DVD Player 5.x: Change the region code of a DVD drive
This article has been archived and is no longer updated by Apple.
Most DVDs are assigned a region code that corresponds to a geographic area, to help motion picture studios control the worldwide release of movies. The first time you use DVD Player to play a DVD with a region code, you may be asked to set the DVD drive to match that code; DVD Player plays only discs with the same region code as the DVD drive or discs with no region code. If you insert a DVD that uses a different region code, a dialog appears asking you if you want to change the DVD drive’s region code.
Important: You can change the region code of a DVD drive only five times (including the original setting); the fifth setting is permanent. Don’t change the region code of a DVD drive unless you expect to play only DVDs that match the new region code in the future.
Last Modified: Sep 3, 2015