Has a friend lent you a CD with videos, songs or programs that you would like to keep, but you don’t know how to make a copy? Don’t worry, I can give you a hand, with this tutorial of mine dedicated to how to copy a CD .
Contrary to appearances, I assure you it’s very simple! You can do this both from Windows and from macOS and Linux. It is sufficient to use the appropriate software (most of which are totally free or in any case usable at no cost for a limited period of time) and the game is done. Obviously, it is also essential that you have a recorder, it is fine both integrated into the computer and connected externally to it.
At that time? May I know what are you still doing standing there? Position yourself comfortably, take a few free minutes just for yourself and concentrate on reading the following. I sincerely hope that in the end you will be able to feel very happy and satisfied with the results obtained. Let it bet?
Index
- How to copy a CD to PC
- ImgBurn
- Other solutions to copy a CD to PC
- How to copy a CD on Mac
- Burn
- More solutions to rip a CD on Mac
- How to rip a music CD
- Windows Media Player (Windows)
- Musica/iTunes (macOS/Windows)
- How to copy a CD to a flash drive
- How to copy a protected CD
How to copy a CD to PC
If what you are interested in doing is going to copy a CD to a PC , the solutions that, in my humble opinion, you would do well to turn to are the ones you find below.
ImgBurn
If you need to rip a CD running Windows 10 , Windows 11 , or any other version of the Microsoft operating system, I recommend you try ImgBurn . It is a popular free software designed to create and burn image files, but which also integrates options for duplicating CDs and DVDs, generating images on your computer’s hard drive and then copying them to blank floppy disks.
To download ImgBurn to your computer, visit the program’s website and click the Mirror 7 — Provided by ImgBurn link (if the link doesn’t work, select another one).
When the download is complete, open the EXE file obtained and, in the window shown on the desktop, press the Yes and Next keys . Then select the item I accept the terms of the License agreement , click on the Next button five more times in a row and on the Yes and Finish buttons .
The program interface is in English, but you can translate it into Italian by downloading a special translation file. To do this, connect again to the ImgBurn download page and select the Click here link next to the Italian item , in the ImgBurn Translation Language Files section . Once the download is complete, extract the ZIP archive obtained in a desired location and move the italian.lng file to the C:\Program Files\ImgBurn\Languages folder .
After completing all the steps above, insert the CD you want to copy into the burner connected to the computer and start ImgBurn by selecting the relevant link that has been added to the Start menu .
When the ImgBurn window appears on the desktop, click on the item Create a disc image , then set the burner to use via the Source menu located at the top.
Also, indicate the location where you want to save the CD ISO file on your PC by clicking on the icon representing the folder you find under the Destination heading .
Then start the creation of the copy of the CD by clicking on the button with the DVD and the sheet located at the bottom left. At the end of the process, extract the floppy disk in the burner, insert an empty one, go back to the ImgBurn main screen by clicking on the Mode menu located at the top and on the ez Mode one present in it and choose the Burn an image option .
Select your recorder again from the Destination drop-down menu, click on the folder -shaped icon located at the wording Select a file at the top left and select the previously generated ISO image of the disk.
Finally, adjust the writing speed from the special menu located at the bottom right and press the large icon with the DVD and the sheet that is always at the bottom in order to start burning the copy of the disk.
Other solutions to copy a CD to PC
What I have already proposed to copy a CD to your computer didn’t convince you in a particular way and, therefore, would you like me to show you other solutions of this type? Said, done: you can find them in the list below.
- Nero Burning ROM– is a historic and renowned burning suite specifically for Windows operating systems, full of tools, functions and options useful for this purpose. It is paid (it has prices starting from 49.95 euros, depending on the version chosen), but a free trial version is available that works without limitations for 14 days. For further information, I recommend reading my specific guide on how to burn a CD with Nero .
- CDBurnerXP— this is another popular free software that allows you to create data CDs and DVDs, video DVDs and music CDs. You can also copy a CD with CDBurnerXP , burn image files in ISO format and erase rewritable diskettes.
- BurnAware— another free and “popular” program to burn CDs, DVDs and Blu Rays with documents, photos, videos, music and other types of files and to create copies of diskettes. Basically it’s free, but paid versions are also offered (with prices starting at $29.95/year) that allow you to unlock extra features.
How to copy a CD on Mac
Now let’s move on to the Apple world and let’s find out how to copy a CD on Mac . You will find indicated below the solutions useful for this purpose which, in my humble opinion, are worth putting to the test.
Burn
If you want to rip a CD and you’re using an Apple-branded computer, I highly suggest using Burn . It is a totally free application for Mac , which allows you to carry out all the main operations of burning and copying CDs and DVDs. However, it should be taken into account that the development has now stopped for some time, but this does not prevent it from continuing to work without the slightest problem even on the most recent versions of the Mac operating system.
To download Burn to your Mac, visit its website and click the Download Burn link on the right.
When the download is complete, extract the obtained ZIP archive to any macOS location and drag the Burn icon to the Mac Applications folder , then right-click on it and select the Open item twice consecutively, so as to start the program going however to circumvent the limitations imposed by Apple against unauthorized developers (operation that must be performed only on first start).
