> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Installation

> Install yt-dlp on Windows, macOS, Linux, or with Python pip

## Overview

yt-dlp can be installed using binaries, pip, or third-party package managers. Choose the method that works best for your platform and use case.

<Note>
  Python versions 3.10+ (CPython) and 3.11+ (PyPy) are supported. For the best experience, we recommend using Python 3.10 or later.
</Note>

## Install with pip (recommended)

The easiest way to install yt-dlp is using pip. This method works on all platforms and keeps the tool updated.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Install or upgrade yt-dlp">
    <CodeGroup>
      ```bash Standard installation theme={null}
      python -m pip install -U yt-dlp
      ```

      ```bash With default dependencies theme={null}
      python -m pip install -U "yt-dlp[default]"
      ```

      ```bash With curl-cffi for impersonation theme={null}
      python -m pip install -U "yt-dlp[default,curl-cffi]"
      ```
    </CodeGroup>

    <Note>
      On some systems, you may need to use `python3` or `py` instead of `python`.
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Verify installation">
    Check that yt-dlp is installed correctly:

    ```bash theme={null}
    yt-dlp --version
    ```

    You should see the version number printed to the console.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Platform-specific binaries

Standalone executables are available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. These don't require Python to be installed.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Windows">
    ### Windows (x64)

    Download the standalone executable for Windows:

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Download the executable">
        Download [yt-dlp.exe](https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/latest/download/yt-dlp.exe) (Windows 8+ x64)

        Alternative downloads:

        * [yt-dlp\_x86.exe](https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/latest/download/yt-dlp_x86.exe) - 32-bit version
        * [yt-dlp\_arm64.exe](https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/latest/download/yt-dlp_arm64.exe) - Windows 10+ ARM64
      </Step>

      <Step title="Place in your PATH (optional)">
        For easier access, place the executable in a directory that's in your PATH, such as `C:\Windows\System32` or add a custom directory to your PATH.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Run from command prompt">
        Open Command Prompt or PowerShell and run:

        ```powershell theme={null}
        yt-dlp --version
        ```
      </Step>
    </Steps>

    <Warning>
      The PyInstaller-bundled executables include GPLv3+ licensed code. The combined work is licensed under GPLv3+.
    </Warning>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="macOS">
    ### macOS (Universal)

    Download the standalone executable for macOS:

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Download the executable">
        Download [yt-dlp\_macos](https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/latest/download/yt-dlp_macos) (macOS 10.15+, Universal binary)
      </Step>

      <Step title="Make executable and move to PATH">
        ```bash theme={null}
        chmod +x yt-dlp_macos
        sudo mv yt-dlp_macos /usr/local/bin/yt-dlp
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Verify installation">
        ```bash theme={null}
        yt-dlp --version
        ```
      </Step>
    </Steps>

    ### Install with Homebrew

    If you use Homebrew, you can install yt-dlp with:

    ```bash theme={null}
    brew install yt-dlp
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Linux/BSD">
    ### Linux/BSD

    Download the platform-independent zipimport binary:

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Download the binary">
        ```bash theme={null}
        wget https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/latest/download/yt-dlp
        ```

        <Note>
          This requires Python 3.10+ to be installed on your system.
        </Note>
      </Step>

      <Step title="Make executable and move to PATH">
        ```bash theme={null}
        chmod +x yt-dlp
        sudo mv yt-dlp /usr/local/bin/
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Verify installation">
        ```bash theme={null}
        yt-dlp --version
        ```
      </Step>
    </Steps>

    ### Standalone Linux binaries

    For systems without Python or with older Python versions:

    <CodeGroup>
      ```bash x86_64 (glibc) theme={null}
      wget https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/latest/download/yt-dlp_linux
      chmod +x yt-dlp_linux
      sudo mv yt-dlp_linux /usr/local/bin/yt-dlp
      ```

      ```bash ARM64 (glibc) theme={null}
      wget https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/latest/download/yt-dlp_linux_aarch64
      chmod +x yt-dlp_linux_aarch64
      sudo mv yt-dlp_linux_aarch64 /usr/local/bin/yt-dlp
      ```

      ```bash x86_64 (musl) theme={null}
      wget https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/latest/download/yt-dlp_musllinux
      chmod +x yt-dlp_musllinux
      sudo mv yt-dlp_musllinux /usr/local/bin/yt-dlp
      ```
    </CodeGroup>

    <Note>
      Standalone Linux binaries require glibc 2.17+ or musl 1.2+ depending on the variant.
    </Note>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Package managers

yt-dlp is available in several third-party package managers:

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Linux distributions">
    <CodeGroup>
      ```bash Arch Linux theme={null}
      sudo pacman -S yt-dlp
      ```

      ```bash Debian/Ubuntu (from official repos) theme={null}
      sudo apt install yt-dlp
      ```

      ```bash Fedora theme={null}
      sudo dnf install yt-dlp
      ```

      ```bash Gentoo theme={null}
      sudo emerge net-misc/yt-dlp
      ```
    </CodeGroup>

    <Note>
      Distribution packages may be outdated. For the latest version, use pip or binaries.
    </Note>
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="macOS package managers">
    <CodeGroup>
      ```bash Homebrew theme={null}
      brew install yt-dlp
      ```

