How to Rip Blu-ray to MKV on Mac and Windows

Physical media like Blu-ray discs face an uncertain future despite their superior quality and exclusive features. Creating digital backups as MKV files offers a practical solution that preserves your investment while providing convenient access across devices. MKV files capture almost everything that makes Blu-rays special—high-quality video, multiple audio tracks, subtitles, and chapter information—in a more accessible, future-proof format.

Blu-ray discs have a complex structure protected by advanced encryption systems like AACS and BD+. The main content is stored as M2TS files, often with multiple versions of the film, various audio formats (DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby TrueHD, AC3), subtitles, and chapter markers.

The MKV (Matroska Video) format can store all these elements except interactive menus, making it ideal for comprehensive, lossless backups. This guide provides detailed, step-by-step instructions for ripping Blu-rays to MKV on both Mac and Windows, suitable for beginners and advanced users alike.

This tutorial introduces 4 methods to rip Blu-ray to MKV. There are also some answers to common questions that you might have during the process.

Part 1: Rip Blu-ray to MKV with Leawo Blu-ray Ripper [Lossless]

Leawo Blu-ray Ripper can rip Blu-ray movies, turn them into videos, and take audio files from Blu-ray movies so you can save them in different formats. Leawo Blu-ray Ripper has a built-in converter that makes it easy to change 3D Blu-ray videos to MKV files on your PC, serving as one of the best Blu-ray rippers. Follow the steps below to change a 3D Blu-ray to an MKV file.

Step 1: Open Prof. Media and go to the Blu-ray Ripper panel

There are two ways to add source Blu-ray files once you're in the main interface. To add Blu-ray files from a CD or DVD, click "Add UHD/Blu-ray/DVD > Add from CD-ROM." You can also drag and drop source Blu-ray files into the program.

Step 2: Choose the Mode

After adding the source Blu-ray content, you will be given three choices for which content to convert: Full Movie, Main Movie, and Custom Mode. In Full Movie, you can import all titles, but in Main Movie, you can only import the longest title. In Custom Mode, you can pick any title(s) to convert. Pick a mode, pick a title or titles, and then click "OK" to begin adding the content you want to convert.

Step 3: Select MKV as the output format

Along with the content you chose to include in the MKV file, there will be a row of buttons at the top of the list. When you click the "MP4 Video" button, you'll see three choices: "Edit," "Change," and "Apply to All." The "Profile" window will appear when you click the "Change" button. Click Format, then Common Video, and finally MKV Video to make MKV the output format.

Step 4: Select audio tracks or subtitles

To choose the subtitles, go to each file's Subtitle drop-down menu and check the boxes next to the ones you want. Click on the Audio drop-down menu and check the boxes next to the audio tracks you want to use. 

Also, if you want to convert Blu-ray discs with more than one angle, you can see an extra box called Angle that lets you choose the video angle. To choose an angle, just click the drop-down box and pick one. 

Step 5: Start the Conversion

Click the green "Convert" button at the top of the video list on the main screen. This will bring up a sidebar. In the “Save to” box, choose where you want the MKV video to be saved. The Blu-ray to MKV conversion will begin as soon as you click the round "Convert" button. You can stop the conversion at any time.

If you want to rip and convert Blu-ray to MP4 on Mac & Windows, Leawo can also be of great help.

Part 2: Rip Blu-ray to MKV with EaseFab LosslessCopy

EaseFab LosslessCopy is a good tool for converting Blu-ray to MKV for both Windows and Mac.

Step 1. Load the Blu-ray movie that you want to work with

The Blu-ray disc needs to be put into the BD drive. Then, open EaseFab LosslessCopy and click the "Load Blu-ray" button to add movies.

Step 2. Rip the Blu-ray to an MKV file without any quality loss.

Users can keep the audio tracks and subtitle streams they want in the source movie either way. You don't need to change anything for a lossless Blu-ray to MKV rip.

Once everything is ready, click the "Convert" button to begin ripping Blu-ray to an MKV file without any loss.

Part 3: Rip Blu-ray to MKV with MakeMKV

Another great option for remuxing Blu-ray to MKV without losing quality is MakeMKV. Not only can you copy Blu-ray to MKV, but you can also rip Blu-ray to MKV with all the video and audio tracks, chapters, and metadata. It's quick because it only extracts video and doesn't change the format. You can get MKV videos from Blu-ray or DVD discs without any loss for free with this method.

Step 1: Put the Blu-ray disc in your BD drive and start MakeMKV. Then, press the big button that looks like an optical drive. MakeMKV will read the Blu-ray disc and show you what's on it.

Step 2: When the scanning is done, all the chapters on the disc will be shown on the left side. By default, MakeMKV picks all titles. But if you want to rip the movie, the title that is the biggest is probably the one you want. 

After that, you should see a list of several audio and subtitle tracks. You can choose to rip them all or just save certain tracks. 

Step 3: When you're ready, click the yellow folder icon on the right to choose where to save the file that you just exported. The movie file is going to be pretty big, so make sure the place you choose has enough free space. Then click Make MKV to start the process of ripping Blu-ray to MKV.

Part 4: Rip Blu-ray to MKV with VideoByte

New users can try VideoByte BD-DVD Ripper for free as a backup Blu-ray to MKV converter, but there are some restrictions. Let's get started by downloading this tool and setting it up on your Windows or Mac computer.

 Step 1. Put in the Blu-ray disc

You need to put the Blu-ray Disc into your computer. After that, start up VideoByte BD-DVD Ripper. In the software, go to the top left corner and click "Load Blu-ray." Then, click "Load Blu-ray Disc."

Step 2. Pick which Blu-ray movies you want to rip.

Once the Blu-ray discs are in, click "Full Movie List" and pick which Blu-ray movies you want to rip to MKV. The software will only rip the main movie for you if you skip this step.

Step 3. Choose the MKV format to change.

There is a list of MKV formats that you can pick from. As a general rule, "Lossless MKV Format" is the best choice for ripping Blu-ray. The fastest way is to type "MKV" into the "Search Profile."

FAQ

1. How can you be sure that a Blu-ray disc is safe or not?

Ans. Most of the time, the Blu-ray Disc's encryption method will be shown in how the disc looks. When you turn the disc around to look at it, you can see the protection method logo marked on it. If the Blu-ray Disc doesn't have any encryption logos on it, it doesn't have any protection at all.

2. Is it against the law to rip Blu-rays?

Ans. It is legal to rip Blu-rays for personal use, like collecting movies to watch later or making a backup to keep the disc from getting damaged. You will be charged with copyright violations if you use ripped Blu-ray movies for business purposes, which will cause disc issuers to lose money.

3. Which software works best to change Blu-ray to MKV?

Ans. You can trust the ripper to work with high-quality Blu-ray movies without losing quality. It can also do this quickly to save you time and effort. Taking all of these things into account, Leawo Blu-ray Ripper is currently the best way to rip Blu-ray to MKV.

Conclusion

Since each of these four ways to rip Blu-ray to MKV has pros and cons, you can pick the best one for your needs. Give it a try, and you will find the tool that solves your problems!