How to Play a CD on a Desktop Computer: Easy Steps

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Plus, how to adjust your computer's CD autoplay settings

Written by Hannah Dillon

Last Updated: June 23, 2026 Fact Checked

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• Playing a CD on Windows
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• Windows Autoplay Settings
|
• Playing a CD on a Mac
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• Mac Autoplay Settings
|
• FAQ
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• Video
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• Q&A

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This wikiHow teaches how to play audio CDs on Windows and Mac computers. We'll teach you how to insert a CD into your computer and adjust your autoplay settings so your computer plays the CD in the correct program when it's read. We also cover some frequently asked questions about playing CDs on your desktop. Keep reading to learn more.

Playing a CD on a Desktop Computer

• On both Windows and Mac, open the disc drive tray and set the CD inside, label facing up, then press the Eject button to close the drive.
• If your computer has a slot instead of a drive, push the CD into the slot until the computer automatically accepts it and pulls it into the drive.
• If the CD doesn't play automatically, adjust your autoplay settings in Control Panel > AutoPlay on Windows or System Settings > CDs & DVDs on Mac.

Steps

Section 1 of 5:

Playing a CD on a Windows PC

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1. 
   1
   Press the Eject button on your disc drive. This is typically located on the front plate of the disc drive, on the bottom-right.

   • These steps are written for an audio CD, but they will also work for a video CD, a DVD movie, or a Blu-ray disc, though the wording of your on-screen options may be slightly different.
2. 
   2
   Place the disc in the tray label-side up. If you place the CD upside down, your computer won't be able to read it, and it may get damaged.
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3. 
   3
   Close the tray by pushing it or pressing Eject again. The tray's motor will typically handle the closing, unless it's a spring-loaded notebook drive.
4. 
   4
   Click Select to choose what happens with audio CDs. If you don't see this notification appear on your screen, you've already chosen an action to take when an audio CD is inserted.

   • If you want to change the program that opens automatically when a CD is inserted, you can do so from the Control Panel.
5. 
   5
   Click Play audio CD. You'll see the program that will play the CD displayed below. If you have multiple programs installed that can play audio CDs, you'll see them listed.

   • By default, Windows will use Media Player to play any inserted media CDs on your computer. Media Player is Windows' built-in media player program, and is the updated version of Windows Media Player. If you're on an older version of Windows, you may still have Windows Media Player.
6. 
   6
   Start Media Player if AutoPlay doesn't appear. If nothing happens when you insert your disc, you can start Media Player yourself.

   • Press ⊞ Win and type "media player."
   • Click Media Player in the list.
7. 
   7
   Double-click your audio CD in the left menu. The CD will begin playing, and you'll see all of the tracks appear in the center of the window.
8. 
   8
   Click and drag the volume slider in Media Player. This will adjust the volume of the CD as it plays. Note that this volume slider is separate from your system volume. Make sure your system volume is set high enough to hear before adjusting the Media Player volume.
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Section 2 of 5:

Adjusting Windows AutoPlay Settings

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1. 
   1
   Open the Control Panel. The process for this is a little different depending on your version of Windows:

   • Windows 11: Type control panel into the taskbar search bar and click Control Panel in the Start menu that pops up.
   • Windows 10 and 8: Right-click the Start button and select Control Panel.
   • Windows 7 and earlier: Click the Start button and select Control Panel from the Start menu.
2. 
   2
   Click the AutoPlay option. If you don't see this option, click the View by menu in the upper-right corner and select either Large icons or Small icons.
3. 
   3
   Scroll down to the CDs section. It's near the bottom of the list.
4. 
   4
   Click the Audio CD drop-down menu. A menu will expand.
5. 
   5
   Click the action you want to take when an audio CD is inserted. You can choose a program to automatically open the CD, or you can direct Windows to either take no action, open File Explorer, or ask you for input every time.