      ```bash MacPorts theme={null}
      sudo port install yt-dlp
      ```
    </CodeGroup>
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Windows package managers">
    <CodeGroup>
      ```powershell Chocolatey theme={null}
      choco install yt-dlp
      ```

      ```powershell Scoop theme={null}
      scoop install yt-dlp
      ```

      ```powershell winget theme={null}
      winget install yt-dlp
      ```
    </CodeGroup>
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Other package managers">
    <CodeGroup>
      ```bash Nix theme={null}
      nix-env -i yt-dlp
      ```

      ```bash pkgsrc (NetBSD) theme={null}
      pkgin install yt-dlp
      ```
    </CodeGroup>
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<Warning>
  Third-party package managers may not have the latest version. For critical bug fixes or new features, consider using pip or downloading the latest binary.
</Warning>

## Updating yt-dlp

yt-dlp has a built-in update mechanism for binaries and supports multiple release channels.

### Update release binaries

If you installed using the release binaries:

```bash theme={null}
yt-dlp -U
```

This updates to the latest version of your current channel (stable by default).

### Update pip installations

If you installed with pip, re-run the installation command:

```bash theme={null}
python -m pip install -U yt-dlp
```

For nightly releases:

```bash theme={null}
python -m pip install -U --pre "yt-dlp[default]"
```

### Release channels

yt-dlp has three release channels:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Stable">
    **Stable** (default) - Tested releases with many changes validated by nightly users.

    ```bash theme={null}
    # Binaries update to stable by default
    yt-dlp -U
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Nightly">
    **Nightly** (recommended) - Daily builds with latest patches. Recommended for regular users.

    <CodeGroup>
      ```bash Update binary to nightly theme={null}
      yt-dlp --update-to nightly
      ```

      ```bash Install nightly with pip theme={null}
      python -m pip install -U --pre "yt-dlp[default]"
      ```
    </CodeGroup>

    Nightly releases are available from [yt-dlp/yt-dlp-nightly-builds](https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp-nightly-builds/releases).
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Master">
    **Master** - Built after each push to master. Latest fixes but may have regressions.

    ```bash theme={null}
    yt-dlp --update-to master
    ```

    Master releases are available from [yt-dlp/yt-dlp-master-builds](https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp-master-builds/releases).
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

### Switch channels or downgrade

You can switch channels or downgrade to specific versions:

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash Switch to nightly channel theme={null}
  yt-dlp --update-to nightly
  ```

  ```bash Downgrade to specific version theme={null}
  yt-dlp --update-to stable@2023.07.06
  ```

  ```bash Upgrade to specific tag theme={null}
  yt-dlp --update-to 2023.10.07
  ```
</CodeGroup>

<Warning>
  When running a yt-dlp version older than 90 days, you'll see a warning suggesting to update. Use `--no-update` to suppress this warning.
</Warning>

## Dependencies

While most dependencies are optional, some are highly recommended for full functionality.

### Strongly recommended

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="ffmpeg and ffprobe" icon="video">
    Required for merging video and audio files, format conversion, and post-processing.

    **Installation:**

    <CodeGroup>
      ```bash Linux (Debian/Ubuntu) theme={null}
      sudo apt install ffmpeg
      ```

      ```bash macOS (Homebrew) theme={null}
      brew install ffmpeg
      ```

      ```powershell Windows (Chocolatey) theme={null}
      choco install ffmpeg
      ```
    </CodeGroup>

    yt-dlp also provides [custom FFmpeg builds](https://github.com/yt-dlp/FFmpeg-Builds) with patches for known issues.

    <Warning>
      You need the ffmpeg **binary**, not the [Python package of the same name](https://pypi.org/project/ffmpeg).
    </Warning>
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="yt-dlp-ejs and JavaScript runtime" icon="js">
    Required for full YouTube support. Install a JavaScript runtime:

    * [deno](https://deno.land) (recommended)
    * [node.js](https://nodejs.org)
    * [bun](https://bun.sh)
    * [QuickJS](https://bellard.org/quickjs/)

    Then install yt-dlp-ejs:

    ```bash theme={null}
    # yt-dlp-ejs is bundled in release binaries
    # For pip installations, it's installed with default extras
    python -m pip install -U "yt-dlp[default]"
    ```
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

### Optional dependencies

For specific features, you may want to install:

* **certifi** - Mozilla's root certificate bundle
* **brotli** or **brotlicffi** - Brotli compression support
* **websockets** - WebSocket downloads
* **requests** - HTTPS proxy and persistent connections
* **curl\_cffi** - Browser impersonation (included in most binaries)
* **mutagen** - Embed thumbnails in audio files
* **AtomicParsley** - Embed thumbnails in MP4/M4A
* **pycryptodomex** - Decrypt AES-128 HLS streams

Most optional dependencies are included in the `[default]` extras:

```bash theme={null}
python -m pip install -U "yt-dlp[default]"
```

## Verify dependencies

To see all currently available dependencies:

```bash theme={null}
yt-dlp --verbose
```

This displays loaded dependencies at the top of the output.

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Quick start" icon="rocket" href="/quickstart">
    Download your first video with yt-dlp
  </Card>

  <Card title="Configuration" icon="gear" href="/core-concepts/configuration">
    Set up configuration files for default options
  </Card>
</CardGroup>