Last updated on April 13th, 2023
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Are you also looking for a way to unlock or bypass DVD region codes? Then you are in the right place.
As we all know, DVD is restricted by the copyright protections designed to protect the copyright and film distribution rights. There are several types of protection and the region codes are one of them.
However, the region code on the DVDs causes a lot of inconvenience in our life. This article will let you know how to bypass those codes to make your DVD ripping process faster and easier.
In the DVD arena, the whole world has been divided into 8 regions. Basically, if you are in Region 1, your DVD player may unable to play those DVDs from other regions.
R1/Region 1 – The U.S., U.S. territories, and Canada
R2/Region 2 – Japan, Europe, the Middle East, South Africa, Greenland, Egypt
R3/Region 3 – Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia
R4/Region 4 – Central America, South America, Mexico, New Zealand, Australia, Pacific Islands, Caribbean
R5/Region 5 – India, Russia, Eastern Europe, North Korea, most of Africa, Mongolia
R6/Region 6 – China
R7/Region 7 – Reserved for unspecified special use
R8/Region 8 – Reserved for cruise ships, airlines, etc.
How to Change the DVD Region Code? E.g. From R1 to R2
If you insert a DVD with a different region code than the drive’s current setting, the computer will ask you if you would like to change the region code in order to play the DVD. A newly purchased DVD can be removed region code 5 times. Here are the steps:
- Open Computer. Right-click on the “DVD drive” and click on Properties.
- From the DVD drive window, click on Hardware Select your DVD Drive and click on the Properties button.
- From the new window, click on the DVD Region tab to select the intended region. Click OK.
There is DVD ripping software available that helps you change the region code (as explained below). Again, you only have 5 chances to change the region code. After that, you will stick to the last region code used.
How to Set DVD Region Code on Mac?
Apple has made it pretty simple to set the DVD region code on Mac. The first time you insert the DVD into the Mac DVD drive; a window will pop up and ask you to set the region code. Just follow the instruction to finish the setting.
Remember, you have only 5 times to set the drive region code. So, make sure to set it to the most used region code. Say, if most of your DVDs are purchased from America, set it to Region code 1.
How to Make DVD Region Code Free on Mac?
There are methods to flash a drive’s firmware, making it region-free. However, it’s not recommended for the non-techie. As it is a bit complicated and most importantly, updating the firmware can be dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing, as a bad firmware flash can permanently ruin your drive (not to mention void your warranty at the same time).
There is a freeware program that plays DVDs ignoring the region code. The VLC media player is one of them. VLC is a free and open-source cross-platform multimedia player and framework that plays most multimedia files as well as DVDs, Audio CDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols. VLC player supports PC and Mac.
Recommended reading: How to rip a DVD with a VLC player for free?
Recommend – Most people would prefer to rip DVD to Mac’s hard disk and watch. Ripping DVDs is a safe and easy way to watch any DVD on Mac; it will not ruin your Mac or DVD disc. The following section shows you how to bypass DVD region codes.
Bypass DVD Region Codes to Make DVD Region Free
There are many times that we need to play DVDs in other countries other than the country where we bought the DVD and it turns out that the DVD can’t be played because of the region code restriction.
The final and perfect solution is to unlock the DVD region code. Here is how I bypass the DVD region code and make the DVD region free on either Windows or Mac. You just need a reliable DVD ripper to do that.
You may be wondering why not use the free DVD ripping software. Well, while most of the free rippers are unable to unlock the region codes or deal with DRM copy protections, we hardly find a reliable yet free tool for the purpose.
Because of this, we will be introducing 2 of the most reliable software that can use to unlock the region codes on any DVDs with the step-by-step guide.
Bypass/Unlock DVD Region Code for Windows
There is some reliable software you can use to bypass the DVD region code, but here we will show you using the Wonderfox DVD ripper pro.
WonderFox DVD Ripper Pro – This program can disable all the DVD region codes as well as decrypt encryption technology like CSS, DRM, etc. You can use the ripping software to back up DVD at a fast speed and enjoys free technical support and upgrades if you purchase the software.
Here are the easy steps to unlock the DVD region code with WonderFox DVD ripper pro:
Step 1: Select a DVD source
Start the program to select a DVD source. The software can automatically detect the Main Movie.
Step 2: Choose an output file format
A wide range of formats is supported. You can rip a DVD to MPG, AVI, MKV, MP3, WMV, M4V, MOV, AC3, AAC, and other audio-video formats.
Step 3: Unlock the region code and rip the DVD
Click the RUN button to start unlocking the DVD region code process. If you need some advanced settings, click the Settings option just above the RUN button.
Alternative: You also can use another powerful software called WinX DVD Ripper Platinum.
Unlock DVD Region Code on Mac OS X
On Mac OS X, there are not many programs that can make a DVD region free. Our editor tested many of them and found that the ripper from Digiarty is a reliable tool.
MacX DVD Ripper Pro – It can remove any protection from DVD and make DVD region-free! What’s more, it can copy DVD data from the disc to Mac then we can play DVD movies from Mac directly without inserting the disc every time.
- Insert the DVD into the optical drive, and a new dialog box that urges you to choose a region for your DVD drive is opened.
- Consult the DVD package to verify the code.
- Click Change Drive Region and select the region code.
- Click Set Drive Region.
- Click on the Lock icon to save your settings.
So, just a few steps to unlock the region code if you have the right software. The ripper from MacX is definitely a great choice for the purpose. For a full review of this best Mac DVD ripper, read here.
Conclusion: You Also Can Bypass DVD Region Restrictions by Yourself Now
Above is the recommended DVD ripping software for PC and Mac rippers that you can use to remove the DVD region code. Of course, you can use other reliable DVD rippers to achieve the same results. After all, you learn how to change and unlock the DVD region code by yourself.
Well, there is no other better way to bypass the DVD region code. If you want to use the free ripping tools, I bet you no one can do that. The only way is to get premium software like Wonderfox and MacX DVD Ripper Pro! Trust me, the software will not disappoint you.