How to Change DVD Drive Region Code in Windows 10

Last Updated: January 20, 2022

DVDs are used all over the world. Almost all DVDs are coded with a region code to play only in a specific region with a player that has a matching region code . One of the reasons is to control release dates. ^{[1]
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Research source} This wikiHow will show you how to change the region code of your DVD drive so it can play discs made for the chosen region.

Note : Since most drives limit the number of times you can change it, be careful about changing it many times. It's best to only follow these steps if you're moving.

Steps

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Open File Explorer . This can be done by clicking the taskbar icon

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or pressing ⊞ Win + E .
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Right-click on the drive and choose Properties .
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The tabs are located at the top of the DVD drive properties window.
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6
Open the properties of the device that the type is labeled as "DVD/CD-ROM Drives". Click the Properties button towards the bottom.
- The name of the drive will be different depending on the type of DVD drive your computer has.
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8
Change the region. Click on a geographic region name to play DVDs meant only for that region.
- Underneath, the current region code and the one that will be set when you choose a country from the list right above will be shown. Here is a color-coded map of DVD regions with their corresponding region numbers:
  
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Click the OK button.

Community Q&A

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Question

This didn't work on my device. Why?

Community Answer

In some cases, a DVD player's hardware has its own memory that manages region codes. Perhaps this is the case with your device.

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Question

It says I have used up all of my available changes, even though I never changed it. What happened?

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Top Answerer

If you bought your PC used, there's a chance the previous owner changed the region multiple times. If it's new and unused, your OEM probably disabled this choice.

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After changing my Sony DVD player to region 1, disks will not play. How can I change the hardware back to region 0?

Community Answer

You should be able to change the region back to region 0 the same way you change it to region 1. If you reach the 5 maximum times to change your hardware region, you can't switch it back to region 0 anymore. If that happens, you will need to unlock your DVD player or convert the disc to region free with Winx DVID ripper or Makemkv.

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Tips

Not all drives are capable of changing region. Some come from the manufacturer with the ability to change region disabled.

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Warnings

Most drives have a set number of times you can change regions before it disables region changing. This number is stored inside the drive's hardware itself and can't ever be reset—even if you reset , reinstall Windows or physically move the drive to a new PC.

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Things You'll Need

Device running Windows 10
DVD drive

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How to Change DVD Drive Region Code in Windows 10

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