The Antique Interruption
If you are using an older Mac with a built-in optical drive, or if you use an external USB SuperDrive with a modern Mac, macOS retains a legacy behavior: the moment you insert a video DVD, the system immediately launches the native DVD Player application and begins playback. While this was the expected behavior in 2005, today, users often insert DVDs simply to rip the contents, back up home videos, or extract specific files. Having the DVD Player forcefully open and take over your screen every single time a disc is inserted is an unnecessary interruption to your workflow.
Silencing the Optical Drive
To maintain control over your media handling and stop macOS from automatically opening the DVD Player when you insert a video disc, you must adjust the default actions for CDs and DVDs.
Click the Apple logo in the top-left corner of your screen and select System Settings. In the left-hand navigation sidebar, scroll down and click on CDs & DVDs. (Note: This preferences pane is completely hidden if you do not currently have an optical drive connected to your Mac. You must plug your SuperDrive in first). In the main panel, you will see a list of disc types. Locate the dropdown menu next to When you insert a video DVD. By default, it is set to “Open DVD Player.” Click the dropdown and select Ignore. You can also apply this same “Ignore” setting to Audio CDs and Picture CDs. When you insert a disc now, it will simply mount silently on your desktop, waiting for your instruction.