to MAX or another high value, this can lead to errors on the disc which will prevent it from playing. The best way to ensure that your disc will work is to burn at 2X or 4X only.
• If you haven't been prompted to select your region yet, check the Burn menu for the NTSC for PAL option and select the appropriate one.

• If you're using DeVeDe, the program will only create an ISO (disc image) file. You'll need to then burn the ISO file yourself. See this section for more information.

Play the burned disc. Once the burning and converting process is complete, you should be able to play your new disc in most DVD players. Remember, not all DVD players support burned DVDs, especially older models.

Data DVDs

Insert a blank DVD into your DVD burner. If you're creating archives of your data, or don't want someone else overwriting what you've put on the disc, use a DVD-R or DVD-R DL (Dual Layer). If you want to be able to rewrite and edit the content on the disc, use a DVD-RW.

• In Windows 7 and later, you'll be prompted to select whether you want to use the disc like a USB drive, or like a traditional finished DVD. Selecting "Like a USB flash drive" will allow you to rewrite the disc, even if it isn't a rewriteable disc, but it will only work in Windows. Selecting "With a CD/DVD player" will make the disc act like a traditional disc that will need to be finalized and can only be used once. [2] X Research source
• If you are using OS X, the blank disc will appear on your desktop. Double-click it to open it in the Finder. [3] X Research source

Drag files and folders into the blank disc's window. You won't lose the original copies of the files. You can fit about to 4.38 GB worth of data onto a single blank DVD-R. The status bar at the bottom of the window will display how much space you have left.

• If you selected "Like a USB flash drive" in Windows, just eject your disc after you're finished adding files and the disc will be made ready to use on other Windows computers. This may take a minute or so.
• If you selected "With a CD/DVD player" in Windows, click the "Finish burning" button to finalize the disc. This may take a few minutes.
• If you're using OS X, click the Burn button next to the disc name in the left sidebar.

ISOs and Other Disc Images

• If you are using Windows Vista or XP, or you are trying to burn an image file other than ISO, you'll need to install an image burning program. One of the most popular programs for Windows is ImgBurn ( imgburn.com ).

Insert a blank DVD into your burner. Burning an image file to your disc will finalize it, and it won't be able to be rewritten. For best results, use a DVD-R format disc.

• Windows 7, 8, and 10 - Right-click on the ISO file and select "Burn to disc". This will open the Windows Disc Image Burner utility.
• OS X - Launch the Disk Utility program, which you can find in the Utilities folder. Drag your ISO file into the left frame of the Disk Utility window. [4] X Research source
• Windows Vista and XP, or non-ISO files - Launch your image burning program and load the image file.

Start the burning process. Click the "Burn" button to begin burning your ISO or other disc image file to your blank DVD. This process will take several minutes, depending on the speed of your burner and the size of your image file.

Community Q&A

It depends on what operation system you are using. ffDiaporama and VSDC have options that allow you to drag the images onto the software and wizards that will help you create the project and turn it into a MPG file which is burnable on the DVD.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

It can take a while to finish burning, depending upon your settings, sometimes hours. If all else fails, try returning after checking your settings.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

Tips

You Might Also Like

Simple Ways to Create & Burn a CD Using macOS X

How to Burn ISO Files to DVD

Easy Ways on Mac and Windows to Burn a CD

How to Create an ISO from a Folder, File, or Disc

Simple Ways to Clean a CD (and Remove Scratches)

How to Rip DVD Audio to MP3 Using VLC Media Player

How to Delete All Files from a Rewritable CD

1. ↑http://lifehacker.com/232322/hack-attack-burn-almost-any-video-file-to-a-playable-dvd
2. ↑http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/burn-a-cd-or-dvd-in-windows-explorer
3. ↑http://www.tech-faq.com/how-to-burn-a-dvd.html
4. ↑http://lifehacker.com/251758/mac-tip--how-to-burn-an-iso-or-dmg-file-to-disc

About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 31 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 831,991 times.

• Print
• Send fan mail to authors

Reader Success Stories

"It has imparted basic knowledge. It won't be difficult to follow it after a couple of readings. Thanks for the efforts." . " more

Is this article up to date?

About This Article

"It has imparted basic knowledge. It won't be difficult to follow it after a couple of readings. Thanks for the efforts." . " more

Quizzes

You Might Also Like

Simple Ways to Create & Burn a CD Using macOS X

How to Burn ISO Files to DVD

Easy Ways on Mac and Windows to Burn a CD

How to Create an ISO from a Folder, File, or Disc

Featured Articles

Trending Articles

Featured Articles

25 Tips to Improve Your Singing Voice Without Taking Singing Lessons: Strengthen Your Voice Fast from Home