After completing the above steps, insert the CD you want to copy into the burner connected to the Mac and, in the Burn window that has appeared on the desktop, click on the Copy tab .
Now, click on the Scan button located at the bottom and select the CD you want to copy, then press the Burn button at the bottom right, on the one you find in the new window that has opened and wait for the disc to be copied to the Mac as an ISO file.
At the end of the process, eject the copied disc and insert a blank one in the burner connected to the computer, go back to the Burn Copy tab, press the Open button located at the bottom right and take the previously generated disk image file from the Documents > Burning folder macOS temporary .
In conclusion, click on the Burn button , define how you think the speed options are more appropriate using the appropriate drop-down menu and press the Burn button .
More solutions to rip a CD on Mac
In case what I have already told you hasn’t particularly inspired you, you can turn to other solutions for macOS through which to copy a CD. Here they are.
- SimplyBurns— This is good CD copying software specifically targeted at Apple-branded computers. It’s totally free and it’s open source. Development for it has also stopped for some time, but still continues to work without problems.
- Express Burn– another excellent software with which you can burn CDs and DVDs on Mac and thanks to which you can create copies. It’s free, but possibly available in a paid Plus edition (with prices starting at $34.99) to take advantage of a greater number of features.
- Toast Titanium– famous professional-style software for burning on Mac. It allows you to work on CDs and DVDs in all the most disparate ways, including copying them, of course. It is paid (the basic cost is 89.99 euros), but it is often offered at a discounted price.
How to rip a music CD
If your specific need is to copy a music CD , you can decide to turn to the solutions useful for the purpose that I have chosen to point out to you below. They are all very valid.
Windows Media Player (Windows)
If you have a PC running Windows, you can copy music discs using Windows Media Player . Not everyone is aware of it, but the famous Microsoft multimedia player integrated in Windows can also be used to perform the aforementioned operation. How? I’ll explain it to you right away.
First, start Windows Media Player by selecting its site link in the Windows Start menu (if you can’t find it, it’s because the software has been disabled in the system settings, to enable it again you can follow the instructions I gave you in my guide on how to download Windows Media Player ).
When the Windows Media Player window is visible on the screen, insert the music CD you want to copy into the burner connected to the computer, then select the album title from the left sidebar.
Now, you can proceed by going to copy a CD to your PC with Windows Media Player . Therefore, click on the CD copy settings button located at the top and select, according to your actual needs, one of the available format and quality options from the menus that you see appear (e.g. if you want to copy audio CDs to MP3 you must choose the MP3 item from the Format menu and the desired quality from the Audio quality menu ). Next, select the song titles on the CD and click the Rip from CD button .
At the end of the procedure, to generate a copy of the original CD, extract the currently present disk from the burner, insert a blank one and choose the Music item from the Windows Media Player sidebar.
Locate the copied album on your PC, select the Burn tab at the top right, click on the icon with the window and blue check marks inside and set the Audio CD option from the menu that opens.
Now define the writing speed by clicking again on the button with the window and the blue check marks inside , choosing the Other burning options item from the menu that appears and setting the option you prefer from the Burning speed drop-down menu in the new proposed screen.
Finally, move the songs you want to copy to the CD to the right sidebar of Windows Media Player and click the Start Burn button . For more information, you can consult my tutorial on how to copy a CD with Windows Media Player .
Musica/iTunes (macOS/Windows)
To rip a music CD on macOS, however, you can use the Music application (on macOS 10.15 Catalina or later) or iTunes (on macOS 10.14 Mojave or earlier). In case you didn’t know, they are Apple computers default tools for playing music and managing it. Not everyone is aware of them, but they also offer options for copying and burning music discs. Note that iTunes is actually also available for Windows, but must be downloaded beforehand, as I explained to you in my dedicated guide .
To use these applications for your purpose, click on the Music or iTunes icon (the one with the white background and the musical note ) found in the macOS Launchpad or on the iTunes link from the Windows Start menu and insert into the connected burner the audio CD you intend to copy to the computer and, in the window displayed on the screen, answer affirmatively to the message asking if you want to import the disk into the program library.
Once imported, eject the audio CD from the recorder and insert a blank disk, click on the Album item in the left sidebar of the program, locate the CD album copied just from the right side of the screen, right click on its name and first select the Add to playlist item from the context menu and then the New playlist item .
In conclusion, right-click on the name of the playlist generated above, select the Burn playlist to disc option from the menu shown, set the option you deem most suitable from the Preferred speed menu attached to the new window that appears, choose the CD option audio or MP3 CD depending on the final result you want to achieve and click the Burn button .
How to copy a CD to a flash drive
Did you end up on my guide because you wanted to understand how to copy a CD to a flash drive ? If so, you can refer to the information contained in my tutorials specifically dedicated to how to copy an audio CD to a USB stick and how to copy a DVD to a USB stick . It is a practice that can be extremely useful in many cases, for example to play music in the car without creating additional disks.
How to copy a protected CD
What about copying a copy-protected CD? How you do it? If you want to create a backup copy of floppy disks of this type, because you want to prevent the original one of which you are the rightful owner from being damaged, you can refer to the instructions I have provided you in my guide dedicated specifically to how to copy protected CDs . I already anticipate that targeted solutions are needed.
