If you own an older Mac equipped with a built-in optical SuperDrive (or if you use an external USB CD/DVD drive), macOS is programmed to be as helpful as possible when you insert physical media. By default, the moment you slide a movie DVD into the drive, the operating system instantly launches the native “DVD Player” application and begins blasting the movie’s main menu at full volume.
If you are inserting a DVD simply to rip the video files using Handbrake, or to copy data files off a mixed-media disc, having the DVD Player application aggressively hijack your screen and lock up the disc drive is incredibly frustrating.
You can change the default hardware behavior to force macOS to simply mount the disc silently on your desktop, allowing you to choose what to do with it.
How to Stop the Automatic DVD Player Launch
This hardware behavior is controlled in the CD & DVD section of the System Settings.
- Open the System Settings (or System Preferences) via the Apple Logo in the top-left menu bar.
- In the left sidebar, scroll down and click on CDs & DVDs. (Note: If you do not have an optical drive plugged into your Mac, this menu option will be completely hidden).
- Look for the drop-down menu labeled When you insert a video DVD:.
- By default, it will be set to “Open DVD Player.”
- Click the drop-down menu and change it to Ignore.
- (Alternatively, you can choose “Ask what to do” if you want a popup prompt).
Now, when you insert a video DVD into your Mac, the disc icon will quietly appear on your desktop. The DVD Player app will remain closed, freeing you to open Handbrake or navigate the file system without interruption.