How To Create a Data DVD Using Only the Mac OS X Finder

You don’t have to buy some expensive DVD burning software just to archive files to disc on Mac OS X; Apple includes this functionality right in the operating system! Although the process isn’t exactly obvious (as in, ahem, Microsoft Windows), it works fine. Here’s how to burn a data DVD without using any third-party software.

1. Insert a blank DVD into your SuperDrive



2. The Finder will pop up a window asking you to select an action. Choose “Open Finder” in the “Action” menu.
   1. If this window does not appear and some other application automatically starts, you will have to hold down the “Option” key on insert.
   2. If no other application launches when you insert a blank disc, you probably selected “Open Finder” as your default action and you can move on to the next step.



3. A Finder window will appear, with a new entry called “Untitled DVD” in the “Places” list. This is your workspace, and you will use it to create your DVD image.

   

   1. Drag and drop files or folders here and an alias will be created
   2. You can create folders here as in any normal Finder location and can organize your files in them

   

   3. Note the line at the bottom, which lets you know how much space is left for files
   4. If you are organizing aliases in folders, you must click on another “place” then back to the “Untitled DVD” item under “Places” to force a recalculation of capacity used/available
4. You can rename the disc by right- or option-clicking the Untitled DVD in Places and selecting “Get Info”. Give it a new name, but leave the “.fpbf” extension.



5. When you’re ready, click the “burn” icon under Places or select “Burn” under the “gear” menu.



6. You can rename the disc or select burn speed in the next window. Click “Burn” again and wait while your disc is created!

Once you get used to the process, burning a DVD in Mac OS X is a painless and simple matter. But it’s not exactly self-explanatory!