How to Install MakeMKV on Debian

MakeMKV converts DVDs and Blu-ray discs into MKV files, preserving the original video, audio tracks, chapters, and metadata without re-encoding. This makes it ideal for backing up physical media collections, creating digital archives of movies you own, or streaming decrypted content directly to media servers like Plex or Jellyfin. By the end of this guide, you will have MakeMKV installed on your Debian system using your preferred method, verified and ready to convert your first disc.

Choose Your MakeMKV Installation Method

MakeMKV can be installed on Debian through three different methods, each with distinct advantages. The following table summarizes the trade-offs to help you select the best approach for your needs.

Method	Channel	Version	Updates	Best For
Third-Party Repository	Heyar Jerome Repository	Latest stable	Automatic via APT	Most users who want easy installation and updates
Flatpak	Flathub	Latest stable	Automatic via Flatpak	Users who prefer sandboxed applications
Source Compilation	Official Forum	Latest release	Manual recompilation	Advanced users needing custom builds or newest features

For most users, we recommend the third-party repository method because it provides automatic security updates through APT and requires minimal maintenance. Alternatively, choose Flatpak if you prefer application sandboxing, or compile from source only if you need the absolute latest release or encounter compatibility issues with prebuilt packages.

Update Debian Before Installation

Before installing any new software, update your package index and upgrade existing packages to ensure you have the latest security patches and dependency versions. Open a terminal by searching for “Terminal” in Activities, then run:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

Review the list of packages to be upgraded and confirm by pressing Y when prompted. Once complete, proceed with your chosen installation method below.

Method 1: Install MakeMKV via Third-Party Repository

The third-party repository maintained by Heyar Jerome provides prebuilt MakeMKV packages for Debian 11 (Bullseye), Debian 12 (Bookworm), and Debian 13 (Trixie). As a result, this method handles dependencies automatically and delivers updates through your regular system updates.

Install Required Packages

First, install the packages needed to add and verify the third-party repository:

sudo apt install ca-certificates curl gnupg lsb-release -y

Specifically, these packages provide SSL certificate validation (ca-certificates), file downloading (curl), GPG key handling (gnupg), and release detection (lsb-release) needed to securely add external repositories.

Import the Repository GPG Keys

Next, download the repository signing keys. The repository uses two keys to support all Debian versions, so download both and combine them into a single keyring file:

curl -fsSL https://ramses.hjramses.com/deb/hjmooses.pgp https://ramses.hjramses.com/deb/hjmooses-2025.pgp | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/makemkv.gpg

This command downloads both the original and the 2025 signing keys from the official repository, converts them to binary format, and saves the combined keyring to the system keyrings directory. The older key signs packages for Debian 11 and 12, while the 2025 key signs packages for Debian 13 and newer releases.

Add the MakeMKV Repository

With the keys in place, add the repository using the modern DEB822 .sources format, which keeps APT configuration consistent and readable:

cat <<EOF | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/makemkv.sources
Types: deb
URIs: https://ramses.hjramses.com/deb/makemkv
Suites: $(lsb_release -cs)
Components: main
Architectures: $(dpkg --print-architecture)
Signed-By: /usr/share/keyrings/makemkv.gpg
EOF

Notably, the $(lsb_release -cs) command automatically detects your Debian release codename (bullseye, bookworm, or trixie), so this configuration works across all supported versions.

Refresh Package Index

After adding the repository, refresh your package index to include the new MakeMKV packages:

sudo apt update

You should see output confirming APT fetched the MakeMKV repository successfully. However, if you encounter GPG errors, check that /usr/share/keyrings/makemkv.gpg exists to verify the key import succeeded.

Install MakeMKV Packages

Now install both the open-source components and the proprietary binary:

sudo apt install makemkv-oss makemkv-bin -y

Specifically, the makemkv-oss package contains the open-source GUI and libraries, while makemkv-bin includes the proprietary decryption components required to read protected discs.

Verify the Installation

Finally, confirm the installation succeeded by checking the installed version:

apt-cache policy makemkv-bin

The expected output shows the installed version and confirms the package comes from the Heyar Jerome repository:

makemkv-bin:
  Installed: 1.18.2-1~deb12
  Candidate: 1.18.2-1~deb12
  Version table:
 *** 1.18.2-1~deb12 500
        500 https://ramses.hjramses.com/deb/makemkv bookworm/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

The version number and release suffix (deb11, deb12, or deb13) in your output will reflect your specific Debian version. Importantly, what matters is confirming the package is installed and sourced from the MakeMKV repository.

