How to Play DVDs on Fedora Linux

If you’ve tried popping a DVD into your Fedora Linux system only to find nothing happens—or you get an error—you’re not alone. By default, Fedora doesn’t ship with DVD playback support out of the box due to legal and licensing restrictions. But that doesn’t mean you’re out of luck. Here’s how to get DVD playback working quickly and safely.

Step 1: Install VLC Media Player

VLC is hands-down the best tool for playing DVDs on Linux. It’s lightweight, reliable, and handles most formats effortlessly.

To install VLC on Fedora, open a terminal and run:

sudo dnf install vlc

But installing VLC alone isn’t enough. You’ll also need the proper codecs to play encrypted DVDs.

Step 2: Enable RPM Fusion Repositories

Fedora leaves out many multimedia codecs by default, but you can add them through the RPM Fusion repositories (which Fedora endorses for this purpose).

Run the following to enable both the free and non-free RPM Fusion repos:

sudo dnf install \
https://download1.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm -E %fedora).noarch.rpm \
https://download1.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm -E %fedora).noarch.rpm

This gives you access to additional packages Fedora doesn’t include by default.

Step 3: Install libdvdcss (for Encrypted DVDs)

Most commercial DVDs use CSS encryption. To play them, you need libdvdcss.

Install it by running:

sudo dnf install libdvdcss

This package is now available via RPM Fusion, so once you’ve enabled the repos, it’s a simple install.

Step 4: Insert Your DVD and Launch VLC

1. Insert your DVD.
2. Open VLC.
3. Go to Media > Open Disc.
4. Choose DVD and hit Play.

If everything’s installed correctly, your movie should start right up.

Bonus Tip: Set VLC as Default for DVDs

You can set VLC to launch automatically when you insert a DVD:

1. Open Settings > Removable Media.
2. Find Video DVDs.
3. Set VLC as the default handler.

Troubleshooting

If playback fails or the disc doesn’t show up:

• Try launching VLC from the terminal and watch for error messages.
• Check the disc mount point under /run/media/yourusername/.
• Make sure libdvdread and libdvdnav are also installed: sudo dnf install libdvdread libdvdnav

Final Thoughts

Getting DVDs to play on Fedora takes a few steps, but once you’ve set things up, it works reliably. Thanks to VLC and RPM Fusion, you can enjoy your DVD collection without switching to another OS or pulling your hair out.

Got questions or stuck on a step? Drop a comment below—I’ll help you sort it out.