7 Best DVD Players for Windows 10 & 11 (2026 Review)

How do I get Windows Media Player to play a DVD on Windows 10 computer? Is there any useful free DVD player for Windows 10?

Are you facing the same situation that Windows 10 DVD player not working, or media player like VLC not playing DVD on Windows 10 computer? The fact is, Microsoft neutered Windows Media Player in Windows 10. So you can't directly play DVDs until you pay for the Windows DVD Player.

There is no Windows Media Center in Windows 10 system. When you want to open a DVD, the default option is Windows DVD Player, and it is hidden from plain sight. The bad news is, some users complained the Windows 10 won't play DVD issue after paying for the official player.

Now we back to the key point, this post recommends 7 DVD players for Windows 10/11, free download the best one you like and start your DVD playback smoothly now.

Part 1. Quick Verdict: Which DVD Player Should You Choose

Selecting the 'best' player depends entirely on your hardware and how much you're willing to tinker with settings. Here is the breakdown:

• The Best All-Rounder (Free): VLC Media Player

If you want a player that 'just works' for almost any file type or standard DVD without costing a dime, VLC remains the gold standard. It’s reliable, open-source, and clean of ads.

• The Best for Movie Nights (Premium): CyberLink PowerDVD

If you have a high-end 4K TV or a surround sound system connected to your PC, PowerDVD is worth the investment. Its upscaling technology makes old DVDs look significantly sharper and more vibrant.

• The Best for Difficult Regions: 5KPlayer or AnyMP4

If you frequently buy imported discs from different countries, these two are the most aggressive at bypassing region locks and CSS encryption, saving you the frustration of 'Wrong Region' errors.

• The Best for Power Users: PotPlayer

If you love diving into menus to tweak frame rates, shaders, and advanced audio processing, PotPlayer offers more customization than any other player on this list.

• The Simple Choice: Windows DVD Player

Choose this only if you want zero learning curve and a minimalist interface that matches the Windows OS, and you don't mind paying for a basic utility.

Part 2. Why Won't Windows 10 Play DVDs Natively

Windows 10 (and its successors) cannot play DVDs natively primarily due to licensing costs and the changing landscape of physical media.

Back in the day, every copy of Windows included the MPEG-2 codec (the tech needed to read DVDs). However, Microsoft had to pay a small royalty fee for every single device that used that codec. As physical discs started dying out and everyone switched to streaming services like Netflix and YouTube, Microsoft decided it wasn't worth paying millions of dollars in licensing fees for a feature most people weren't using anymore.

By stripping it out of Windows 10, they could keep the OS 'leaner' and save a massive amount of money.

Part 3. Top 7 DVD Players for Windows 10/11

VLC Media Player is the all-featured media files playing software which can help you play music and movies in any popular audio/video formats. More than that, it can work as a powerful DVD player for Windows 10/11 to play DVDs, CDs, VCDs, and Blu-ray discs smoothly.

VLC Media Player is a totally free, reliable and powerful media file and DVD player for Windows 10/11 users. You can easily find and free download it from Videolan official site. You won't need to install any irrelevant software or plug-ins for the DVD playback.

Unlike free tools that may require you to manually install third-party decoders like libdvdcss to bypass CSS encryption, AnyMP4 handles commercial and region-locked DVDs automatically.

AnyMP4 Blu-ray Player is specially designed to play DVD and Blu-ray disc, folder, ISO file and DVD IFO file with high image and sound quality. It is compatible with DVD discs, DVD folders, DVD ISO files and IFO files with different standards from different places or countries. It can offer you fantastic visual and sound experience by only taking less than 10% CPU usage. So in general, while the DVD playback, you are allowed to do other operations on Windows 10/11 computer smoothly.

This DVD player for has the capability to play any DVDs including commercially copy-protected and region code locked DVDs. Moreover, AnyMP4 Blu-ray Player enables you to play 4K/1080p HD videos with encoding H.265 video and common media files.

The Windows 10/11 DVD player has a concise user interface, you can easily play DVD or Blu-ray disc on your computer. It ensures you a quick response in DVD detecting. In addition, you can get a simple and full control of the DVD playing. Besides Windows 10, this DVD player also supports Windows 11/8/7/XP and Mac OS. Just free download it and have a try!

Just insert DVD to the disc drive on your PC, and then click "Open Disc" button in the DVD player for Windows 10/11, the loaded DVD will be played automatically. You can easily pause, play or store the DVD playback. Surely there are more settings and features to help you get better image and sound quality.

Does DVD player play Blu-ray files?

CyberLink PowerDVD says yes.

CyberLink PowerDVD is not a free DVD player. It offers both PC and TV UI modes. It is able to play DVD, Blu-ray and all types of media files like HD movies, 3D movies and music with high quality. This DVD player software is compatible any Windows operating systems, more than just Windows 10.

PowerDVD player provides four levels and services to download. To get more features, you need to pay more. CyberLink is also known as a popular live media player. It allows you to stream TV like Chromecast, AppleTV, Roku, Google chrome and more. This powerful DVD player provides you with many customizations for the DVD playback effects.

Daum's Pot Player is a very popular and powerful DVD player for Windows 10/11. This free DVD player is equipped with the advanced DXVA, CUDA and QuickSync, and it can offer you the impressive performance on the fast process speed and little resource-consuming. More than just the DVD player software for Windows 10/11, it is quite famous for playing corrupted or broken media files. It can easily skip the bad frames and ensure you a smooth playback.

