How to open a .vob file
DVD Video Object · Video
A .vob file is a chunk of DVD video from the VIDEO_TS folder. VLC plays one directly, and to watch the whole disc properly you open the folder rather than an individual file.
What a .vob file actually is
A DVD stores its content as numbered VOB files inside VIDEO_TS, each capped at 1 GB, with .IFO files describing how they fit together into titles and chapters.
That is why a single VOB often starts mid-scene: it is a fragment, not a film.
Why it will not open
Windows Media Player dropped DVD playback years ago, and opening one VOB out of several gives you a piece of the movie with no menus and no chapter structure.
Renaming it to an extension you can open will not help: changing the extension does not convert the file, it only changes what Windows tries to open it with.
Step by step
Windows
- 01Install VLC.
- 02For the whole disc: in VLC use Media, then Open Folder, and select the VIDEO_TS folder. Menus and chapters work.
- 03For one fragment, just drag the .vob onto VLC.
- 04To turn a DVD folder into a single modern file, HandBrake converts VIDEO_TS to MP4.
macOS
- 01VLC handles both the individual VOB and the VIDEO_TS folder.
- 02QuickTime will not play VOB.
What usually goes wrong
Open the folder, not the file
Playing a single VOB skips the disc structure entirely, which is why the film seems to start in the wrong place. Opening VIDEO_TS as a folder lets the player reassemble the title in order.
Programs that open .vob
Our pick, in order. Every one links to the publisher's official download URL and the SHA-256 hash of the installer. Once you have downloaded it, you can check the file against our index before you run it.
If you end up downloading one of these from somewhere other than the publisher, what you can and cannot verify about that is worth two minutes.
- VLC media playerVLC is a free and open source cross-platform multimedia player and framework that plays most multimedia files, and various streaming protocols.v3.0.23 · 9 hashed installers96
- MPC-HCMPC-HC is an extremely light-weight, open source media player for Windows. It supports all common video and audio file formats available for playback.v2.8.0 · 2 hashed installers100
- HandBrakeHandBrake is a open-source tool, built by volunteers, for converting video from nearly any format to a selection of modern, widely supported codecs.v1.11.2 · 2 hashed installers95
Also registers .vob in its manifest
Taken straight from publisher manifests. Some of these handle the format for a narrow purpose rather than as their main job.
Common questions
- How do I play a VOB file?
- Use VLC. For a single fragment, drag the .vob onto it. For the whole DVD, use Media then Open Folder and pick the VIDEO_TS folder so chapters and menus work.
- How do I convert VOB to MP4?
- HandBrake converts a VIDEO_TS folder or individual VOB files to MP4 with H.264, producing one file that plays on phones, TVs and browsers.