Apple computers are installed with a utility that helps you to burn CDs and DVDs. DVDs hold larger amounts of data than CDs. You can create a customized DVD within a few minutes. Follow these steps to burn a DVD on a Mac computer.

Part 1
Part 1 of 3:

Check System Specifications

  1. 1
    Determine if your computer can write DVDs before you attempt to burn a DVD on your Mac.
    • MacBook Air computers without disk drives do not have the Mac SuperDrive required to burn DVDs.
    • Some older Mac laptops and computers do not have a SuperDrive; however, they are usually installed in newer Macs.
  2. 2
    Check system specifications to be sure that you can write DVDs.
    • Go to your desktop. Click on the Apple icon in the upper left hand corner of the page.
    • Select "About This Mac." Wait for the dialog box to pop up. Click on "More Info..."
    • Choose "Disc burning" in the list of topics in the left hand column. Look for "DVD-Write:" on the list in the right hand column.
    • If it reads " -R" and "-RW" in the list, you can burn DVDs.
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Part 2
Part 2 of 3:

Gather Mac Files

  1. 1
    Return to your desktop.
  2. 2
    Right click your mouse on some empty space. You can also press "Control" and "Enter" below your track pad.
  3. 3
    Select "New Folder" from the list of options. You may also be able to select "New Burn Folder" on some computers.
  4. 4
    Name the new folder while it is highlighted. Drag movies, files and other data into the new folder.
    • If you want to rip a movie from a DVD and burn it onto a new DVD, you will need a DVD ripping program. Although these are not available in licensed Mac software, you can download free programs like Mac the Ripper, to duplicate content.
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Part 3
Part 3 of 3:

Burn a DVD

  1. 1
    Double click on your new folder. You should see your files listed inside the folder.
  2. 2
    Click on the gear icon at the top of your folder dialog box. It may say "Action" underneath the gear icon.
  3. 3
    Select "Burn Folder Name to Disc..."
  4. 4
    Insert a blank writable DVD into your disc drive.
  5. 5
    Wait for the disc to start burning automatically or click "Burn."
  6. 6
    Allow the Mac to burn and finalize the DVD before trying to access it. Click on it to attempt playing it, or eject it and play in a DVD player.
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Community Q&A

  • Question
    How can I move pictures to a DVD from a Mac computer to view on Windows?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Use the DVD burn function on your Apple device. There is a CDROM on your computer (unless it is an Apple iDevice or an Apple laptop manufactured after 2011).
  • Question
    How do I burn a DVD if it says that there is not enough space on the disk?
    Denneisk
    Denneisk
    Top Answerer
    You're going to have to compress the file (which you can do with a third party program) or get a bigger disk.
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Things You'll Need

  • Newer Mac computer
  • Blank Writable DVD
  • Files
  • Ripping software (optional)

About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 125,764 times.
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Co-authors: 4
Updated: August 4, 2020
Views: 125,764
Categories: CDs and DVDs
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