Putting files on a DVD, often called "burning" a DVD, is a straightforward process using your computer's built-in capabilities or simple software. The primary method involves using your operating system's file management tool.
Here's the most common way to put your files onto a DVD:
Simple Steps to Burn Files to a DVD
The easiest way to copy files to a DVD is often through your computer's file explorer:
- Open File Explorer: Click the File Explorer icon (it looks like a folder) on your taskbar or find it in your Start menu.
- Locate Your Files: Navigate to the location of the files that you would like to burn or copy onto the DVD. This could be your Documents, Pictures, Videos, or any other folder.
- Insert Blank DVD: Insert a blank, recordable DVD (like a DVD-R or DVD+R) into your computer's DVD drive. Your computer should recognize the disc.
- Drag and Drop: In the File Explorer window, drag and drop the files that you would like to burn or copy onto the optical drive icon representing your DVD drive. This icon usually appears under "This PC" or "Computer" in the File Explorer sidebar.
- Choose Disc Format (if prompted): You might be asked how you want to use the disc. For storing files like documents, pictures, or videos, choose an option like "With a CD/DVD player" or "Mastered." This makes the disc readable on most computers and players once burned. If you want to add/remove files later (like a USB drive), choose "Like a USB flash drive" or "Live File System," but note that this format might not be compatible with all players.
- Start the Burning Process: The files will be staged for burning. Once you've added all the files you want, look for an option within File Explorer or a notification prompt to "Burn to disc" or "Finish burning." Follow the on-screen prompts to finish burning the disc. This process writes the files permanently onto the DVD.
What Does "Burning" Mean?
"Burning" a DVD or CD refers to the process where a laser inside the DVD drive physically writes data onto the disc's surface. This is why recordable discs are needed (DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW) – they have a special dye layer that the laser can change to represent data.
Before You Start: Essential Considerations
- Recordable Disc: Ensure you are using a recordable DVD (like DVD-R or DVD+R), not a read-only DVD (like movie DVDs or software discs).
- Disc Capacity: Be mindful of the DVD's storage capacity. Standard single-layer DVDs hold about 4.7 GB of data.
- DVD Drive: Your computer needs a working DVD burner drive (sometimes called a DVD writer).
- Data vs. Video: The method described above is primarily for burning data files. Burning videos to play in a standard DVD player usually requires specific DVD authoring software to create a video DVD structure with menus, etc.
- Ejecting the Disc: Once the burning process is complete and successful, the computer will usually notify you, and you can then safely eject the disc.
Using the drag-and-drop method through File Explorer is the most accessible way for most users to transfer files for backup or sharing onto a DVD.