This DVD player has the capability to play DVDs, Blu-rays, and various media files in popular formats. It also enables you to play specific 3D videos with vivid visual experience. One thing you should know it that, because Pot Player is a totally free DVD player for Windows 10/11, so you may see some ads while the DVD disc playing.

5K player is one popular media player which enables you to play DVDs on Windows 10. It can work as a powerful DVD player for Windows 10/11 to offer you a great DVD playback experience. Besides DVD, it is also able to play all kinds of video and audio files in any basic formats. It even provides you with a simple way to stream online radio stations in an easy way.

This free DVD player for Windows 10/11 can play video and audio files through AirPlay & DLNA flawlessly.

KMPlayer is a light package and open source media player which supports playing DVD discs. It is equipped with a little CPU and resource-consuming. So you can do other operations on PC without worrying about the reacting. It has the capability to play DVDs and various video/audio files in any frequently-used formats with high quality.

KMPlayer highly supports most Windows operating systems like Windows 11/10. It carries a built-in internal codecs feature which guarantees you a smooth DVD playback and stable performance. There are many options like visualizations, plug-ins and playback settings offered to help you customize KMPlayer.

We mainly talk about DVD player for Windows 10 in this page. 7 best DVD players are recommended for you to choose from. You can choose the best AnyMP4 Blu-ray Player for better DVD and Blu-ray disc playback on your computer. So you can choose other your preferred ones. More DVD players download, you can check it here.

Please tell us in the comment if you have any better DVD playing software recommendation.

Windows DVD Player is the official DVD player software for Windows 10. It provides a simple way to play DVD discs, ISO files, including both commercial and homemade discs in the DVD-Video format. Even though there are users complained about the DVD player not playing DVDs, we still take it as the second commendation.

Since Microsoft removed the built-in MPEG-2 codec in Windows 10 to save on licensing fees, users must pay $14.99 for the official Windows DVD Player. Although a 7-day free trial is available to test device compatibility, it frustratingly prohibits actual movie playback, leaving you unable to verify the software's performance before purchasing. Furthermore, the app suffers from incredibly low ratings due to frequent bugs and a lack of Blu-ray support; therefore, while we include it here for the sake of completion, we highly recommend opting for superior third-party alternatives instead.

Part 4. How to Play a DVD on Windows 10/11 (Step-by-Step Guide)

The steps to play DVD on Windows 10/11 are also really easy. Here we will take AnyMP4 Blu-ray Player as an example to show you the steps:

1.Free download, install and run AnyMP4 Blu-ray Player on your Windows or Mac computer. Insert the DVD disc you want to play on Windows 10.

2.Run this software, and then choose "Open Disc" button. Here you can locate the DVD folder or ISO file for playback.

3.Select the DVD chapters to start play DVD on Windows 10/11 computer. You can get an easy and full controls of the DVD playback, such as play, pause, stop, fast forward, go backwards, skip ahead, skip behind, toggle to full-screen mode and so on.

Part 5. Troubleshooting: Windows 10/11 DVD Player Not Working

Many users have reported the Windows DVD Player or other DVD player for Windows 10/11 can't play DVD issue, and it's been rendered unworkable by various Windows 10 updates. You can try the following tips to get it back to normal condition.

1. Double-check your connections

First things first-make sure your DVD drive is connected properly to your computer. If it’s an internal drive, check that the SATA and power cables are securely plugged in. For an external drive, just confirm the USB cable is snug.

2. Test a different disc

Try popping in another DVD to see if the one you’re using might just be the culprit. Sometimes, a disc can get scratched or damaged. Also, give it a good clean-smudges or dirt can mess with playback.

3. Take a peek in device manager

• • Open up Device Manager (you can search for it in the Windows search bar).
• • Find "DVD/CD-ROM drives" and expand that list.
• • If you spot any errors, like a yellow warning symbol next to your drive, it could be a sign that your drivers need some attention.

4. Update or reinstall the drivers

• • In Device Manager, right-click on your DVD drive and choose "Update driver."
• • You can let Windows search for the latest driver or manually pick one from your computer.
• • If updating doesn’t do the trick, try uninstalling the driver (just right-click and hit "Uninstall device"), then restart your computer. Windows should automatically reinstall the driver for you.

5. Make sure your windows is up-to-date

Sometimes, all it takes is a quick update. Head to "Settings" > "Update & Security" > "Windows Update" and check for any updates.

6. Run the Troubleshooter

Windows has a built-in troubleshooter to help you fix hardware issues. Go to "Control Panel" > "Troubleshooting" > "Hardware and Sound" > "Hardware and Devices" and let it do its thing.

7. Check Your Regional Settings

Believe it or not, regional settings can mess with DVD playback. Head to "Control Panel" > "Region" and make sure everything is set up correctly.

8. Check for codec support

Not all DVD players support every codec, so make sure the one you’re using is up to the task. VLC Media Player is a great choice since it supports a ton of codecs right out of the box.

If you’ve tried all these steps and still haven’t had any luck, your DVD drive could have a hardware issue. It might be time to get it checked out!

Conclusion

Playing DVDs on Windows 10/11 smoothly is not hard, and what you need to do is to find the best DVD player software for your PC. That is why we gathered the best 7 tools for you. Whether you want a free Windows 10/11 DVD player or a player with more playback controls, you can easily find one. Now it is your turn to free download the tool or leave your comments if you have any questions.