Play Blu-ray on Mac: 2026 Latest Guide

Blu-ray movies are the prominent choice for film lovers with its unparalleled clarity and rich audio effects. However, how to smoothly play Blu-rays has been a challenge for Mac users. Fortunately, with the development of technology and the emergence of various kinds of software, playing Blu-ray content on Mac has become easy and convenient. Today, we will introduce 3 ways to play Blu-ray on Mac to enjoy high-quality videos.

Part 1. Preparation for Playing Blu-ray on Mac

Hardware Preparation: Best External Blu-ray Drive for Mac

Optimized A: USB-C vs. USB 3.0: Connectivity Tips for MacBook Pro & Air

Modern MacBooks (Air/Pro) only have USB-C/Thunderbolt ports.

• The Power Trap: Blu-ray drives draw significantly more power than DVD drives. Using a passive USB-A to USB-C adapter or an unpowered hub often results in the drive 'ticking' or failing to mount.
• The Solution:
• Direct USB-C: Choose a drive with a native USB-C cable (like the Pioneer XD08).
• Y-Cables: For USB-A drives, use a USB Y-cable to draw power from two ports, or use a powered USB-C hub to ensure stable voltage.

Optimized B: Do You Need a UHD-Friendly Drive for 4K Blu-ray

Standard 'Blu-ray' drives only read 1080p discs. If you want to watch or rip 4K Ultra HD discs, you need a 'UHD-friendly' drive.

• What it is: A drive with specific hardware/firmware capable of reading the higher density of 4K BDXL discs.
• The Mac Reality: macOS does not officially support 4K Blu-ray playback due to Apple's lack of SGX (Software Guard Extensions) support.
• Recommendation: Only buy a UHD-friendly drive if you plan to rip 4K movies using MakeMKV to play them as digital files. If you just want to watch standard 1080p Blu-rays, a standard (and cheaper) Blu-ray drive is sufficient.

Software Preparation

For Mac users, there are many good choices: AnyMP4 Blu-ray Player, Macgo Blu-ray Player, etc., which support Blu-ray discs. Before choosing, please make sure it is compatible with your operating system.

Part 2. Play Blu-ray on Mac With Player Software

• Primary Recommendation: AnyMP4 Blu-ray Player
• For Budget Users: Leawo Blu-ray Player(Free but contains ads)
• For Premium Experience: Macgo Blu-ray Player
• For Advanced Users: VLC (with configuration steps)

Method 1: The Easiest Way to Play 1080p/4K Blu-ray on Mac (Original Quality)

AnyMP4 Blu-ray Player Mac is one of your best choices for playing Blu-ray files on a Mac. You are allowed to load Blu-ray discs, ISO, and folders to it, and 4K UHD Blu-ray playback is also supported. Moreover, it can play regions A, B, and C Blu-rays and Blu-rays with multiple protections, like AACS encryption, BD+ protection. With various playback settings, you can also adjust audio tracks, subtitles, and others to improve your viewing experience. It is fully compatible with macOS Sequoia and Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4 chips).

1. Select the download button below to download and install the Mac version of AnyMP4 Blu-ray Player on your Mac.

2. Launch it and click Open File to add one Blu-ray file you want to play, or Open Disc to scan the Blu-ray disc.

3. Then, choose the Blu-ray source file from the pop-up window. If you want to load Blu-ray discs, please make sure the external Blu-ray drive is connected to your Mac computer.

4. After playing Blu-ray on this tool, you can adjust the settings to optimize your viewing experience, such as adjusting the volume, managing the playback directory, modifying the video playback size, and so on.

It provides many additional tools that can give you a better experience, such as you can use the Snapshot function to record the highlights and share them on social media. You can use its free version to play Blu-rays with watermarks to evaluate it.

Method 2: How to Play Blu-ray on Mac for Free Using VLC

Macgo Mac Blu-ray Player Pro, just as its name suggests, can play Blu-rays on Mac. The minimum system requirement for your Mac is Mac OS X 10.8. It provides a full-featured Blu-ray menu where you can set up subtitles and audio tracks, and even watch special features. Moreover, it adopts the unique hardware acceleration tech BluFast MX, which can reduce the hardware workload during Blu-ray playback. Let's see the play steps together.

1. Visit the official website of Macgo Mac Blu-ray Player Pro to download and install it on your Mac. Then, open it.

2. After connecting your external USB Blu-ray drive to your Mac, put the Blu-ray disc you wish to play into the drive.

3. It will automatically load the Blu-ray disc. You can adjust settings according to your preference and use the keyboard's arrow keys to choose options from the Blu-ray menu when it appears on the screen.

Note: The mouse usually won't work on the Blu-ray menu.

4. Click PLAY to enjoy the Blu-ray movies on your Mac.

Besides the Blu-ray discs, it also supports Blu-ray ISO files and BDMV folders. When playing Blu-ray, you can use its diverse tools to adjust the Blu-ray playback. Moreover, it allows you to use the MacBook Pro's Touch Bar to play, pause, fast-forward, and rewind movies.

