Windows

freemkv runs natively on Windows as two programs sharing one engine: freemkv-gui.exe, the desktop app you double-click, and freemkv.exe, the full command line. Alongside them, autorip.exe is a self-contained service you open in your browser for hands-off ripping.

This page covers all three. If you have never run a program from a terminal, you can still follow along — the step-by-step walkthrough starts below.

The desktop app

New in 1.6.0: a native Win32 desktop shell, built with the same engine as the CLI. Download the Windows .zip, extract it, and double-click freemkv-gui.exe. No terminal, no arguments.

Two programs rather than one because Windows decides at link time whether an image owns a console: freemkv.exe is a console program, so double-clicking it opens a black window and prints usage. freemkv-gui.exe is the windowed image of the same code. (.\freemkv.exe gui still opens the same window if you prefer to start it from a terminal.)

The window is the same four pages as the macOS app — disc/title selection with per-track checkboxes, output format, live progress, and a log — with Windows conventions throughout: menus in the window rather than a global bar, Ctrl instead of Cmd, F1 for the docs, and Settings under File.

Not yet shipping in a release: the app is built and tested on Windows but is not offered on the Download page until the launch behaviour above is settled. Build from source, or use the CLI and autorip as described below.

The command line

The very same freemkv.exe is the complete CLI — no separate download, no different engine:

.\freemkv.exe --version
.\freemkv.exe info disc://

See the CLI reference for the full command grammar. Everything the desktop app does, the CLI does, and both write to the same settings and key locations described under Where are my files? below.

Step 1: Download

Go to the Download page. There are three programs, downloaded separately:

• freemkv desktop app: the window you double-click — open a disc or image, tick what you want, press Rip. Ships as a .zip (freemkv-x86_64-windows.zip) containing freemkv-gui.exe.
• autorip: the automatic service with a web page (insert a disc, it rips by itself). Most people want this one. Ships as a .zip (autorip-x86_64-windows.zip).
• freemkv: the command-line tool (manual, one disc at a time). Ships as a plain .exe (freemkv-x86_64-windows.exe) — no zip to open.

Pick the one you want (you can grab all three).

If you downloaded a .zip: find it in your Downloads folder, then right-click it → Extract All… → Extract. Inside is a single program — freemkv-gui.exe for the desktop app, autorip.exe for autorip.

If you downloaded freemkv-x86_64-windows.exe: it is already the program — just rename it to freemkv.exe so the commands below match.

Keep the program in a folder of its own, named something tidy like freemkv, wherever you like (leaving it in Downloads is fine):

C:\Users\you\Downloads\freemkv\autorip.exe

There’s no installer; the .exe is the program.

Throughout the rest of this page, <install dir> means the folder that holds the .exe, wherever you put it (the example above is C:\Users\you\Downloads\freemkv). Substitute your own path wherever you see it.

Step 2: Get past the blue “Windows protected your PC” screen

The first time you run a freshly downloaded program that isn’t code-signed, Windows SmartScreen shows a blue box that says “Windows protected your PC”. This is expected for any small independent tool; it doesn’t mean the file is broken or infected.

To run it anyway:

1. Click the More info link in the blue box.
2. A Run anyway button appears at the bottom. Click it.

You only have to do this once per download.

Antivirus flagged it?

Some antivirus tools quarantine unknown .exe files on sight (a “false positive”: it’s reacting to the file being new and unsigned, not to anything it found). If the file vanishes after download or won’t start, check your antivirus quarantine and allow/restore it, then add an exclusion for your <install dir>\ folder.

Step 3: Open a terminal in the folder

freemkv is a command-line program, so double-clicking the .exe does nothing useful: a black window may flash and vanish. You run it by typing a command in a terminal that’s already pointed at the folder.

The easy way:

1. Open File Explorer and go to your <install dir>\ folder.
2. Right-click an empty area inside the folder.
3. Choose Open in Terminal (Windows 11) or Open PowerShell window here (Windows 10).

