.VOB

How to Open and Play a VOB File

To play a VOB video, open it in VLC Media Player on Windows, Mac or Linux. If the movie is split across several VOB files, open the complete VIDEO_TS folder in VLC to play it in order. The inspector below reads video and audio information; it does not play or convert the movie.

Guide by the File-Extension.com team — see our methods and tool limitations. Updated .

Category: Video container (DVD-Video) Developer: DVD Forum (MPEG-2 Program Stream) MIME type: video/mpeg Best opened with: VLC

Choose what you need

How to open a VOB file on WindowsPlay a whole DVD folder (VIDEO_TS) and find the main movieConvert VOB to MP4 (HandBrake, VLC or ffmpeg)Inspect a VOB File Online

How to open a VOB file on Windows

  1. Install VLC Media Player (free) — it plays .vob files immediately, with no codec packs needed.
  2. Double-click the .vob file, or open VLC and use Media > Open File.
  3. Windows Media Player doesn't support VOB out of the box; if you'd rather use it, you'd need a third-party codec pack, which VLC avoids entirely.
  4. To convert to a more universally-editable format, use HandBrake (free) to re-encode it as MP4.

Play a whole DVD folder (VIDEO_TS) and find the main movie

A ripped or copied DVD is a VIDEO_TS folder full of similarly named files. Knowing what they are saves a lot of guessing:

A typical VIDEO_TS folder: the run of ~1 GB VTS_01_1–4 files (highlighted) is the main movie; VTS_01_0 is a menu and VTS_02 is a short extra.
  • VIDEO_TS.IFO / .VOB / .BUP — the disc's top-level menu and its backup.
  • VTS_01_0.VOB — the menu for title set 1 (often a short looping clip). Files ending in _0.VOB are menus, not the movie.
  • VTS_01_1.VOB, VTS_01_2.VOB … — the actual video for title set 1, split into chunks of about 1 GB. The title set with the most and biggest files is almost always the main feature; smaller title sets (VTS_02, VTS_03 …) are trailers, extras or episodes.

Play it like a DVD, with menus, in VLC

  1. Drag the whole VIDEO_TS folder (or the folder that contains it) onto the VLC window. VLC treats it as a DVD and starts the disc's menu.
  2. Alternatively, on Windows use Media > Open Disc, choose DVD, and click Browse to point Disc device at the folder. Tick No disc menus to jump straight into playback.
  3. Use Playback > Title and Chapter to move around, and Audio > Audio Track or Subtitle > Sub Track to change language.

VOB files without the IFO files

If you only have the .vob files, VLC still plays each one, but there are no menus, chapter list or subtitle language names, and the duration and seek bar can be wrong because the timing information normally comes from the IFO. Open the files in order (VTS_01_1, then _2 and so on), add them all to a VLC playlist, or merge them as described below.

Inspect a VOB File Online

Drop a .vob file below. Browsers can't decode DVD-Video's MPEG-2 stream, so this tool doesn't try to play it — instead it reads the container's own real structure: the pack headers' timestamps (for a genuine duration estimate), the MPEG-2 video sequence header (real resolution, aspect ratio, frame rate and bitrate), and every audio/subtitle sub-stream actually present — AC-3, DTS, LPCM or MPEG audio — parsed from their own real frame headers where possible.

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On this page

  1. Inspect a VOB file online (tool)
  2. Quick answer
  3. What is a VOB file?
  4. Open on Windows
  5. Open on Mac
  6. Open on Linux
  7. Play a VIDEO_TS folder
  8. Convert VOB to MP4
  9. Merge VOB files
  10. Play on TV, USB or phone
  11. Common problems & fixes
  12. Related file extensions
  13. Technical references
  14. FAQ

What is a VOB file?

VOB (Video Object) is the file format that holds the actual video, audio and subtitle streams on a DVD-Video disc, stored inside its VIDEO_TS folder alongside .ifo (navigation/menu info) and .bup (backup) files. Structurally, a VOB is a standard MPEG-2 Program Stream — the same general container family used for broadcast and early digital video — carrying MPEG-2 compressed video multiplexed together with one or more audio tracks (commonly Dolby AC-3, DTS, or uncompressed LPCM) and optional bitmap-based subtitle overlays.

