Where Does Mac DVD Player Live and Keep Bookmarks?
DVD Player app location on modern macOS and where its preferences and disc bookmarks live.
Last updated
Apple moved DVD Player out of Applications years ago; since Mojave it hides in /System/Library/CoreServices/Applications beside other buried utilities. Spotlight still finds it by name. You need an external drive connected or the app has nothing to do.
Preferences follow standard macOS convention in your Library: one plist with region, playback, audio and bookmark data. That file plus the app location answers nearly every DVD Player hunt.
Where DVD Player stores this, by platform
~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.DVDPlayer.plist
Standard NSUserDefaults location for the app; holds region, window, audio and bookmark data. The app itself lives at /System/Library/CoreServices/Applications/DVD Player.app. An external SuperDrive style drive must be attached for playback.
Frequently asked questions
How do I open DVD Player on a modern Mac?
Through Spotlight by name, which finds it wherever Apple buried it. To keep it handy, drag it from the CoreServices folder into Applications or make an alias.
What do I need to actually play a DVD?
An external USB DVD drive such as a SuperDrive. Most Macs shipped without internal drives years ago, and the app idles without one connected.
Where are my DVD bookmarks stored?
In the standard preferences plist for the app, alongside region, window and audio choices. Old third party ripped bookmarks rarely import, so expect to rebuild them.
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