A terminal opens, already “inside” your folder. You’ll know it worked because the prompt shows your folder path, e.g.:

PS <install dir>>

Step 4: Run it

Type the command and press Enter. On Windows you must type the .\ in front (it tells PowerShell “the program is right here in this folder”):

# check it runs at all
.\autorip.exe --version

# start the service
.\autorip.exe serve

When serve is running, the terminal will say it’s listening. Leave that window open; closing it stops autorip. Now open your browser to:

http://localhost:8080

That’s the autorip control panel. Insert a disc and it takes over from there. For the freemkv CLI instead, the same .\ rule applies:

.\freemkv.exe --version
.\freemkv.exe info disc://

“…is not recognized” error?

If you typed autorip.exe and got “The term ‘autorip.exe’ is not recognized…”, you left off the .\. Type .\autorip.exe (with the leading dot-backslash) and it’ll work.

Step 5: Where are my files? (the important part)

autorip.exe is self-contained. It keeps everything in a single config\ folder that sits right next to the executable; it does not scatter files across your system.

So if your autorip.exe is at <install dir>\autorip.exe, then:

What	Where it lives
Settings	<install dir>\config\settings.json
Logs (one file per drive)	<install dir>\config\logs\
AACS keys	see Decryption Keys
Work-in-progress (staging)	<install dir>\config\staging\
Finished movies	<install dir>\config\output\

Your finished .mkv files are in config\output\ unless you change the output folder in Settings in the web UI.

The control panel always shows you the real, full path it’s using for staging and output, so you’re never guessing where things went. If you’d rather send finished movies straight to a NAS or another drive, set the Output directory in Settings to any path you like, e.g. D:\Movies or \\NAS\media\movies.

Moving or backing up autorip

Because it’s self-contained, you back up or relocate the whole thing by copying the folder: the .exe and its config\ folder together. Drop that folder on another PC and it picks up exactly where it left off.

Putting it somewhere else

If you want autorip’s data in a specific spot regardless of where the .exe lives, set the AUTORIP_DIR environment variable to a full path before starting it:

$env:AUTORIP_DIR = "D:\autorip-data"
.\autorip.exe serve

The freemkv CLI’s files

What	Where
AACS keys	see Decryption Keys
Diagnostic log	off by default (see Logs)

Step 6: Decryption keys for Blu-ray and UHD

DVDs work out of the box. Blu-ray and 4K UHD discs are AACS-encrypted and need keys: autorip can download and refresh them automatically, you can point it at an online key service, or you can supply your own keys. It works the same on every platform, so it’s all on one page: Decryption Keys.

Step 7: Turning on logs (for bug reports)

By design freemkv keeps the terminal clean and writes no log file unless you ask. If you hit a problem and want to file a report, turn logging on:

# CLI: write a detailed log next to where you're running it
.\freemkv.exe info disc:// --log-level 3
# creates .\log.txt in the current folder

Use --log-level 3 for bug reports (level 4 is even more verbose). To choose where the file goes, add --log-file C:\Users\you\Desktop\freemkv-log.txt. For autorip, enable debug logging from the web UI and the per-drive logs collect under config\logs\.

Device / drive access

freemkv and autorip reach your optical drive through native SPTI (SCSI pass-through), the standard Windows way to talk to a drive directly. No drivers are needed, but raw SCSI pass-through requires Administrator: open the terminal elevated (“Run as administrator”) before starting the program, or drives won’t be detected. You can refer to a drive by its letter (e.g. D:) where a device is requested.

Common problems

Symptom	What’s going on / fix
Blue “Windows protected your PC” box	SmartScreen on an unsigned download. Click More info → Run anyway (Step 2).
.exe flashes a black window and closes	You double-clicked it. It’s a terminal program; run it from a terminal (Step 3-4).
“…is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet”	You left off .\. Type .\autorip.exe (Step 4).
Downloaded file disappeared	Antivirus quarantine: restore it and add a folder exclusion (Step 2 note).
”No drives detected”	Confirm the drive appears in File Explorer and a disc is inserted; reseat USB drives.
Web page won’t load at localhost:8080	The serve terminal window must stay open. If you closed it, run .\autorip.exe serve again.
Can’t find my finished movie	It’s in config\output\ next to the .exe, unless you changed Output directory in Settings (Step 5).
Leftover C:\config from an old version	If C:\config exists and is writable, autorip still uses it (it’s checked before the app-folder config\). Delete the old C:\config first, then restart so state lands in the app-folder config\.

For capturing logs and fixes that apply to every platform, see Troubleshooting.