Administrator Updated on December 27, 2022 Are you looking for a way to use external DVD drive on Windows 10? Maybe you want to share your DVD movies with friends or family and don't have an internal drive? Here are few tips that will help you solve the problem.
Do you have a wide collection of DVDs that you would like to play in Windows 10 PC or device? If so, then you may encounter some difficulty since Windows 10 Media Player does not support the regular DVDs. This is because most computers nowadays do not include a built-in disc drive.
Luckily, there are several multimedia software that can help you play a DVD in Windows 10 with ease. In this article, we will look at some options for using external DVD drive in Windows 10.
Option 1: Using Preinstalled Software
If your computer has a built in DVD player, then it is highly likely to come with its own software that is useful for playing DVDs. However, Windows 10 does not have the support built in. If this is the case, then here is what to do:
Go through the computer’s user manual to check the instructions for playing DVDs. You can also go to the manufacturer’s website and find out which DVD playing software is installed.
Another way to get the pre-installed software to launch is by placing a DVD into the computer’s DVD drive. Alternatively, you can go to the Windows search bar and type “DVD” or “Movies”. See if the pre-installed software appears from the search results.
Option 2: Using a Free Software
If you find a pre-installed software in your Windows 10 computer, then the next best solution is to use a free software. While there are paid options, you can still get free video players to play DVDs in Windows 10. Some of the free video players include:
1). VLC
Being a versatile multimedia player, VLC not only plays music and videos, but also CDS, DVDs, and Blue-ray discs.
Since it comes bundled with external DVD drive, this free software is great for using external DVD drive in Windows 10.
Go to the VideoLAN VLC Media Player Website to download the software before installing it.
Launch the VLC media player.
Insert your DVD.
When you do this, the playback should begin automatically. If it does not, follow the steps below:
Click on Media and go to Open Disc. Alternatively, make VLC the active window and press Ctrl + D.
A new menu will pop up. Choose DVD from the Disc Selection section and then press the Play button at the bottom. This will provide you with a full range of buttons to control playback.
2. Kodi
Kodi a free, open source and versatile multimedia player that lets you play videos, games, music and DVDs.
You can download and install Kodi from the Microsoft store of your Windows 10 PC.
Inset your DVD and then open Kodi.
Then, click on the Disc option and it should immediately rev up.
In case it does not, click on Play Disc.
Option 3: Using Microsoft’s Paid Software
If you don’t want to use third-party tools, then you can opt for Microsoft’s paid software. Here, you can try two methods.
Method 1: Try Windows Media Player
- Insert your DVD and launch the Windows Media Player.
- Once in the Windows Media Player window, look for our DVD on the left side menu.
- Select the DVD and try playing it. The DVD is likely to play if your computer came bundled up with pre-installed DVD decoder. If it doesn’t work, try the next method.
Method 2: Use the Windows DVD Player App
The other way is to use the Windows DVD player app that is sold in the Microsoft Store for $14.99. However, before purchasing it, take advantage of the seven-day free trial to determine if its compatible with the built-in DVD player in your PC.
Follow these steps to download the trial version:
- Click on the three dots that are next to the Buy button.
- Choose Free Trial.
- After installing it, run the app and insert a DVD.
- If you find that the app is compatible with your DVD drive, click on the Buy now option.
Summary: How to use external DVD drive on Windows 10?
- Make sure you have an external DVD drive.
- Make sure you have an Optical Disc and connect the external DVD drive to your Windows 10 PC.
- Find out if the Drive is Detected.
- Check if you can use the DVD drive and read/write media on Windows 10.
- Keep the drivers up-to-date to avoid conflicts on Windows 10.
- Save changes and reboot your computer to complete the task by following these steps described above, you will be able to troubleshoot problems with external DVD drives and fix potential issues when they are not detected or recognized by Windows 10.
Conclusion
The methods provided above are amazingly simple and convenient to help you play DVDs in Windows 10. They come in handy if you have a computer with a built-in disc drive or have an external DVD drive.