Update MakeMKV in the Future

When new versions are released, update MakeMKV along with your other system packages:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

Alternatively, update only the MakeMKV packages without upgrading everything else:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install --only-upgrade makemkv-oss makemkv-bin

Method 2: Install MakeMKV via Flatpak

Flatpak provides a sandboxed installation that isolates MakeMKV from your system, which can improve security and simplify removal. Additionally, the Flathub repository maintains an up-to-date MakeMKV package.

Set Up Flatpak and Flathub

If Flatpak is not already installed on your system, follow our Flatpak installation guide for Debian to set up the Flatpak framework and add the Flathub repository. This typically takes under five minutes.

However, if Flatpak is already installed, ensure Flathub is configured as a remote source:

sudo flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

Install MakeMKV from Flathub

Once Flathub is available, install MakeMKV using the Flatpak command:

sudo flatpak install flathub com.makemkv.MakeMKV -y

The -y flag automatically confirms the installation prompts. Furthermore, Flatpak may download additional runtime dependencies (such as the KDE or GNOME platform libraries) on first install.

Verify the Flatpak Installation

After the installation completes, confirm MakeMKV appears in your Flatpak applications:

flatpak list --app | grep -i makemkv

Expected output:

MakeMKV	com.makemkv.MakeMKV	1.18.2	stable	system

Note that Flatpak applications access optical drives through the host system. If MakeMKV cannot detect your DVD or Blu-ray drive, you may need to grant additional permissions using Flatseal or run the application with --device=all.

Update MakeMKV via Flatpak

To update MakeMKV along with all other Flatpak applications, run:

sudo flatpak update

Method 3: Compile MakeMKV from Source

Compiling from source gives you the newest release directly from the MakeMKV developers. However, this method requires more technical knowledge and manual updates, but ensures access to the latest features and bug fixes.

Install Build Dependencies

First, install the compilers, libraries, and development headers required to build MakeMKV:

sudo apt install build-essential pkg-config libc6-dev libssl-dev libexpat1-dev libavcodec-dev libgl1-mesa-dev qtbase5-dev zlib1g-dev -y

In particular, these packages provide the GNU compiler toolchain (build-essential), Qt5 GUI framework (qtbase5-dev), OpenSSL cryptography (libssl-dev), FFmpeg video processing (libavcodec-dev), and OpenGL rendering (libgl1-mesa-dev) that MakeMKV requires.

Download MakeMKV Source Archives

Rather than manually checking the forum for the latest version, you can automatically detect and download the current release. The following commands scrape the official MakeMKV Linux releases page to extract the version number, then download both required archives:

mkdir -p ~/makemkv-build && cd ~/makemkv-build
MAKEMKV_VERSION=$(curl -s 'https://forum.makemkv.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=224' | grep -oE 'makemkv-bin-[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+' | head -1 | sed 's/makemkv-bin-//')
echo "Detected MakeMKV version: $MAKEMKV_VERSION"
wget "https://www.makemkv.com/download/makemkv-oss-${MAKEMKV_VERSION}.tar.gz"
wget "https://www.makemkv.com/download/makemkv-bin-${MAKEMKV_VERSION}.tar.gz"

Expected output showing the detected version and successful downloads:

Detected MakeMKV version: 1.18.2
--2024-12-20 15:30:00--  https://www.makemkv.com/download/makemkv-oss-1.18.2.tar.gz
...
2024-12-20 15:30:02 (5.2 MB/s) - 'makemkv-oss-1.18.2.tar.gz' saved [12345678/12345678]
--2024-12-20 15:30:02--  https://www.makemkv.com/download/makemkv-bin-1.18.2.tar.gz
...
2024-12-20 15:30:04 (4.8 MB/s) - 'makemkv-bin-1.18.2.tar.gz' saved [12345678/12345678]

The version number in your output will reflect the current release available on the MakeMKV website. This automated approach ensures you always download the latest version without needing to check the forum manually.

Compile and Install the Open-Source Package

Extract and compile the makemkv-oss package first, as the binary package depends on it:

tar -xvzf "makemkv-oss-${MAKEMKV_VERSION}.tar.gz"
cd "makemkv-oss-${MAKEMKV_VERSION}"
./configure
make
sudo make install

During this step, the ./configure script checks for required dependencies and prepares the build. If it reports missing libraries, install the corresponding -dev package and run ./configure again.

Compile and Install the Binary Package

Once the open-source package finishes, return to the build directory and compile the binary package:

cd ~/makemkv-build
tar -xvzf "makemkv-bin-${MAKEMKV_VERSION}.tar.gz"
cd "makemkv-bin-${MAKEMKV_VERSION}"
make
sudo make install

During installation, you must accept the End User License Agreement (EULA) by typing yes when prompted. Afterward, the binary package installs the proprietary decryption libraries to /usr/lib.

