How to Burn CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray Discs in Windows 10/11.
You still need CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs. Whether it’s music and movies when you go offline, or archiving important documents, disk storage is still there. Most devices do not have a built-in CD, DVD or Blu-Ray drive. Luckily, you can purchase an external DVD drive, and Windows 10 and 11 are still able to burn data to discs.
Windows Built-in Disc Burning Software
Microsoft has two disc burning tools built into the Windows operating system. Windows Explorer can format discs for use as a flash drive or burn discs for use with a CD or DVD player. It can also burn an ISO image file to a disc. Windows Media Player can burn discs for use with CD or DVD players. Look at both and choose the one that suits you.
Table of contents
To set your default burner, you can select it when you first insert a blank disc.
Insert a blank CD or DVD into your computer. If this is your first time inserting a blank CD, a notification will ask you what you want to do with the blank CDs. Click on the notification.
Select “Burn an audio CD to use Windows Media Player” or “Burn files to disc” to automatically use File Explorer the next time you insert a blank disc.
Burn CDs or DVDs to Use Like a USB Flash Drive with Windows Explorer
This method assumes that Windows is configured to automatically use Explorer to burn discs. If not, just open File Explorer after inserting a blank disc and the utility will be available. To do this, you must use a CD-RW or DVD-RW disc.
When File Explorer’s “Burn Disc” window opens, enter a name for the disc: and select “Like a USB Drive” and “Next”.
File Explorer will format the drive so that it works as a USB flash drive. This process takes about a minute.
The File Explorer opens. The easiest way is to open another explorer window, navigate to the files you want to add, select them, then drag and drop into the drive-focused explorer.
The files are added to the disk. Depending on the quantity and size, this may take a few seconds or minutes. However, it is not as fast as a USB stick.
You can delete, add or even edit filenames. After any changes, select Drive Tools then Eject to remove the drive. To retrieve or add files later, insert the disc and Windows will recognize it as a rewritable disc.
Burn CD or DVD to Use with a CD or DVD Player with Windows Explorer
This method assumes that Windows is configured to use Explorer to automatically burn discs. If not, just open File Explorer after inserting a blank disc and the utility will be available.
You can use any blank CD or DVD disc for this. If you are using a CD-RW or DVD-RW disc, it will no longer be overwritten. These discs will work on a PC, but not necessarily on all other CD or DVD players. CD-Rs and DVD-Rs work best for this, and they’re also cheaper.
When File Explorer’s Burn Disc window opens, enter a name for the disc: and select With CD/DVD Player and Next.
File Explorer opens with drive tools and the selected drive. The easiest way is to open another explorer to select files from your hard drive or SSD for
drag to disk.
Once you’ve added all the files you want to the drive, select Drive Tools, then Finish Burning.
Make sure the disc name is correct and select the burning speed. Depending on the type of your CD/DVD recorder, this can be from 4x to 48x. This means that it will write 4-48 times faster than the read speed of the disc. The higher the speed, the more likely it is to fail or create a poor quality product, so choose wisely. If you are sure that you are not going to burn another copy, select Close Wizard after burning files. Then select Next.
When the disc burning is complete, select Yes, burn these files to another disc if you want to make another copy. Otherwise, select Done to close the wizard.
Burn CDs and DVDs with Windows Media Player
You can use the built-in Microsoft Windows Media Player to burn audio CDs, data CDs, and DVDs. Audio CDs will work on PC and most CD players. Data CDs and DVDs can be used for data files or music and video. Music and video data discs will play on computers and can be played on some CD and DVD players. To verify this, contact the manufacturer of your CD or DVD player.
Burn Audio CDs with Windows Media Player
With a blank CD in your computer, open Windows Media Player and navigate to the Music section of your library. Then select the “Record” tab. In the upper right corner, click the small options button. Select Audio CD from the menu that opens.
Drag songs from the main window of Windows Media Player to the burning list area.
You can return to the list of options and select other options for sorting music, disc name, and other options. Select Advanced burning options to fine-tune your disc.
For example, in the “Options” window on the “Burn” tab, you can adjust the burning speed, apply volume equalization for tracks, remove gaps between songs, and add a list of burned files to a CD. The default values are suitable for most people. Click OK to return to Windows Media Player.
When you’re ready, select “Start Recording”. The disc will pop up when the burn is complete.
Burn Data CDs and DVDs with Windows Media Player
This method is for burning simple data, music or video to CDs and DVDs. Music and video CDs and DVDs made this way may not play on all CD and DVD players, but they will work on any PC. It’s not the best way to make a DVD, but it works. Unfortunately, Microsoft stopped including Windows DVD Maker after Windows 7. To properly create DVDs with classic DVD menus, subtitles, etc., check out the DVD burning software applications suggested in the Burning Blu-ray Disc section below.< /p>
With a blank CD or DVD in your optical drive, open Windows Media Player and select the Burn tab. Then click the Options button and make sure Data CD or DVD is selected. This is usually the default, but it’s best to be sure.
Navigate to the part of the library that has the data, music, or video you want to record. Then drag the media file to the recording list area.
Select Start burning to burn the disc. When the recording is completed, the disc burner will eject the disc.
Burn ISO Disc Image to CD or DVD
ISO disk images tend to be for operating systems or larger applications and even games. ISO files allow you to store a large number of files in one while maintaining the directory structure. So when you mount an ISO, whatever is in it will work as intended. It is also the preferred format for boot disks. This works on DVDs and CDs, but make sure you have enough disk space for the ISO file.
Insert a blank disc into the disc burner. Then open Windows Explorer and navigate to the ISO image you want to burn. In Windows 11, right-click the ISO file and select Show advanced options, or select the file and press Shift + F10.
Then select “Burn Disc Image”.
In Windows 10, just right-click and select Burn Disc Image.
In the Windows Disc Image Burner window, you can choose which disc burning program to use, or perform a disk check after burning. By default, it will be your main burner, and in most cases, discs don’t need to be checked. Select “Save” to continue.
When the burn is complete, the disc will pop up. Select Close to end your session.
Burn Blu-ray Discs in Windows 11/10
It turns out that there is nothing in the Windows operating system to burn Blu-ray discs. In addition, most Windows PCs and laptops do not ship with any type of optical disc reader or writer. So, you need a Blu-ray burner and Blu-ray burning software. Make sure you have the correct type of Blu-ray disc.
These three free apps have a good, long history and continue to do well. You may recognize CDBurnerXP, ImgBurn, and Ashampoo Burning Studio Free from the heyday of torrent downloads in the late 90s and early 2000s.
CDBurnerXP looks old fashioned, as the XP name suggests. However, it is a reliable Blu-ray and DVD burning software. This is the only one of the three apps that has a portable app, so it can be run from a USB stick.
ImgBurn may look like a Windows 7 application, but it works well for burning any type of disc, including Blu-ray. There is also a powerful ImgBurn community forum with lots of guides to help you do just about anything.
Ashampoo Burning Studio Free is another free app that has been around for a long time. However, it is being updated, as reflected in the app design below. Ashampoo Burning Studio Free requires you to register by email in order to use the software, while ImgBurn does not.
Burn, Baby, Burn
Whether you’re still using your CD player or prefer to put in a DVD or Blu-ray instead of Netflix on a Friday night and relax, you have all the tools and information at your fingertips to make it happen. Or do you already have a favorite recording software? Please let us know in the comments.
How to Burn CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray Discs in Windows 10/11
How to Burn CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray Discs in Windows 10/11