How to Use it on Windows Computers:1. Take out the USB A/C data cable built into the back of the drive. 2. Plug the USB A or USB C connector into your computer's USB port instead of a USB hub. 3. Your computer will recognize the drive. 4. Set the region code to Number 1 to play US or CA DVDs (CDs do not have region code). 5. Insert your CDs or DVDs. 6. Use a media player (such as Windows Media Player, VLC player, etc.), burning, or ripping software to play, burn, or digitize your discs. Recommended Software for Windows: Free audio CD media player (Windows media player, VideoLAN VLC Player); Free video/movie DVD media player (VideoLAN VLC Player); Free audio CD burning software (Windows Media Player, CDBurnerXP and ImgBurn); Free audio CD ripping software (Windows Media Player, iTunes, CDex, Exact Audio Copy [EAC]); Free video DVDs burning software (ImgBurn, BurnAware Free, CDBurnerXP, Freemake Video Converter, or HandBrake software); Free video DVD ripping software (HandBrake, MakeMKV, VLC Media Player, Freemake Video Converter)
Troubleshooting: If your computer recognizes the optical drive, you can see the DVD RW icon in Windows Explorer. If your Windows laptop PC cannot recognize this CD/DVD drive, please try the following suggestions:
- Use the Type A and Type C cables on the back (bottom) of the optical drive to connect your computer's USB port or a self-powered USB hub. For Windows 11/10, please make sure a network connection and a media player software (Such as Windows media player for audio CDs, VLC player for audio CDs and video DVDs)
- Try different USB: Move the data cable to different USB ports on your computer.
- Reinstall the driver: 1. Right-click the Windows Start Button in the lower left corner of the screen, or press the Windows Logo + X key combination on the keyboard, from the list, and click to select Device Manager. 2. Click View. 3. Click Show Hidden Devices. 4. Fine this DVD/CD-ROM drive or similar name. 5. Right-click and select Uninstall. 6. Reboot your computer and replug the external drive, Windows will detect the drive and then reinstall it. If it is not solved, reach out to us for a driver troubleshooting tool, the download link is not allowed here.
How to Use it on Apple Mac Computers:1. Open Finder > Settings (or Preferences, depending on your macOS version) > Ensure "CDs, DVDs, and iOS Devices" is checked in General Tab and Sidebar Tab if available. 2. Take out the USB A/C data cable located in the back of the drive. 3. Plug the USB A or USB C connector into your Mac USB port instead of a USB hub. 4. Insert your CDs or DVDs. 5. Your Mac will recognize the drive, read the disc and an icon will appear on the desktop. 6. Use a media player, burning, or ripping software to read, write, or rip the disc. Recommended Software for Apple Mac: Free audio CDs media player (Apple Music, iTunes, VLC Player); Free video/movie DVDs media player (VideoLAN VLC Player, Apple DVD Player); Free audio CDs burning software (Apple Music, Burn, Express Burn); Free audio CD ripping software (Apple Music, X Lossless Decoder, HandBrake, Audacity); Free video DVDs burning software (Burn, HandBrake, iDVD (Legacy), DVDStyler, iDVD [for old mac]); Free video DVD ripping software (MakeMKV, HandBrake with VLC - Use VLC to read the DVD, and HandBrake to convert and rip it to your desired format).
Troubleshooting: The Mac OS computer will show the device icon after the disc is placed in the optical drive. If your MacBook, iMac, or Mac Pro/Studio cannot recognize this CD/DVD drive, please try the following suggestions:
- Open Finder > Settings (or Preferences, depending on your macOS version) > Ensure "CDs, DVDs, and iOS Devices" is checked in General Tab and Sidebar Tab if available.
- The Mac OS computer will not display the device icon until the disc is placed in the optical drive and the disc is read successfully.
- Move the data cable to different USB ports on your mac computer, and try different discs.