Last updated on 2025-10-13, by Patrick

Can VLC Play Blu-rays & How to Play Blu-rays with VLC?

You can play Blu-rays on VLC, but only unencrypted and burned ones. Store-bought movies? Most won’t work on VLC without some further steps. As a VLC user, I will share with you how to get VLC to play Blu-rays and how to troubleshoot playback errors in this guide. I’ll also cover an easier option if you want to skip the technical headaches.

Also Read: AnyMP4 Blu-ray Copy Platinum Review | VideoByte Blu-ray Copy Review | VideoProc Converter Review

1. How to Play Blu-rays with VLC Media Player (Step-by-Step)

Let me explain first why VLC can’t deal with commercial Blu-rays. They are decrypted using AACS (Advanced Access Content System) and BD+ (Blu-ray Disc Plus) protection. VLC doesn’t have the decryption tools by default. To enable VLC to play encrypted discs, you’ll need to add the tools manually.

Now let’s go through the steps, which take about 10 minutes.

Step 1: Install or Update VLC

Download the latest VLC (Version 3.0.21) from videolan.org/vlc/ for your system and install it.

If you already have VLC installed, open it up and check for updates: Help > Check for Updates on Windows, or VLC > Check for Updates on Mac. Ensure it is the latest version.

Step 2: Insert Your Blu-ray Disc

Pop your movie disc in a drive that can read Blu-rays. DVD drives won’t work. If your computer doesn’t have one built in, you’ll need an external Blu-ray drive. I use ASUS BW-16D1X-U, which has handled every disc I’ve thrown at it.

Step 3: Download the Required Files

Visit the VLC user community https://vlc-bluray.whoknowsmy.name/ and download the following two files for your OS:

• KEYDB.cfg: This key database contains decryption keys for thousands of Blu-ray titles. It gets updated every few months as new discs are released.
• libaacs.dll (Windows) or libaacs.dylib (Mac): The decryption file that processes the AACS protection.

Save both files somewhere easy to find, as you’ll be moving them in the next step. Also, bookmark that download page for regular updates.

Step 4: Install the Files

Both files have to go in the exact locations, or VLC won’t find and load them.

A. Install KEYDB.cfg

Windows:
Open File Explorer and paste this into the address bar: C:\ProgramData\aacs\. Create a new folder called "aacs" in the ProgramData folder if the directory doesn’t exist. Then drop the file into this aacs folder.

Mac:
Press Cmd+Shift+G, and paste: ~/Library/Preferences/aacs/.
If the directory doesn’t exist, go to ~/Library/Preferences/, and create a new folder called "aacs" and move the file here.

B. Install the AACS Library

Windows:

Go to your VLC installation folder. That’s usually C:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\VideoLAN\VLC\. Then move libaacs.dll directly into the folder.

Mac:

Press Cmd+Shift+G, and paste: /usr/local/lib/. If you find it doesn’t exist, follow the steps to create one, and drag libaacs.dylib into the folder.

• Go to Finder > Applications > Utilities > Terminal.
• Type in: sudo mkdir -p /usr/local/lib. Press Enter. Type in your Mac password where prompted and press Enter.

Note: Close VLC completely if it’s running. VLC only loads these libraries on startup, so a restart is mandatory.

Step 5: Play Your Blu-ray

Now that the decryption files are installed, VLC should recognize your disc. Launch VLC. Go to Media > Open Disc if you’re on Windows, or File > Open Disc on Mac. Select the Blu-ray button and hit Play.

VLC will take about 30 seconds to process the disc encryption before playback starts. If everything worked, the movie would start playing immediately, skipping the menu screens. VLC just can’t display the Blu-ray interactive menu.

Step 6: Control Playback in VLC

During movie playback, you can play/pause, adjust volume, and go full screen in the control bar. Although no Blu-ray visual menu, you can still switch between chapters, subtitles, and audio tracks in the menu bar.

2. Troubleshooting VLC Playback Issues

Even with the correct setup, VLC can still fail on some of my Blu-rays, especially newly released ones. Here are the common errors we all may encounter, and why they happen.

Error messages like “AACS decryption library not found” and “This Blu-ray Disc needs a library for AACS decoding” on VLC mean that key files may be too old for the disc you’re trying to play. In this case, update VLC and libraries regularly.

Another common issue is that the video is playing, but no sound. That’s because the disc is using audio codecs that VLC can’t properly decode.

If you are experiencing constant stuttering and buffering during playback, that’s just
VLC Blu-ray Player’s default buffer settings. It can’t keep up with Blu-ray’s 30-40 Mbps bitrate, causing the playback cache to run dry repeatedly.

The real problem comes down to that VLC was never designed for commercial Blu-ray playback. The developers added basic support, but it requires constant manual maintenance (updating KEYDB from time to time, reinstalling libraries whenever AACS updates). With VLC, you’ll spend more time troubleshooting than watching movies. Let alone, it still has no support on 4K UHD Blu-rays that use AACS 2.0, even as of October 2025 when I’m writing this.

3. Better Alternative: Play Blu-rays Easily with Leawo Blu-ray Player

After times of fighting with VLC’s Blu-ray limitations, I finally switched to a software designed for Blu-ray playback, Leawo Blu-ray Player. It handles everything VLC struggles with. It’s completely free and works immediately after installation, no more hunting for KEYDB files or library downloads.

• 

• Leawo Free Blu-ray Player

  A 100% free Blu-ray media player combo that offers totally free media playback solutions for 4K Blu-ray, Blu-ray, DVD, video and audio playback. It could play back 4K Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD discs regardless of disc protection and region restrictions, without any quality loss and subscription required.

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The software decrypts AACS and BD+ protection automatically, including the AACS 2.0 encryption that VLC can’t crack. It displays actual disc menus with chapter selection, bonus features, and commentary tracks instead of jumping straight to the main movie. Region codes aren’t an issue, and it plays 4K UHD Blu-rays, DVDs, and ISO files without stuttering or codec problems.

Final thoughts

VLC can technically play Blu-rays if you’re willing to manually install decryption files, update them regularly, and accept that newer discs often won’t work. After times of fighting with configuration files and watching half my Blu-ray collection fail to play, I gave up on that approach.
Leawo Blu-ray Player sidesteps the problem entirely. It’s free, recognizes encrypted discs automatically, displays the menus, and handles formats that VLC simply can’t decrypt. If you just want to watch your BD movie collections easily, switch to Leawo.