How to Play a DVD on an HP Laptop and Other Windows 10 PCs
Playing DVDs on Windows requires two things, an application to play them and a drive to put the DVD in. If your HP laptop has a built-in DVD player, then you can eliminate one of those steps. If it doesn’t, check the section below for more information.
The best application for playing DVDs on any Windows 10 laptop or PC is VLC because it’s free, open-source, well supported, and easy to understand. It is compatible with all versions of Windows, from Windows XP through to Windows 10. There are prettier DVD players, but they often cost money or lack the breadth and depth of features that VLC offers.
Download VLC player for Windows. Launch VLC Media Player by selecting its shortcut or searching for VLC in the Windows search bar and selecting the corresponding result. Put the DVD into your HP laptop’s DVD drive and close it. It should automatically play when you do, but if not, select Media > Open Disc and in the corresponding menu, select the DVD tab. Your drive should be auto-selected, but if not, use the drop-down menu to select your DVD drive. Select Play.
Don’t Have an HP Laptop DVD Player? No Problem
Most current laptops don’t come with integrated DVD players as the medium is getting older. The devices take up a large amount of physical space, and more and more content is available to stream. Fortunately, there are plenty of external DVD players you can connect via USB cable to give you the same access to your DVD library as if you had a DVD player built into the laptop itself.
These drives usually work right away with no need for additional drivers. Buy one that is compatible with your laptop’s operating system, and then plug it in and follow the same steps as in the section above.
