Want to burn a CD , DVD or Blu - ray Disc ? Wondering how to achieve this when your Mac has n’t get an ocular crusade , because you do n’t know how to practice the drive it has got , or because the cause is n’t work ?
We ’ve got the answers in our complete disc - burning masterclass for the Mac , which covers both internal and external disc drives . For related advice , seeShould I buy a SuperDrive ?
Why don’t Macs comes with optical drives any more?
Apple has been prompt away from the DVD and standard candle drive – and from physical sensitive in the main – for some years now , as it follows the trend toward digital downloads and endeavor to change user on to iCloud . ( Removing the parkway also allow Apple to make MacBooks svelte and light . ) This strategy has proved annoying for those people who still require to be able to burn , and bet , certificate of deposit and DVDs on their Mac .
The last Apple Mac to transport with an optical CD or videodisk drive was a 13 in MacBook Pro , originally bring out in June 2012 , but on cut-rate sale until October 2016 , when Apple discontinued that model . Since that day of the month , Apple has not sold any Macs with optical thrust .
This means that burning an optic disk with a Mac requires either elder computer hardware , or an outside drive . ( Apple still betray theSuperDrive , its own outside DVD / CD drive that you could plug into a Mac ’s USB port . )
How to burn a CD/DVD on a Mac
take over you ’re equip with a suitable inner or external burner , it ’s easy to burn a candela or DVD .
tuck a vacuous videodisc or CD into your SuperDrive or non - Apple thrust , and macOS will take what you need to do . you’re able to tot up files and folder , give the disc a name and , finally , chatter the Burn button to compose everything to disc .
you’re able to also practice Disk Utility to sting disk images to DVD or CD . Open Disk Utility , pick out the disk image and click Burn to write the figure of speech to a clean CD or DVD .
Audio CDs
The above discs are designed to be read by another Mac ( or PC ) . If you want to combust an audio candela to be play by a hullo - fi , you should apply iTunes or else .
Open iTunes and create a play list of the vocal you want to be on your audio candela . Now fall into place the icon at the top right of the playlist – the circle bear three dot . From the ensuing dropdown , select Burn Playlist to Disc .
Movie (video) DVDs
likewise , if you require to burn a videodisc that can be played by a commercial DVD musician , you ’ll need to practice a different piece of software . iDVD used to be the main choice for Mac possessor , and it ’s still a possibility if you ’ve got a sufficiently old copy of iLife ( iLife 11 and before include it ) . But it has since been break .
There are third - party alternatives you may use rather : Roxio ’s Toast DVD , for instance , or the spare optionBurn .
ReadHow to burn motion picture to disc in an iDVD - less worldfor more advice .
How to burn Blu-ray discs on a Mac
A Blu - ray Disc has advantages over a standard videodisc : the icon and audio timbre are good , and if you have n’t set out a fast net connection , buy a disc may be immobile and easier than waiting to download a very big file . An ocular disc is also a good , forcible fill-in for added public security of intellect .
As with CD and DVD drives , you need the right hardware to burn to Blu - ray formats , and Macs do n’t come with Blu - beam of light drives . Instead , you ’ll need to grease one’s palms an external model : we polish up up the best candidates in the next section .
you may grease one’s palms an external , USB Blu - beam drive for less than £ 40/$50 , although we ’d recommend looking to pass at least slightly more than that to feel a in force one . Many of these model are bus - powered , so you do n’t demand a business leader supply ; just cop them up to a Mac that has powered USB ports . observe that a Blu - light beam drive can also play videodisc and CDs .
Roxio’sToast Burn(£19.99/$19.99 ) is a good option for burning Blu - electron beam .
Alternatively , like CDs and DVDs , you could burn off Blu - electron beam using Disk Utility or by but inserting the clean phonograph recording and letting Finder do the work .
Best external disc burners for Mac
For a recondite dive into the world of external burners , you should read our usher to thebest DVD & Blu - ray drives for Mac . But we can summarize the fundamental findings here .
If you just need DVD / CD , the cheapest choice we ’d recommend is the Patuoxun USB 3.0 DVD Burner Drive ( £ 14.99 on Amazon UK ) . However , those look to burn Blu - Ray discs should opt for the VicTsing Blu - Ray cause , it ’s expensive ( £ 92 on Amazon UKand$99 on Amazon US ) but offers a sleek form factor that would n’t look out of topographic point next to Apple ’s machines , and quick USB 3.0 support too .
How to fix a faulty DVD drive
What if your MacBook Pro ( for instance ) simply refuses to cut DVD , CDs or Blu - beam Discs ? You may ask to fix a incorrect optical disc campaign .
Some Macworld readers have found that their MacBooks ’ internal drives sputter to read compact disk , while still being capable to say videodisk without a trouble . In some cases , this can be mend by reinstall macOS or zapping the electronic computer ’s pushchair ( commence up the Mac and obligate down Cmd + Alt + P + R until you hear two startup flavour , then let go of the key and permit the Mac to start up normally ) .
However , a more likely cause of DVD / CD parkway demerit of all kind is a unsporting private road lens of the eye . Or , sadly , the movement may simply be unwrap . Optical drive are often the first component of a computer to go wrong . If the damage is irreparable – or if you only fancy a new option – see using the bay for anSSDinstead .
How to clean up a dirty DVD drive lens
If your MacBook is still under guarantee or you have AppleCare , put the issue in Apple ’s hands . If the Mac is out of warrantee , you may try sterilise a grimy lens yourself .
you’re able to purchase special drive cleaning kit ; some people have had success using a can of constrict tune to muff rubble off the lens . Others commend roll a credit card in soft textile , applying denatured alcohol , and swiping the textile - underwrite bill of fare in and out of the driveway expansion slot . More advanced user urge that you start the Mac , extract the drive , and clean the lense with a cotton bud anddenatured alcohol .
Is it legal to burn a DVD or Blu-ray?
It ’s straightforward to burn your own copies of digital files and media , but is it effectual ?
At the end of 2011 , it became legal in the UK to make transcript for personal use of our medium , but that did n’t mean it was legal for mass to break the DRM that lay down it difficult to rip videodisk . According to the government report : “ The supply and usance of equipment to evade technical measures is therefore illegal in UK and European law in realization of the damage it can get . ”
