Share an external DVD drive with two computers

napavalley · Aug 20, 2025

I have two computers, one Win 11 and the other is Win 10, and I have an external DVD drive.

I'd like to be able to access the external drive from either computer.

Anyone have any suggestions on how to do that?

Jerry

FrancoDT · Aug 20, 2025

If your router has a USB port you can plug an external drive into it and share between your two computers on the network.

glasskuter · Aug 20, 2025

If both computers will be on at the same time, you can use file sharing. If both computers are on the same desk and only one is on most of the time, You can use a usb switch. https://www.amazon.com/usb-switch/s?k=usb+switch
As was suggested, you can also create a network drive if your router has a usb port.
If you go with the switch don't buy the cheapest one. Get at lease a mid-priced one that has good reviews.

glasskuter · Aug 20, 2025

Correction to my last post. I read the title wrong. Since it is an external dvd drive you want to share the usb switch is your best bet.
(I missed the dvd part, sorry) If the drive has it's own power, all the better.

MisterEd · Aug 21, 2025

You can just share the drive over the network. I shared an external DVD drive on a Win 10 computer called EventHorizon as \\EventHorizon\DVD. I can access it from a Win 11 computer called Starship as shown below.

2025-08-21 03_31_08-EventHorizon - File Explorer.webp

jimbo45 · Aug 21, 2025

Might sound obvious but if the computer(s) has / have any DVD authoring software and your DVD is a re-writable type then if sharing ensure it's read only !!!!

Cheers
jimbo

napavalley · Aug 23, 2025

glasskuter said:
If both computers will be on at the same time, you can use file sharing. If both computers are on the same desk and only one is on most of the time, You can use a usb switch. https://www.amazon.com/usb-switch/s?k=usb+switch
As was suggested, you can also create a network drive if your router has a usb port.
If you go with the switch don't buy the cheapest one. Get at lease a mid-priced one that has good reviews.

Welll, I ordered a switch from Amazon

Amazon.com

hooked up the Win 11 machine to it and the drive just tried to read. There wasn't a disk in the drive and the read op just kept going. Not a good sign so I'll just return it.

Thanks for your advice and to everyone else that responded.

Jerry

glasskuter · Aug 23, 2025

Sorry it didn't work out. My usb switch works great to switch my usb devices between 3 omputers. All the external drives I connect to it do have their own power though. They do not draw power through the switch.

gunrunnerjohn · Aug 23, 2025

It would be useful to tell us exactly how it'll be used, as several solutions have been posed based on the speculation of the environment. I'd use a simple mechanical USB switch, that will allow the drive to draw power directly from the USB port. The active USB switches sometimes can't provide power. Of course, it's possibly an option to power the DVD drive if it's so equipped. Since we don't know anything about the environment or the actual make/model of the drive, again this is all speculation.

cereberus · Aug 23, 2025

I am a bit puzzled - it is not clear to me what you are trying to achieve.

1) Do you intend to use external dvd SIMULTANEOUSLY on two devices e.g. play a DVD so both PCs can watch it at same time?
If so, networking is a better solution.

2) Do you intend to use external dvd on two devices BUT NOT AT SAME TIME e.g. play a DVD on either
PC at any one time?
If so, only dubious benefit I can see is you flip a switch rather than simply pugging/unplugging DVD Player. Why would you semi permantly connect PCs - certainly not a good plan for laptops.,

3) Do you simply want to use DVD player on EITHER of two pcs without plugging or unplugging it?
If so, I fail to see why you would do this - surely it is easier (and more flexible) to simply buy a second DVD player (as dirt cheap these days) and swap dvd between players. Also gives a backup if one player fails.

gunrunnerjohn · Aug 23, 2025

cereberus said:
I am a bit puzzled - it is not clear to me what you are trying to achieve.

1) Do you intend to use external dvd SIMULTANEOUSLY on two devices e.g. play a DVD so both PCs can watch it at same time?
If so, networking is a better solution.

2) Do you intend to use external dvd on two devices BUT NOT AT SAME TIME e.g. play a DVD on either
PC at any one time?
If so, only dubious benefit I can see is you flip a switch rather than simply pugging/unplugging DVD Player. Why would you semi permantly connect PCs - certainly not a good plan for laptops.,

3) Do you simply want to use DVD player on EITHER of two pcs without plugging or unplugging it?
If so, I fail to see why you would do this - surely it is easier (and more flexible) to simply buy a second DVD player (as dirt cheap these days) and swap dvd between players. Also gives a backup if one player fails.

I haven't looked at these in years, but I find them as low as $19! USB DVD Drive at Walmart

Mind boggling, probably as cheap as the USB switch!

napavalley · Aug 24, 2025

gunrunnerjohn said:
It would be useful to tell us exactly how it'll be used, as several solutions have been posed based on the speculation of the environment. I'd use a simple mechanical USB switch, that will allow the drive to draw power directly from the USB port. The active USB switches sometimes can't provide power. Of course, it's possibly an option to power the DVD drive if it's so equipped. Since we don't know anything about the environment or the actual make/model of the drive, again this is all speculation.

