DVDFab for Mac

Twenty-seven interface languages and eight DVD-to-DVD copy methods: the Mac version arrives with a toolset built for flexibility, not just speed. It removes CSS, Region Code, RCE, Macrovision and UOPs before the copy process begins, so protected discs rarely stop the workflow.

Full-disc clone: preserve menus, trailers and the complete DVD

• Making a full, identical copy of a DVD — menus, trailers and all — via the Full Disc or Clone method
• Splitting a dual-layer DVD-9 across two single-layer DVD-5 discs without losing the main feature
• Merging titles from several source discs into a single burned DVD
• Burning existing DVD folders or ISO images straight to disc
• Working with both NTSC and PAL standards in one application

Output paths: ISO and physical discs, not video-file conversion

• The download centre lists DVDFab 12 for macOS 10.10 through 15.x; separate 12.x and 13.x branches exist, so version choice depends on your system
• Output options centre on physical DVD media and ISO images — video-file conversion sits in a different module
• Customize and Split Customize modes let you hand-pick content, but they reward careful selection rather than one-click speed

A film archivist’s afternoon

Consider someone who keeps a small collection of out-of-print documentaries, many pressed on PAL discs bought second-hand from European sellers. A few of the discs have grown temperamental: the IFO file on one German release no longer reads cleanly, and another disc carries region coding that blocks playback on a standard Mac drive. The goal is not to re-encode everything — just to pull stable, complete copies onto fresh dual-layer media before the originals degrade further. DVDFab steps into that gap without fuss. It reads the damaged structure using its IFO-restore logic, strips the region lock, and writes a 1:1 clone to a DVD+R DL that the shelf-ready player handles without complaint. The interface language switches to German for a few minutes while checking the original menus, then back to English; the software does not mind either way.

A custom merge: three discs, one disc

A practical workflow for the Merge mode often starts with a stack of short-run releases — say, a trio of PAL music-performance DVDs where only a handful of tracks from each disc matter. The steps run as follows:

1. Source selection. Insert the first disc and choose the Merge copy method. DVDFab presents a source list; add the second and third discs as they are read.
2. Title picking. For each source, expand the title tree and tick only the performances worth keeping. The preview pane helps confirm you have the right chapter block.
3. Menu decision. Check the option to carry over the original menu from the first disc, or leave it unchecked to generate a simple title-selection screen. For a compilation, the plain menu often feels cleaner.
4. Target size check. The quality bar at the bottom shows how much space the selected titles occupy on a DVD-5 or DVD-9. Adjust the compression slider if needed, though with short music clips a DVD-5 usually suffices.
5. Burn or ISO. Point the output to a blank DVD-RW for a test burn, or write an ISO image to check on the desktop first. The Write Data method can also handle that ISO later without re-processing.

The whole sequence takes about twenty minutes, most of it reading time. The result is a single disc that holds exactly the material wanted, in the original MPEG-2 quality, and nothing else.

System range: one build spans macOS 10.10 through Apple Silicon

The 12.0.8.2 build sits in a branch that runs from OS X 10.10 through to macOS 15.x, which means it covers an unusually wide span of Mac hardware — from a decade-old Intel machine to a current Apple Silicon desktop. In daily use, three practical shifts stand out compared with earlier 12.x releases. First, the disc-reading engine handles scratched or slightly warped media with fewer timeout pauses; the progress bar moves more steadily where older builds would stall and retry. Second, the region-code removal now completes before the copy phase, so the log panel shows a clear “protection removed” line rather than a mid-process warning. Third, the Merge module no longer resets the title selection when swapping sources, a small but welcome fix if you build compilations often. The interface remains functionally identical to earlier 12.x versions — no layout surprises — but the underlying read-and-write stability feels improved enough that the once-common “please reinsert disc” prompt appears less frequently.

Alongside similar Mac tools

Set next to Mac DVDRipper Pro, DVDFab covers more ground. Mac DVDRipper Pro focuses tightly on extracting a main feature to a VIDEO_TS folder or an MP4 file, and it does that with a clean, single-window design. It does not attempt to merge discs, burn ISO images, or split a DVD-9 across two blanks. For a quick, no-menu extraction, it is faster to launch and lighter on system resources. DVDFab leans the other way: it trades that simplicity for breadth, offering eight copy modes and a full burn engine.

Burn (the aptly named open-source tool) handles burning and basic disc-to-disc copying, but it ships without any decryption layer. That makes it a useful companion for already-ripped folders, yet it cannot touch a protected commercial DVD on its own. DVDFab bundles the decryption and the burning into one workflow, which removes a step — and a separate piece of software — from the chain.

HandBrake deserves a mention because it often appears in the same conversations, though the comparison is slightly sideways. HandBrake is a transcoder: it converts DVD video to compressed formats like H.264 or H.265. It does not produce a playable DVD disc, nor does it preserve menus. If your only aim is a digital file for Plex or an iPad, HandBrake fits. DVDFab’s disc-copy and burning tools address a different problem: keeping the physical format alive with all its structure intact. The two can sit side by side on the same Mac and handle opposite ends of the same project — DVDFab for the archival disc copy, HandBrake for the streaming-friendly encode.

• macOS 10.10 or later
• Intel and Apple Silicon Macs