Because the DVD-Video spec caps each individual VOB file at just under 1GB (a legacy FAT32 filesystem limit), a full movie is automatically split across several sequentially-numbered files — VTS_01_1.VOB, VTS_01_2.VOB, and so on — that a DVD player or software reads back-to-back as one continuous title. That's exactly the container structure this page's tool reads directly: pack headers carrying real timestamps, the MPEG-2 sequence header describing the picture itself, and every audio/subtitle sub-stream multiplexed alongside it.

How to open a VOB file on Mac

  1. Install VLC Media Player for Mac (free) — QuickTime does not play VOB files natively.
  2. Open the .vob file directly with VLC, or drag it onto the VLC dock icon.
  3. Use HandBrake if you need to convert it to MP4 for use in iMovie or Final Cut Pro, since neither edits VOB/MPEG-2 directly.

How to open a VOB file on Linux

  1. Install VLC via your distribution's package manager (e.g. sudo apt install vlc on Debian/Ubuntu) — it plays VOB files immediately.
  2. MPV and ffplay (part of ffmpeg) are lightweight command-line alternatives that also play VOB natively.
  3. Use ffmpeg directly (ffmpeg -i input.vob output.mp4) to convert it to MP4 from the terminal.

Convert VOB to MP4 (HandBrake, VLC or ffmpeg)

MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio plays on practically every phone, TV, browser and editing app, and is typically a fraction of the size of the original MPEG-2.

With HandBrake (recommended, free for Windows, Mac and Linux)

  1. Install HandBrake from its official site and open it.
  2. At the source selection screen, choose the VIDEO_TS folder (or drag it in). Opening the folder rather than a single .vob lets HandBrake read the whole movie, chapters and languages in one go.
  3. In the Title dropdown, pick the longest title — HandBrake usually preselects the main feature.
  4. Choose a preset from General: Fast 480p30 suits NTSC (US) DVDs and Fast 576p25 suits PAL DVDs; DVD video can't gain detail by upscaling to 1080p.
  5. On the Summary tab make sure Format is MP4. On the Audio and Subtitles tabs, add every language you want to keep.
  6. Set the file name and folder at Save As at the bottom, then click Start Encode.

With VLC

Use Media > Convert / Save (on Mac: File > Convert / Stream), add the .vob files, click Convert / Save, choose the profile Video - H.264 + MP3 (MP4), pick a destination file and click Start. It's fine for a quick conversion; HandBrake gives better quality and control.

VLC's Convert dialog with the H.264 MP4 profile selected for a VOB file.

With ffmpeg (command line)

To merge and convert a whole title in one step: ffmpeg -i "concat:VTS_01_1.VOB|VTS_01_2.VOB|VTS_01_3.VOB" -c:v libx264 -crf 20 -c:a aac movie.mp4. If an audio track goes missing, add -analyzeduration 100M -probesize 100M before -i so ffmpeg scans further into the file.

Commercial DVDs: most store-bought movie DVDs use CSS copy protection, and HandBrake doesn't remove it — protected files typically fail to open or convert into garbled video. In the US, circumventing DVD copy protection is generally prohibited under the DMCA, even for a personal backup. Home-made discs (camcorder or DVD-recorder discs, family transfers) have no protection and convert without issue.

Merge multiple VOB files into one

The VOB files of a single title (VTS_01_1, VTS_01_2, …) are one continuous MPEG stream cut into pieces, so they can be joined by simply concatenating them — no re-encoding, no quality loss. Only join files from the same title set, in numeric order, and leave out the _0.VOB menu file.

Joining a DVD title's VOB files into one movie.vob with the Windows copy /b command.
  • Windows: open Command Prompt in the VIDEO_TS folder (type cmd in File Explorer's address bar and press Enter) and run copy /b VTS_01_1.VOB+VTS_01_2.VOB+VTS_01_3.VOB movie.vob, listing every part.
  • Mac and Linux: cat VTS_01_1.VOB VTS_01_2.VOB VTS_01_3.VOB > movie.vob

The merged file is a single large VOB (it can easily exceed 4 GB, so store it on an NTFS, exFAT or APFS drive, not FAT32). Seeking in it may be slightly imprecise; converting to MP4 fixes that.