HI GunnerJohn, Cerberus and all.

Here's what I'm doing:

The Win 11 machine is my new Plex server, replacing a Dell laptop that passed away, and is a mini PC that is attached to my display via the VESA mount. It has two 2 gig external SSD drives attached to it; one is the primary Plex storage, and the second is the backup for the Plex storage.

I'll use that system for when I buy a new DVD and rip it to add to one of the Plex libraries on the Plex storage drive .

The external DVD drive sits under my display on my desk.

The Win 10 laptop is my everyday system, and is on a shelf below the keyboard tray.

What I wanted accomplish was to have the DVD drive available to either system, but not in use by both at the same time.

Any questions or comments, please let me know.

Jerry

gunrunnerjohn · Aug 24, 2025

napavalley said:
HI GunnerJohn, Cerberus and all.

Here's what I'm doing:

The Win 11 machine is my new Plex server, replacing a Dell laptop that passed away, and is a mini PC that is attached to my display via the VESA mount. It has two 2 gig external SSD drives attached to it; one is the primary Plex storage, and the second is the backup for the Plex storage.

I'll use that system for when I buy a new DVD and rip it to add to one of the Plex libraries on the Plex storage drive .

The external DVD drive sits under my display on my desk.

The Win 10 laptop is my everyday system, and is on a shelf below the keyboard tray.

What I wanted accomplish was to have the DVD drive available to either system, but not in use by both at the same time.

Any questions or comments, please let me know.

Jerry

I'd just buy another $15-20 DVD-R/W drive and connect one to each. That way you have a spare if one malfunctions, and it 100% bulletproof operation connected directly to a USB 3.0 port.

Catnip · Aug 24, 2025

I use a printer that is attached to the USB connection on my router and every PC in my house can use it. That would seem to be the logical answer to the DVD question. At least it is the simplest solution, in my opinion. Perhaps a network switch with a USB connection? And I mean a quality one, not some off shore junk.

napavalley · Aug 25, 2025

Catnip said:
I use a printer that is attached to the USB connection on my router and every PC in my house can use it. That would seem to be the logical answer to the DVD question. At least it is the simplest solution, in my opinion. Perhaps a network switch with a USB connection? And I mean a quality one, not some off shore junk.

Using the router USB port should work, however the router is upstairs and the two systems that would use the drive are downstairs.. Not a small trip to put the DVDs into the drive

Jerry

cereberus · Aug 25, 2025

gunrunnerjohn said:
I'd just buy another $15-20 DVD-R/W drive and connect one to each. That way you have a spare if one malfunctions, and it 100% bulletproof operation connected directly to a USB 3.0 port.

Yeah totally agree now OP has clarified requirements.

I see no reason to use fancy switches, networking etc. all of which have a single point of failure.

jimbo45 · Aug 25, 2025

napavalley said:
HI GunnerJohn, Cerberus and all.

Here's what I'm doing:

The Win 11 machine is my new Plex server, replacing a Dell laptop that passed away, and is a mini PC that is attached to my display via the VESA mount. It has two 2 gig external SSD drives attached to it; one is the primary Plex storage, and the second is the backup for the Plex storage.

I'll use that system for when I buy a new DVD and rip it to add to one of the Plex libraries on the Plex storage drive .

The external DVD drive sits under my display on my desk.

The Win 10 laptop is my everyday system, and is on a shelf below the keyboard tray.

What I wanted accomplish was to have the DVD drive available to either system, but not in use by both at the same time.

Any questions or comments, please let me know.

Jerry

Surely if you want storage backup or otherwise it's far better to use a USB SSD NVME type device.Things like AnyDVD (or the modern equivalent) can rip a DVD to an ISO image, remove encryption, remove regionalisation and offer menus etc just as the original physical DVD, plus you can have a load more online too. Things like PLEX, KODI,VLC etc will play the iso's without any problem.

If you can get an old copy of AnyDVD (now discontinued) it's fine for DVD's -- not Blu Ray's though. I think the modern things though like makemkv or DVDfab aren't so good at removing encryption etc. If you don't buy Blu Ray's but just want bog standard DVD's then get / find and archived copy of AnyDVD or Redfox's version (later but also now gone).

Cheers
jimbo

gunrunnerjohn · Aug 25, 2025

cereberus said:
Yeah totally agree now OP has clarified requirements.

I see no reason to use fancy switches, networking etc. all of which have a single point of failure.

Yep, I'm still firmly in the K.I.S.S. camp here. $20 solves this problem and gives you hardware redundancy, a WIN-WIN.

Share an external DVD drive with two computers

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