Verify the Source Installation

Finally, confirm MakeMKV is installed and accessible from your PATH:

which makemkv

Expected output:

/usr/bin/makemkv

Launch MakeMKV

After completing the installation, launch MakeMKV using either the command line or your desktop environment’s application menu.

Launch from Terminal

For APT or source installations, run:

makemkv

Alternatively, for Flatpak installations, use the Flatpak run command:

flatpak run com.makemkv.MakeMKV

Launch from Applications Menu

To use the graphical method, press the Super key (or click Activities) to open the application grid, then search for “MakeMKV” and click the icon to launch it.

Troubleshoot Common Issues

Optical Drive Not Detected

If MakeMKV does not detect your DVD or Blu-ray drive, first verify that your system recognizes the drive:

lsblk | grep -E 'sr|rom'

Expected output showing a detected optical drive:

sr0     11:0    1  7.9G  0 rom

If no device appears, first check that your drive is properly connected. For USB drives, verify the connection with dmesg | tail -20 after plugging in the device.

If the drive appears but MakeMKV cannot access it, add your user to the cdrom group:

sudo usermod -aG cdrom $USER

Afterward, log out and back in for the group change to take effect.

Beta Key Required Message

MakeMKV is free during beta but requires a registration key. Therefore, if you see a message about the beta period expiring, visit the MakeMKV beta key forum thread to obtain the current free beta key. Enter the key via Help → Register in the MakeMKV menu.

Flatpak Cannot Access Drive

Flatpak’s sandboxing may prevent MakeMKV from accessing optical drives by default. To resolve this, grant device access by running MakeMKV with explicit permissions:

flatpak run --device=all com.makemkv.MakeMKV

Alternatively, you can install Flatseal to manage Flatpak permissions graphically and enable “All devices” for MakeMKV.

Remove MakeMKV

If you no longer need MakeMKV, follow the removal steps corresponding to your installation method.

Remove APT Repository Installation

First, uninstall the MakeMKV packages and remove orphaned dependencies:

sudo apt remove makemkv-oss makemkv-bin -y
sudo apt autoremove -y

Next, remove the repository configuration and GPG key:

sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/makemkv.sources
sudo rm /usr/share/keyrings/makemkv.gpg

After removing the repository files, refresh the package cache:

sudo apt update

Then verify APT no longer offers the packages from the removed repository:

apt-cache policy makemkv-bin

Expected output confirming complete removal:

N: Unable to locate package makemkv-bin

Remove Flatpak Installation

To remove the Flatpak version, uninstall MakeMKV and remove unused runtime dependencies:

sudo flatpak uninstall com.makemkv.MakeMKV -y
sudo flatpak uninstall --unused -y

Optional: Flatpak stores application data in ~/.var/app/com.makemkv.MakeMKV/. Delete this directory if you want to remove all MakeMKV settings and cached data.

Remove Source Compilation

Unlike packaged installations, source-compiled installations do not include an uninstaller. Therefore, remove the installed files manually:

Warning: The following commands permanently delete the MakeMKV binaries, libraries, and your build directory. This cannot be undone.

sudo rm -f /usr/bin/makemkv /usr/bin/makemkvcon /usr/bin/mmccextr /usr/bin/mmgplsrv
sudo rm -rf /usr/lib/libdriveio.so* /usr/lib/libmakemkv.so* /usr/lib/libmmbd.so*
sudo rm -rf ~/makemkv-build

After running these commands, verify removal by confirming the executable no longer exists:

which makemkv

If the command returns no output, then you have successfully removed MakeMKV.

Remove User Settings (Optional)

Additionally, MakeMKV stores user settings, registration keys, and cached data in a hidden directory within your home folder. Delete this directory to remove all personal configuration:

Warning: This permanently deletes your MakeMKV registration key, preferences, and any saved profiles. Export any settings you want to keep before proceeding.

rm -rf ~/.MakeMKV

This step is optional; therefore, leaving the directory in place preserves your settings if you reinstall MakeMKV later.

Conclusion

You now have MakeMKV installed on Debian and can convert DVDs and Blu-ray discs to MKV format while preserving original quality. The repository method provides the easiest maintenance with automatic updates, while Flatpak offers sandboxing for security-conscious users. For accessing the newest features immediately, source compilation remains an option for advanced users comfortable with manual upgrades. With MakeMKV configured, you can begin digitizing your physical media collection for playback on any device.