
But for ripping music, the new version of Windows Media Player makes things extremely straightforward. If you’re old enough, you probably have terrible memories of this program and you might prefer other alternatives for playing your favorite tunes. The simplest tool for ripping a CD in Windows 11 is Windows Media Player. Whatever type of drive you get, make sure to buy one compatible with the USB ports on your computer so you don’t need to spend extra money on an adapter or a USB hub. If you want to rip Blu-rays you’ll need a special drive which will likely set you back around $70-you can find them online or at your local computer shop. Luckily, you don’t need an internal optical drive to rip a CD: External DVD drives that connect to your computer via USB, go for as little as $23, and will easily do the job without you having to dive into your parent’s basement for an old computer. This would’ve been a huge problem in the late 90s, but with the arrival of speedier internet connections and digital alternatives to enjoying music and movies, most people started to leave optical drivers behind.

This is because, in their quest to make modern laptops thinner and lighter, manufacturers had to eliminate bulky optical drives. Laptop computers, however, almost never come with optical drives anymore. You might already have a CD drive on your computer, especially if you own a desktop.

You’ll notice that CDs, DVDs, and Blu-rays are all the same shape, and any drive that can play a Blu-ray or a DVD can also read CDs.

No worries: we’re here to remind you (or maybe even teach you for the very first time in your life) how to rip CDs on your computer.

In ancient times-back in 2001-people knew how to do this, but much that should have been remembered has been forgotten. But there’s a problem: you can’t listen to CDs on your digital devices unless you rip them first. The number of sold CDs is rising for the first time in a generation, in part because buying them is a great way to support the bands you love.