Play VOB files on a TV, from USB, or on a phone

Smart TV or USB media player

Many smart TVs, set-top boxes and Blu-ray players can play MPEG-2 video from a USB stick, but support for the .vob extension and for Dolby Digital (AC-3) audio varies by model. In order of reliability:

  1. Convert to MP4 (H.264 + AAC) with HandBrake, as above — nearly every TV made in the last decade plays it.
  2. If you want to try the original first, copy the files to the USB stick; some TVs only show a VOB once it's renamed to .mpg, since VOB is an MPEG program stream underneath.
  3. Some standalone DVD and Blu-ray players will play a complete VIDEO_TS folder copied to the root of a USB stick, with menus — check your player's manual.
  4. To get a disc that plays in any DVD player again, burn the VIDEO_TS folder as a DVD-Video disc with a tool such as ImgBurn (its Build mode recognises a VIDEO_TS folder).

Android and iPhone

Neither phone OS plays VOB in its built-in gallery or video apps. The free VLC for Android and VLC for iOS apps play .vob files directly: on Android copy the files to the phone and open them from VLC; on iPhone, add them through the Files app or VLC's Wi-Fi sharing feature. For long-term use, convert to MP4 so the video also works in Photos and messaging apps.

Common VOB file problems and how to fix them

Windows Media Player says it can't play the file

WMP has no built-in MPEG-2/VOB support. Install VLC instead of hunting for a codec pack — it's free, plays VOB natively, and avoids the security risks of unofficial codec packs.

The video plays but there's no sound, or the wrong language is playing

DVDs often bundle multiple audio tracks (different languages, or commentary). In VLC, use Audio > Audio Track to switch. Use the tool on this page first to see every audio sub-stream actually present in the file before opening it.

Only a few minutes of a movie play before it cuts off

This is expected — DVD-Video splits a full title across multiple VOB files (each under 1GB). Make sure all the sequentially-numbered VOB files from the same title are present in the same folder; most players will only follow this automatically if opened from the disc structure (via the .ifo file) rather than a single VOB in isolation.

Technical references

VOB files use the MPEG-2 Program Stream container, defined by the ITU-T/ISO's MPEG-2 Systems standard.

Frequently asked questions

What program opens a .vob file?

VLC Media Player opens and plays .vob files natively on Windows, Mac and Linux, with no extra codecs required. Windows Media Player and QuickTime do not support VOB out of the box.

Can I convert a VOB file to MP4?

Yes — free tools like HandBrake or VLC's own "Convert/Save" feature can re-encode a .vob file's video and audio into an MP4 (H.264) file, which is far more widely supported and much smaller.

Why are VOB files always close to 1GB in size?

The DVD-Video specification limits each individual VOB file to just under 1GB (to stay compatible with the FAT32 filesystem DVDs originally used), so a movie's video is automatically split across several sequentially-numbered VOB files (VTS_01_1.VOB, VTS_01_2.VOB, and so on) that play back-to-back as one continuous title.

Is a VOB file the same as a DVD?

A .vob file is one component of a DVD-Video disc's file structure (inside the VIDEO_TS folder), not the whole disc — it holds the actual video/audio/subtitle data, while separate .ifo and .bup files hold the menu and navigation structure that ties the VOB files together into a playable DVD.

How do I play a VIDEO_TS folder on my computer?

Install VLC and drag the whole VIDEO_TS folder (or the folder containing it) onto the VLC window; it plays like a DVD, with menus. On Windows you can also use Media > Open Disc, choose DVD and browse to the folder.

Which VOB file is the actual movie?

Look for the title set with the most files of about 1 GB each, usually VTS_01_1.VOB, VTS_01_2.VOB and so on. Files ending in _0.VOB are menus, and smaller title sets such as VTS_02 or VTS_03 are usually trailers or extras.

How do I merge several VOB files into one?

Files from the same title can be joined without re-encoding. On Windows, run copy /b VTS_01_1.VOB+VTS_01_2.VOB+VTS_01_3.VOB movie.vob in Command Prompt; on Mac or Linux, use cat VTS_01_1.VOB VTS_01_2.VOB VTS_01_3.VOB > movie.vob. Leave out the _0.VOB menu file and keep the numeric order.

Can I play VOB files on my TV from a USB stick?

Sometimes. Many TVs play MPEG-2 from USB, but support for .vob files and Dolby Digital audio varies by model, and some only recognise them when renamed to .mpg. Converting to MP4 (H.264 with AAC audio) with HandBrake is the reliable option.

Can I play VOB files on iPhone or Android?

Not with the built-in apps, but the free VLC app for Android and iOS plays VOB files directly. Copy the files to the phone (on iPhone, via the Files app or VLC's Wi-Fi sharing) and open them in VLC, or convert them to MP4 for use everywhere.

Last updated October 1, 2026.