If you come from the Windows world, you have to get used to burning under macOS. An iMac or Macbook does not come with a separate burning program, the burning function is completely integrated into the system. External burners are supported without any problems, even Bluray burners.
In times of cloud computing, streaming services and cheap USB sticks, CD and DVD burners shouldn’t be that important anymore – understandable that Apple has gradually taken away the optical drives from its Macs. No Mac offers a built-in drive for burning and reading DVDs and CDs, a Macbook 13 inch offered until the end of 2016 was the last model with DVD drive. But even under Catalina, recordable optical media are a good way to store data or share a video. With macOS this can be done comfortably and in many cases without additional software.
burning program on Mac not necessary
The burning function is integrated into the Finder and the respective application programs as before: For audio CDs the Music app is responsible, for burning data CDs and DVDs the Finder. What you should know: If you have a Mac without a burner or no drive connected, you won’t see any burning options. These show up in the menu and context menu only after connecting a USB or Firewire burner.
External burners do not cost the world, Apple itself offers the comparatively expensive USB Superdrive for about 87 euros as an optional accessory when you buy a burnerless Mac. If one still operates an older Mac with DVD/CD drive in the own net, one can on this under the system attitude releases the "DVD or CD release" enable: Then the Mac without burner can use the shared drive over the network – but only for reading.
Burning DVDs on the Mac
If you only have a folder full of documents on CD or DVD can do this in the Finder: One selects individual files or a folder like "Projects_023" in the Finder and find "File" in the menu bar the option "Storage> "Projects_023 "Burn to CD. Now you just have to insert a blank CD and macOS will burn the data to CD or DVD. Who wants to sort his data in peace, can use the option" Burn folder " operate.
These burning folders are special folders that can be created via the Finder menu "File" with the "New burn folder" option creates. If you copy files into one of these folders, the system remembers the file in a list. If you open the folder, the button "Burn" is displayed displayed. To save space, only alias files are in the folder, not real files. A blank disc is only requested and written when the "Burn" button is pressed press.
Alternatively you can insert an empty blank disc. The operating system then asks you which program you want to use to write the DVD. If you want to burn a data DVD, select the option "Open Finder". Then a new burn folder is automatically created and the CD or DVD is displayed with an icon on the desktop. You can now copy data to the medium – similar to a USB stick.
External burner (image 1 of 6)
Burner LiteOn EBAU108 The lightweight external USB burner is still relatively inexpensive and offers all standard features. On special options such as M-Disk one must do however without.
Burning with a system
The actual burning of CDs and DVDs is done by a function integrated into the operating system that operates in the background. The music app also uses this system component. The quality of this burning function has led to the fact that there are hardly any stand-alone burning programs for the Mac anymore. Because the Apple software works quite universal: Since OS X burners from third party manufacturers are recognized immediately. If you connect a Bluray burner to your Mac, you can even write to Bluray media. This allows 25 to 50 GB to be burned onto a Bluray disc. Dialogs and windows are the same as when burning CDs and DVDs, you just have more space available with Bluray.
CDs and DVDs burned with the Finder are "hybrid", i.e.: compatible with Windows and Mac file system. The discs are thus readable under Windows and macOS. Until OS X 10.11 you could create image files with Disk Utility and burn them to CD – this is very handy for burning large DVD sets.
But what still works under Catalina is copying an inserted data DVD. You can use Disk Utility to save an inserted DVD or CD as an image file. To do this, select the disc in the sidebar and choose "File" from the menu bar the option "New image"/"Image from. "
Burning an image file is possible via Finder. Particularly comfortably this is possible by context menu.
Share DVD on the network
A special case is CD/DVD sharing. With the introduction of the first Macs without a built-in drive, Apple needed a workaround to ease the transition. The solution was initially called "Remote Disc, since OS X 10.5.2 installed by default and since OS X 10.6 as an extension of the System Preferences Sharing under "DVD or CD Sharing" known. Switched on at a Mac with DVD/CD drive in the local network, it offers other Macs the use of the drive over the network. The drive will appear in the sidebar under "Devices" as "Remote CD/DVD. With a few restrictions, a CD or DVD mounted via network can then be used as usual. Burning a CD or DVD is not possible, but at least reading it is. For even older Mac (from OS X 10.4.10) Apple makes the function available for retrofitting via free software. Unknown to many users: There is also a version for Windows PC s (from Windows XP SP2). This software is also available for free from Apple. Until today many Windows PCs come with a drive, if there is one available in the network, it is the ideal partner for using the "Remote CD/DVD" feature. After the download, install the Apple software on the Windows PC and open the Explorer. Right-click on the drive and then on "Grant access to". Here you can make the sharing settings. Now insert a CD or DVD into the drive of the Windows PC.
There are also various freeware or shareware burning programs that offer these functions. These burning programs use the burning function of the system, but provide their own interface with almost all the functions of the macOS background software available. This way you can easily create UDF media, make files on a CD visible only to Windows users or copy audio CDs.