Burning CDs and DVDs is an operation that has fallen somewhat out of use due to the spread of USB sticks and portable memory cards, but that can still be learned for anyone who wants to make long-lasting backup copies or videos compatible with table players. . Even if the internal burners are disappearing, we can always "get ready" by keeping USB burners handy, so we can always burn in case of need. If we have never burned a CD or DVD so far (because we are young or discovered the PC late), in this guide we will show you how to burn CDs and DVDs for free on Windows and Mac, showing you both integrated systems and dedicated programs, which they often offer more solutions and more control during the process.
Burn with Windows
The easiest way to start the process of burning a disc in Windows (from 7 onwards) is to insert a CD or DVD into the burner and wait for the operating system dialog.The system will offer us various options.
If our goal is to burn an Audio CD, you can use Windows Media Player, just click on Burn Audio CD; alternatively we can also open the program manually, create, click on the Burn tab and drag the audio files indexed by the program or present in some folder on the computer.
We remind you that the Audio CD can contain a maximum of 80 minutes of tracks, but can be played with any CD player or car radio.
If our goal is to burn a data disc, we can add the files to the CD or DVD folder as if we used a USB stick. After inserting the empty disc, open its icon (in the This PC section) or click on the Burn file to disc item in the dialog and choose the type of disc to be created.
If we use the item As a USB flash drive, the disk can only be used on Windows, but the files can be moved and arranged as if we were on a stick (obviously we will not be able to delete them, unless we use rewritable discs. If instead we want to create a simple data disc, we choose the second item With a CD / DVD player ; in both cases the system will let us choose the files to insert on the disc and start the burning process.
Programs to burn for free on Windows
To have more control over the discs, to have more options in the formats in which to copy the files and, above all, to burn videos and films or burn ISO images, we will necessarily have to install a program to burn. So let's see together the best programs to burn for free on Windows.CDBurnerXP
CDBurnerXP is probably the best free program to burn CD, DVD, ISO and Blu-ray on Windows; we can download it from the official website and even in a portable version (which does not require fixed installation).
The functions of the program are equal to many paid competitors: in fact we can write a simple data disc, create a DVD Video (with some limitations), create an Audio CD, burn ISO images, copy and delete discs (obviously rewritable). The program supports all types of burners (internal and external USB), all main types of discs (CD-R / CD-RW / DVD + R / DVD-R / DVD + RW / DVD-RW) and offers a very stable high. The graphical interface is simple and clean, and the program very intuitive to use (practically the same ease as Nero).
Ashampoo Burning Studio
Ashampoo Burning Studio is a complete and free program to burn CDs and DVDs on Windows.
With this program we will be able to create data discs, MP3 discs, music discs and backup discs in a simple and fast way, without too many frills. Burner support is excellent, as is stability during the procedure.
Ashampoo works very well and also supports Blue Ray burning.
ImgBurn
ImgBurn is the best free program that we can use to burn ISO images, to create new ISO images and to burn simple and compatible data discs with any system.
Using this program we will be able to burn ISO, IMG, BIN, NRG, CDI, CDR and MDS images and we will also have many useful tools available such as the verification system during burning, the control system of the discs already made and the access system to the file system of any disk.
Other free programs to burn CDs and DVDs
If we are looking for other programs to burn CDs and DVDs for free on Windows, below we have collected all the best alternatives to the programs already mentioned.- BurnAware Free is a simple and free program, also in Italian, which allows you to burn CDs and DVDs by copying all types of files: documents, photos, videos, music and more. To burn a DVD with BurnAware Free just click on Data disc, then Add files and select the files to burn to write them on the DVD or CD. When installing the program, be careful to remove the proposed sponsors.
- WinBurner, the simplest and lightest program we can use on Windows! This very small software can create multisession discs, high quality audio CDs, video DVDs, create and burn ISO images.
- AnyBurn, a very small portable program that works wonderfully to burn any type of CD or DVD disc, music, video, ISO images, copy of a disc and so on.
- InfraRecorder is an open source CD and DVD burning software that supports rewritable discs, multi-session discs and dual layer DVDs. With InfraRecorder it is also possible to write images (ISO and BIN / CUE) and copy discs.
- Express Burn is a NCH software that has a totally free version with to quickly burn CDs on Windows 10. The program allows you to record audio CDs, burn DVD and Blu-Ray discs, create boot data discs to restore your PC when necessary.
- DeepBurner is another excellent free burning software with simple user interface, to create and burn ISO images, support for multisession CDs, create bootable discs, create video DVDs, create custom CD / DVD albums, Backup features.
Burn on Mac
If we use a Mac or MacBook with internal or external burner, we can burn a data disc or ISO image without using external programs.All we have to do is insert the disc into the burner connected to the Mac, right click on a file folder or ISO file and then use the Burn option to burn them to a CD or DVD.
Alternatively, we can double-click the empty disc icon in the Finder, then move all the files we intend to burn into it; at the end we choose File -> Burn to start the burning process on the CD or DVD.
ITunes can be used to create an Audio CD on Mac : all we have to do is create a playlist, open it, go to the File menu and click Burn . You can then choose whether to create an Audio CD, an MP3 CD or an audio DVD.
To burn videos and movies to DVD with a Mac we can download an external program, called Burn.
With this small program we can create a data disc, an audio disc, a disc with video content and finally copy a disc that may already be present in the Mac reader or burner.
Conclusions
As we have seen, burning a CD or DVD is very simple on any operating system used, with the possibility of using free programs if necessary in order to obtain some additional functionality.
If you are looking for other programs to make Audio CDs or MP3s or to burn ISOs on a USB stick, we invite you to read our guides on Programs to burn MP3 audio CDs and Programs to burn ISO to USB .
We have a protected DVD in the manu and we don't know how to compress and copy it "> Copy protected DVDs or compress them for 4.7 GB DVD5s.
After copying and compression, we can rip the film or the contents of the DVD video using the ripping programs, such as those recommended in our guide to programs to copy DVD (Ripping) to PC .
