How to play DVD on Chromebook

August 21, 2026Andrew Miller

Quick Answer: How Do You Play a DVD on a Chromebook?

There is no native support for playing DVDs on a Chromebook. The devices have no optical drive, and Chrome OS doesn’t contain any DVD decoders. Therefore, the only reliable way to play a DVD on Chromebook is to rip DVD to MP4 or play with and external DVD drive and DVD player.

Want to play DVD on Chromebook? Have you encountered problems? However, there is no optical disks in your Chromebook. No need to worry about that. We have solved this problem for you.

With DVD Drive and DVD players, it is much easier to play DVD on your Chromebook.

Next, we will introduce 2 methods to play DVD on Chromebook.

Part 1. Can a Chromebook Play DVD?
Part 2. Best Way: Rip And Convert the DVD to MP4 (Works on Any Chromebook)
Part 3. Play DVD on Chromebook Using an External DVD Drive and VLC Media Player
FAQs about Playing DVD on a Chromebook

Part 1. Can a Chromebook Play DVD?

The short answer is No. You cannot play CD or DVD videos on a Chromebook directly, for two reasons:

1. No DVD drive: most Chromebooks do not include a DVD/CD drive, and ChromeOS does not support reading optical discs even when one is connected via USB.

2. No DVD codecs: The Chrome OS doesn't support with DVD codecs. Codecs are used to encode or decode a digital data stream or signal. Chrome OS system has many limitations. Only a few video or audio formats are accepted. It supports video formats like MP4, MOV, AVI, 3GP, WEBM, OGV, etc. and audio formats like MP3, AAC, AMR-NB, etc.

Part 2. Best Way: Rip And Convert the DVD to MP4 (Works on Any Chromebook)

Since Chromebook cannot read DVD, the easiest and most reliable way is to convert the DVD to a general format like MP4. If you want a lossless conversion. Try Aiseesoft Video Converter Ultimate. It makes the conversion simple with few steps. Besides, it lets you convert video to any format with high quality including the MP4, WEBM and MOV profiles that Chromebooks play natively.

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Step 1.

Insert the DVD into your computer and open Handbrake. Select the DVD drive as the Source. Then, choose a MP4 output to extract the video from DVD.

Step 2.

After rip the DVD, import the video file into Aiseesoft Video Converter Ultimate.

Step 3.

Select an optimized output profile available on Chromebook.

Step 4.

Click Convert All to generate the final high-quality file.

Step 5.

Upload the converted file to Google Drive or save it to a USB Drive. Transfer the converted video to your Chromebook.

Step 6.

Now you can play the movie using the built-in video player on your Chromebook.

Part 3. Play DVD on Chromebook Using an External DVD Drive and VLC Media Player

There is also a more direct way to play DVD but it take more physical steps and success depends on hardware compatibility and the DVD's encryption.

Step 1.

Connect an external DVD drive to your Chromebook with a USB cable.

Step 2.

Install the VLC Media Player and open it.

Step 3.

Insert the disc into your external DVD drive.

Step 4.

In VLC Media Player, tap Open File and select the DVD drive. Click the video files to start playback

FAQs about Playing DVD on a Chromebook

Can a Chromebook play DVDs with an external DVD drive?

Not directly. ChromeOS play DVD discs even through a USB drive because the native player doesn’t support DVD codecs. You need to install VLC Media or other DVD players.

Do I need to install Windows on my Chromebook to play DVDs?

No. Installing Windows is too complicated and risky for non-tech users. You can convert the DVD to MP4 or play with and external DVD drive and VLC.

Is there a free DVD player app for Chromebook?

VLC for ChromeOS is free and plays DVD ISO/folder files and most video formats.

Conclusion

Playing a DVD on a Chromebook is practical with the two methods above: convert the disc to MP4 on any computer or play with an external DVD drive and free VLC Media Player. These 2 methods are faster, safer, and free. Pick one and enjoy your movie.