Method 3: The Most Stable Way to Watch Blu-rays: Macgo Mac Blu-ray Player Pro

VLC Media Player is a well-known media player that allows you to play Blu-ray on your Mac. For the latest version, it is suitable for MacBook Pro, Air, and iMac on mac OS X 10.7.5 or later. It supports Blu-ray discs, ISO, and folders. Despite being a free Blu-ray player with no further fees, it can't play commercial Blu-rays that have region codes or DRM safeguards. Additionally, it does not directly allow playing Blu-ray discs, which implies that you need to install extra plugins. Moreover, it has many settings for you to edit the Blu-ray playback. Follow us to see the tutorial for using it.

1. Go to the VLC Media Player's official website to download and install the latest version VLC on your Mac.

2. Go to: https://vlc-bluray.whoknowsmy.name/ and get two essential files.

KEYS Database

Mac OS: put 'KEYDB.cfg' in ~/Library/Preferences/aacs/. Create it if it does not exist.

AACS Dynamic Library

Mac OS: right-click on VLC, choose 'Show Package Contents' and put the 'libaacs.dylib' file in 'Contents/MacOS/lib/'. Create it if it doesn't exist.

3. After your Mac has successfully installed the two library files, launch VLC and put your Blu-ray disc into the Blu-ray drive. Click Media > Open Disc to load and play Blu-ray on it.

You can easily master the method of using VLC Media Player to play Blu-ray movies on a Mac. It is free software that you can use limitlessly. The shortcoming is that it can only play the Blu-rays without protection.

Method 4: Leawo Blu-ray Player - The Best Truly Free & Region-Free Option

Leawo Blu-ray Player is a reliable Mac Blu-ray player software. It stands out for offering a free, region-free playback solution for Blu-rays, DVDs, and 4K/HD digital videos. It is fully compatible with M3 and M4 chips (via Apple Silicon optimization), allowing you to bypass complex region locks and disc protections without needing extra decryption libraries. While the free version includes ads and requires the Java Runtime Environment for some disc menus, this best free Blu-ray player for Mac supports high-quality audio like Dolby and DTS, making it a powerful 'one-click' alternative to native Mac software for physical media enthusiasts.

Now, let's see how to use it to play Blu-rays on Mac.

1. Open the Player Tool on Mac

Download and install Leawo Blu-ray Player on your Mac computer. Then, open the tool.

2. Load Blu-ray Disc

Insert a Blu-ray disc into the external Blu-ray drive for Mac. The program will automatically detect your computer to show the inserted Blu-ray disc. Click on the orange button to play the Blu-ray.

3. Play Movie and Adjust Playback Settings

Then, you will see the Blu-ray movie on your screen. If you need to, you can explore the various settings to optimize your viewing experience.

The interface is intuitive and this allows you to play Blu-ray movies without any professional knowledge. It is free and delivers high-quality playback. However, some people report problems with crashes and long loading times.

Part 3. Play Blu-ray on Mac by Digitalization

Although you can use Blu-ray players to watch Blu-rays on a Mac, they require an external Blu-ray drive. Moreover, it is inconvenient to carry and share Blu-ray files. Imagine if you want to watch Blu-ray movies while traveling without an external drive, and the best approach is to convert them into MP4 or MOV formats. We recommend using a Blu-ray ripper to convert Blu-rays to MOV, AVI, and more Mac-compatible formats.

AnyMP4 Blu-ray Ripper Mac can convert Blu-ray discs, ISO, and folders to multiple digital formats, MP4, FLV, MOV, etc., to play Blu-ray on Mac. It is suitable for Mac computers using mac OS X 10.12 or later systems. It has multiple additional tools for you to adjust the video visual effects, as well as crop and rotate videos. Moreover, it can rip Blu-rays in regions A, B, and C, which enables you to watch any Blu-rays freely. Download and install AnyMP4 Blu-ray Ripper Mac on your computer and follow us to see the detailed steps.

1. Open this powerful tool and click Load Blu-ray/Disc/ISO/Folder to add one Blu-ray file to your Mac.

2. Choose Output Format > Video, and select MOV as the output format. Further, choose the 4K Video from the provided profiles to enjoy the wonderful viewing effect.

MOV is a video format developed by Apple that is highly compatible with the Mac operating system and QuickTime player.

3. Click on the folder icon to set the download folder and tap Rip All to start the conversion.

Now, you know the detailed steps to convert Blu-ray for better playback on multiple devices and platforms. With the GPU acceleration technology, it shows an excellent ripping speed. You can try it with its free trial.

Conclusion

Today, we mainly introduce how to play Blu-ray on Mac in 3 effective ways. The steps are all easy, and you can follow them to play Blu-ray files on your Mac. We hope this article can help you. If you have other problems with this topic, you are welcome to comment on us!