You just found that old wedding video or a classic copy of The Matrix in a box. You pop it into your computer, wait for that familiar whirring sound, and... nothing happens. It’s annoying. Seriously. You’d think a modern operating system would just handle it, but if you're asking how do I play DVDs with Windows 10, you’ve already hit the wall. Microsoft stripped the native DVD playback out of the OS years ago. Back in the Windows 7 days, Windows Media Player handled everything. Then Windows 8 happened, and suddenly, the codecs were gone.
Licensing fees are the culprit. Microsoft didn't want to keep paying royalties to the DVD Forum for every single copy of Windows sold, especially when most people started switching to Netflix and YouTube. So, they left you hanging. But don't worry. You aren't stuck buying a standalone DVD player from a thrift store just yet.
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The official (but pricey) way: Windows DVD Player
Microsoft actually has an app for this. It’s creatively named "Windows DVD Player." If you upgraded from a version of Windows that had Media Center, you might have gotten it for free. Most people didn't. If you go to the Microsoft Store now, they'll ask you for about $15.
Is it worth fifteen bucks? Honestly, probably not.
The app is bare-bones. It plays the disc. It has some basic menus. That’s about it. Some users report it’s a bit finicky with certain drives, and the reviews in the Store are... well, they aren't great. People are generally pretty grumpy about paying for something that used to be free. If you want the "official" experience and don't mind the price of a couple of lattes, it's there. Just search the Store for it. But there are much better ways to spend—or not spend—your money.
VLC Media Player: The king of "it just works"
If you ask any tech nerd how to play a DVD on a PC, they will say three letters: VLC. It’s open-source. It’s free. It’s been around since 2001 and it basically plays everything short of a laserdisc.
VideoLAN, the non-profit behind it, includes all the necessary codecs (the digital "translators" that turn disc data into pictures) inside the software. You don't have to go hunting for sketchy "codec packs" that might give your computer a digital flu.
How to set it up
Go to the official VideoLAN website. Don't get it from a third-party mirror site. Download it. Install it. Once it's open, you just go to Media > Open Disc. It’ll usually detect your D: or E: drive automatically. Hit play. Boom.
What makes VLC great isn't just that it's free. It’s the control. You can boost the volume to 200% if the movie is too quiet. You can sync subtitles if they're lagging. You can even apply live filters to make a grainy old DVD look a little sharper. It’s the Swiss Army knife of media.
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Handbrake: For when you’re tired of discs
Let's be real. Discs scratch. They take up space. They make your laptop fan sound like a jet engine. If you find yourself asking how do I play DVDs with Windows 10 every few months, maybe the answer isn't a player—it's a digital copy.
Handbrake is another legendary piece of free software. It "rips" the video off the disc and turns it into an MP4 or MKV file. Once you do this, you can put the movie on a thumb drive, your phone, or just keep it on your desktop. You never have to touch the physical disc again.
There is a catch, though. Most commercial DVDs (the ones you bought at a store) have copy protection called CSS (Content Scramble System). Handbrake doesn't officially bypass this because of legal reasons. However, many people use a little helper file called libdvdcss-2.dll. You drop that into the Handbrake folder, and suddenly it can read almost anything. Just keep in mind the legalities of "format shifting" vary depending on where you live. In some places, it’s fine for personal use; in others, it’s a gray area.
The hardware hurdle: Do you even have a drive?
Wait. Before you go downloading software, look at your computer. Does it actually have a hole to put the disc in?
Most modern laptops—especially those thin "Ultrabook" styles—dumped the internal optical drive years ago. If your laptop is smooth on the sides, you're going to need an external USB DVD drive. They’re cheap, usually around $20 to $30 on Amazon. Brands like LG, ASUS, and Dell make reliable ones. You just plug it into a USB port, and Windows 10 will recognize it as a "Removable Drive."
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If you're on a desktop and you don't see a tray, you can easily pop an internal one in if your case has a 5.25-inch bay. If not, the USB external ones work just as well for desktops too.
Why 5KPlayer or GOM Player might pop up
When you search for DVD solutions, you'll see ads for 5KPlayer or GOM Player. They’re "freemium." They work, sure. But they often come bundled with extra software you don't want, or they show you ads while you're trying to watch your movie.
I’ve used GOM Player in the past. It’s got a nice interface. But it feels heavier than VLC. 5KPlayer is often pushed heavily in search results because of aggressive marketing. It has some cool AirPlay features, but for most people who just want to watch a DVD, it's overkill and potentially annoying with its notifications. Stick to the classics unless you have a very specific reason to switch.
Kodi: The home theater approach
If your Windows 10 PC is actually hooked up to a big TV in the living room, you don't want to be squinting at small VLC buttons. You want Kodi.
Kodi (formerly XBMC) is a full-screen media center interface. It looks like Netflix but for your own files. It has a dedicated "Disc" section. You put the DVD in, the menu pops up with "Play Disc," and you can control the whole thing with a remote or a game controller. It’s beautiful. It’s also free. It takes a bit more time to set up, but if you're building a "media box," it's the gold standard.
Troubleshooting the "No Disc Found" error
Sometimes you do everything right. You have the drive. You have VLC. You put the disc in. The computer just stares at you.
First, check the Region Code. DVDs are locked to specific parts of the world. A disc from the UK (Region 2) won't play in a standard US drive (Region 1) without some tweaking. Most drives let you change the region five times before they lock forever.
Second, check your drivers. Right-click the Start button, go to Device Manager, and look for DVD/CD-ROM drives. If there's a yellow exclamation mark, right-click it and hit Uninstall device, then restart your computer. Windows will reinstall the driver automatically. It sounds like "turn it off and on again" advice, but for optical drives, it actually fixes about 90% of detection issues.
Third, look at the disc. I know, it sounds silly. But a fingerprint in the wrong place or a circular scratch can kill the playback. Clean it with a soft cloth from the center out to the edge. Never wipe in circles!
Summary of your options
If you want the easiest path, download VLC. It solves the problem for 99% of users without costing a dime. If you want to future-proof your collection, use Handbrake to digitize your movies so you don't have to worry about hardware at all.
Windows 10 might not come with the tools out of the box, but the PC ecosystem is flexible enough that you're never truly locked out of your own media.
Actionable Next Steps
- Check your hardware: Ensure you have an internal or external DVD drive connected and recognized by Windows.
- Download a player: Go to the official VideoLAN site and install VLC Media Player.
- Test the disc: Insert your DVD and open VLC. Go to
Media > Open Discto start playback. - Consider digitizing: If you have a large collection, download Handbrake and begin converting your physical discs into digital files for easier access.
- Driver check: If the drive doesn't show up in File Explorer, use Device Manager to refresh your DVD drive drivers.