   • Repeat steps 4 and 5 for "Enhanced audio CD," as well.
   • If you want to adjust your settings for DVDs, which look similar to CDs but are a different format, scroll up to the DVDs section and repeat steps 4 and 5 for "DVD movie" and "Enhanced DVD movie." You can do the same for "Blu-ray disc movie," as well.
6. 
   6
   Click the Save button. The actions you set will be the new default actions for when a CD is inserted into the computer.
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Section 3 of 5:

Playing a CD on a Mac

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1. 
   1
   Insert the disc into your Mac's disc drive. Make sure that the disc's label is facing up as you insert it.

   • Most Macs, including MacBooks, do not come with slots for CDs or DVDs anymore. If yours doesn't, you'll need to purchase an external CD/DVD ROM drive.
   • If your computer has a slot, push the disc far enough inside so the computer automatically inserts it for you.
   • If your computer has a tray, place the CD in the tray and press the eject button to make the tray close.
   • These steps are written for an audio CD, but they will also work for a video CD, a DVD movie, or a Blu-ray disc, though the wording of your on-screen options may be slightly different.
2. 
   2
   Open the Music app if it doesn't open automatically. Your Mac should detect that you've inserted an audio CD and will automatically open the Music app. If not, you can manually open the Music app instead.

   • If you inserted a DVD or video CD, the Apple DVD player app should open instead.
   • If you're on an older version of macOS, you may see the iTunes app open instead.
3. 
   3
   Click the CD button. You'll see this along the top row of buttons in the Music app.
4. 
   4
   Click the Play button. The CD will begin playing.
5. 
   5
   Click and drag the volume slider to adjust the volume. You'll see the volume slider at the top of the window next to the playback controls.

   • The app volume slider is independent of the system volume slider. If your system volume is turned all the way down, adjusting the iTunes volume won't do anything.
6. 
   6
   Eject the disc when you're done. There are several ways to eject the disc on a Mac:

   • Press the Eject button on your keyboard.
   • Press ⌘ Command+E.
   • Click your desktop, then click File → Eject.
   • Drag the CD icon on your desktop into the Trash. This will only work if icons for discs are visible on the desktop.
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Section 4 of 5:

Adjusting Your Mac's CD Defaults

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1. 
   1
   Click the Apple menu > System Settings. If you're on an older version of macOS, you may see System Preferences instead.
2. 
   2
   Click CDs & DVDs. It's in the sidebar. You may need to scroll down to find this option.
3. 
   3
   Click the When you insert a music CD menu. A menu will drop down.
4. 
   4
   Click the action you want to take. You can choose a program to open the CD, or you can prompt your computer to ask you what to do.

   • If you want to adjust your DVD settings, click the dropdown next to "When you insert a video DVD." You can choose your desired option here, as well.
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Section 5 of 5:

FAQ

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1. 1
   How do I play a CD on my desktop computer if it doesn't have a disc drive? You'll need to purchase an external disc drive to play CDs on a desktop that doesn't have a drive built in. You can purchase these drives from an electronics store or online, and they usually cost under $30. Make sure you get a model that works with your specific computer and operating system version.
2. 2
   What program can I use to play a CD besides Media Player or the Apple Music app? There are plenty of free media player programs you can download from the internet, but the most popular by far is the VLC Media Player. It can play most types of CDs and DVDs, and it works on Windows, Mac, and Linux.
3. 3
   How do I play a picture CD on my computer? Insert it into your computer just like any other CD. You can then access the pictures by opening File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac). You can open the photos in the app of your choice, or you can open all of the photos in your built-in photo app and view them as a slideshow.
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Community Q&A

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• Question

  Why won't the CD stay in the position it was left so that I can start from where I left off?

  

  Community Answer

  You just can't do that with a CD. If it's a CD with tracks, you should be able to just pick the track you left off on. Otherwise, utilize the fast forward option.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

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• Question

  How do I play an instructional CD?

  

  Community Answer

  A lot of instructional disks are actually DVDs, but you can follow the same basic pattern (put it in the computer and an auto play menu should appear). Choose an option like "play this disk with Windows Media Player" or Quicktime Player. If it's a CD with audio instructions, the same instructions as above should be applicable.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

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• Question

  Where is the eject button?

  

  Community Answer

  The eject button is on the left side of the computer. It's a little button in the middle of the CD player.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

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  Not Helpful 7 Helpful 10

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