How to Let HandBrake Rip Copy-Protected DVD?

Can HandBrake rip protected DVDs? No. HandBrake cannot natively handle commercial DVDs that use copy protection techniques.

Is it possible to rip encrypted DVDs with HandBrake? Yes. With a third-party tool, libdvdcss library, you can use HandBrake to decrypt some DVDs protected by CSS.

However, using such tools to bypass protections may raise legal concerns depending on your location, as it may violate copyright laws. So, please always ensure you’re compliant with local laws when copying or ripping DVDs.

Here we’ll break down the process of how to let HandBrake rip protected DVDs on PC.

How to Rip Protected DVDs with HandBrake?

Step 1. Download and Install HandBrake

Visit https://HandBrake.fr/downloads.php to get the newest version.

After downloading, double-click the .exe file to start the installation.

Step 2. Install libdvdcss to Rip CSS-Protected DVDs

As said at the beginning, you can install libdvdcss to make HandBrake to convert CSS-protected or region-coded DVDs.

You can get the free libdvdcss library for HandBrake from here: https://github.com/allienx/libdvdcss-dll/tree/main/1.4.3

When get the installer, move the libdvdcss-2.dll file to the same folder as HandBrake. The default location should be:

C:\Program Files\HandBrake

Step 3. Load Your DVD into HandBrake

Insert the protected disc into your DVD drive and then open HandBrake to load the DVD content into the program.

Load Your DVD into HandBrake

Step 4. Choose the Desired Title/Chapter to Rip off

HandBrake scans all included titles and marks the main one automatically.

You can also switch to other needed titles or chapters.

Step 5. Preset Output Format/Codec/Resolution/…

Next, move down to the ‘Summary’ section to set an output format and you can further use other tabs like ‘Filters’, ‘Video’, ‘Audio’, etc., to customize the output settings.

Alternatively, you can also use HandBrake’s various presets, which are more friendly to beginners. With these presets, you can easily get digital movie files in a device or platform-compatible format, including Android, Chromecast, Playstation, Roku, Apple, and so on.

Choose Output Format for DVD

Step 6. Start Converting Encrypted DVD with HandBrake

When all settings are ready, click the ‘Browse’ button to choose a file path for saving ripped DVD movies.

Then click the ‘Start Encode’ button to start the ripping process at once.

Receive Error Message “Copy-protected Sources Are Not Supported’?

Copy-protected Sources Are Not Supported Error on HandBrake

Installing the libdvdcss library indeed helps with decrypting such DVDs. However, even with this, errors may still occur, especially with newer protection schemes. For a more reliable ripping experience, WonderFox DVD Ripper Pro is recommended as it supports ripping both homemade and copy-protected DVDs easily. No need to install 3rd-party tools or plugins. Better still, it features more output profiles than HandBrake and is also simpler to use.

Step 1. Click the link below to get the .exe file and then double-click on it to install it on your PC.

https://us.videoconverterfactory.com/download/dvd-ripper.exe

Step 2. Insert your encrypted disc into a DVD-ROM drive.

Step 3. Launch the ripper. Then click ‘DVD Disc’ and select the DVD drive letter you just inserted. Press ‘OK’ to make it scan all the content of the DVD immediately.

Step 4. WonderFox DVD Ripper Pro will intelligently remove the copy protection, be it CSS, region code, Sony ARccOS, UOP, Disney X-Project DRM, etc., and mark the main movie. For a DVD with multiple episodes, it will also detect and select all of the right titles.

All you need is to click the right-side Format Profile to enter the list of 300+ output presets. Then select a desired output format or a target device/platform for smooth viewing. H.264 (MP4) is highly recommended for its great compatibility.

WonderFox DVD Ripper Pro Rip DVD

Step 5. At last, hit the bottom three-dots icon to specify a new file destination or just leave it as default. Hit the ‘RUN’ button to decrypt and convert your DVD to a digital video.

Visit our official page to check the full details of **how to rip protected DVDs with HandBrake on Windows and Mac**.