Starting with Windows 7, Microsoft has included the ability to burn CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs directly from Windows Explorer. So if your PC comes with a CD, DVD or Blu-ray disc burner, you lot really don't need any third-party disc-burning software.

In this post, I'll walk you through the steps for burning a disc and the dissimilar options you accept when burning. If your drive supports it, Windows can actually burn a disc that acts like a USB bulldoze, meaning you lot tin can add and delete stuff from the disc.

Burning Discs in Windows 7, 8, 10

The easiest way to starting time the process for called-for a disc in Windows is to pop in a CD, DVD or Blu-ray disc into your drive. Windows should automatically popup a dialog asking what you want to practice with the disc.

blank disc options

Annotation that if you put in a CD, y'all'll run across the extra option to burn down an audio CD also. If you put in a DVD or Blu-ray disc, you lot'll merely see the option to fire files to disc.

Burn Audio CD

If you desire to burn an sound CD, select the Burn down an audio CD choice, which will use Windows Media Player to become the chore done. If the popup dialog doesn't appear, just click on Start, type in Windows Media Player to open up information technology and then click on Blank Disc in the left hand menu.

windows media player cd

On the correct mitt side, click on the Burn tab and and so simply drag and drop your audio files into the section that says Elevate items here to start creating your audio CD. Notation that it is very important to cheque whether you are called-for a Data disc or an Sound disc. A data disc will let you lot burn hundreds of audio files, simply may not be playable by normal CD players.

An sound disc volition be playable by whatever CD histrion, but will exist limited to only lxxx minutes of sound. Yous tin can change the setting in Windows Media Histrion by clicking on the burn options dropdown that is to the right of the Showtime fire push.

burn options

Once you lot have called your setting and added all your files, go ahead and click the Start burn down button and the burning procedure will begin.

burning audio cd

That'south virtually it for burning audio CDs. Make certain to check out my previous mail on ripping audio CDs using Windows Media Player besides.

Burn Data Disc

If you chose the Fire files to disc selection instead of Burn an audio CD choice, y'all'll get some other popular up window request you to choose how y'all want to utilize the disc: Like a USB flash drive or With a CD/DVD actor.

burn a disc options

If you cull the showtime option, y'all can add, edit and delete files from the disc, merely you lot tin only use the disc on computers running Windows XP and later that support Alive File System. Also, it depends on whether or non your bulldoze supports the feature or non. Lastly, the disc itself has to be a rewriteable disc. If you have a CD-R or DVD-R just disc, and so you won't exist able to employ this option.

There doesn't seem to be whatsoever clear indication as to whether a drive will support the feature or not, then you basically just have to effort information technology and see if it works. When you click Next, it will format the disc and and so you'll get another popup indicating it'southward now set up for use.

like usb flash drive

At present simply drag and drop files and folders onto the disc like yous would a normal USB flash bulldoze. The only difference hither is that you'll meet it takes a bit of time when adding, deleting, or editing files on the disc.

dvd disc

At this indicate, your disc is not ready. If you try to eject it, you'll go a message saying Preparing to eject – Please wait while this session is closed and then the disc tin be used on other computers.

preparing to eject

Closing the session means that Windows has to burn any added files and remove anything that yous deleted, etc. In order to avert this, you tin can besides simply go to Explorer, click on This PC and so right-click on the CD/DVD/Blu-ray drive and choose Close Session after you make any changes to the content on the disc.

close session disc

If you lot were to choose the With a CD/DVD actor option when the How do you want to utilize this disc dialog came up, a new Explorer window will popular up where you can start to drag and drib files to your disc.

burn dvd windows

When you have added all the data you lot want to the disc, click the Finish burning button that will be located under Drive Tools – Manage. Notation that this will burn down the disc and finalize it, pregnant you tin can't delete or edit the data in one case it is burned to the disc. Y'all tin can, however, still add together more data to the disc at a later signal.

burn disc wizard

The Fire to Disc wizard volition popup where you can give the disc a title and cull the recording speed. Click Side by side and the burn process will brainstorm. The time volition depend on how much data you lot are burning and the recording speed.

When you pop in the disc again, you tin add more than files and you lot'll see ii sections in Explorer: current files on disc and files to exist written to disc. Click Stop called-for to add the new files to the disc.

add more files to disc

Burn down Video DVD

Lastly, you lot might desire to burn a video DVD in Windows, which you tin can do, but it requires using another tool. If you are using Windows 7, you can simply utilise the Windows DVD Maker plan to fire videos to DVD. Windows eight and Windows 10 removed Windows DVD Maker, and so you have to apply a third-party program like DVD Flick, which I also wrote well-nigh in the linked article.

You can besides read my previous article on how to burn photo slideshows to DVD using DVD Maker for Windows seven and another tool for Windows 8/ten. Also, if yous are on a Mac, exist sure to check out my article on how to burn DVDs in Bone X. If you have whatever questions, feel free to post a comment. Enjoy!