Insert CDs and DVDs
If your Mac has a built-in optical drive, or if you connect an external optical drive (for example, an Apple USB SuperDrive), you can use CDs and DVDs to play music, watch movies, or access files that were backed up on a disc.
Insert a CD or DVD
Important: Built-in optical drives and the Apple USB SuperDrive accept only standard 120-mm (about 4.72 inches) round CD and DVD discs. Do not insert smaller or irregularly shaped discs, and do not insert a disc with anything hanging from it (for example, a cleaner disc).
Insert a disc into the optical drive, with the label facing up or toward you, until you feel the drive catches and pulls it in.
You must insert the disc nearly all the way in before the drive pulls it in.
Choose what happens when you insert a CD or DVD
You can choose what your computer does when you insert certain types of CD and DVD discs. For example, you can open photo editing software whenever you insert a picture CD, or run an AppleScript script that backs up your important documents whenever you insert a blank DVD.
Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click CDs & DVDs. (If you don’t have an optical drive built into or connected to your Mac, CDs & DVDs preferences aren’t available.)
Use the pop-up menus to choose an action for the type of inserted discs.
Some apps can start processing an inserted disc immediately. For example, iTunes can immediately import songs from a music CD, and DVD Player can immediately play a video. For more information, see the help that comes with the app you want to use with the CD or DVD.