Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about yt-dlp functionality and usage

Answers to the most common questions about using yt-dlp.

General Questions

What is yt-dlp?

yt-dlp is a feature-rich command-line audio/video downloader with support for thousands of sites. It’s a fork of youtube-dl with additional features and fixes.

Key improvements over youtube-dl:

• Faster and more frequently updated
• Better format selection
• More extractors and features
• SponsorBlock integration
• Better playlist handling

Is yt-dlp legal to use?

yt-dlp is a legal tool, but how you use it matters:

Legal uses:

• Downloading your own videos
• Downloading content you have rights to
• Downloading public domain or Creative Commons content
• Personal backups of content you have access to

Potentially illegal:

• Downloading copyrighted content without permission
• Bypassing DRM protection
• Violating a website’s Terms of Service

You are responsible for complying with copyright laws and terms of service in your jurisdiction.

What's the difference between yt-dlp and youtube-dl?

yt-dlp is a fork of youtube-dl with:

• More frequent updates and active development
• Additional features (SponsorBlock, better format selection, etc.)
• More supported sites and extractors
• Better performance
• Bug fixes and improvements

yt-dlp maintains compatibility with youtube-dl while adding new capabilities.

Which Python version do I need?

• Python 3.10+ (CPython)
• Python 3.11+ (PyPy)

If you use standalone binaries, Python is already included.

Do I need ffmpeg?

While technically optional, ffmpeg is strongly recommended for:

• Merging video and audio streams
• Converting formats
• Embedding thumbnails and metadata
• Downloading HLS/DASH streams
• Most post-processing tasks

Download from: yt-dlp/FFmpeg-Builds

Installation & Updates

How do I install yt-dlp?

Recommended methods:

# Standalone binary (Linux/macOS)
sudo wget https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/latest/download/yt-dlp -O /usr/local/bin/yt-dlp
sudo chmod a+rx /usr/local/bin/yt-dlp

# Windows (download .exe)
# https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/latest/download/yt-dlp.exe

# Via pip
pip install yt-dlp

# Via pip with all extras
pip install "yt-dlp[default,curl-cffi]"

See the Installation guide for more options.

How do I update yt-dlp?

For standalone binaries:

yt-dlp --update

# Update to nightly (recommended)
yt-dlp --update-to nightly

For pip installations:

pip install -U yt-dlp

# Install nightly with pip
pip install -U --pre "yt-dlp[default]"

Should I use stable or nightly builds?

Use nightly builds for regular use. They are:

• Updated daily with latest fixes
• More reliable for frequently-changing sites
• The recommended version for bug reports

Stable builds are less frequent and may have older extractors.

yt-dlp --update-to nightly

How do I install yt-dlp-ejs for YouTube?

yt-dlp-ejs is required for full YouTube support.

Included in: Most standalone binaries

For pip installations:

1. Install a JavaScript runtime (deno recommended):

   # Install deno
   curl -fsSL https://deno.land/install.sh | sh
   

2. yt-dlp will automatically fetch yt-dlp-ejs when needed

See the EJS wiki for detailed setup.

Downloading

How do I download the best quality video?

# Best overall quality (may be webm)
yt-dlp -f "bestvideo+bestaudio" URL

# Best MP4 video
yt-dlp -f "bestvideo[ext=mp4]+bestaudio[ext=m4a]/best[ext=mp4]/best" URL

# Simpler: use preset
yt-dlp --preset-alias mp4 URL

How do I download audio only?

# Extract audio
yt-dlp -x URL

# Extract as MP3
yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 URL

# Or use preset
yt-dlp --preset-alias mp3 URL

# Best quality audio (no conversion)
yt-dlp -f "bestaudio" URL

How do I download an entire playlist?

# Download entire playlist
yt-dlp PLAYLIST_URL

# Download specific items
yt-dlp --playlist-items 1-10,15,20 PLAYLIST_URL

# Download in reverse order
yt-dlp --playlist-reverse PLAYLIST_URL

# Skip first N videos
yt-dlp --playlist-start 5 PLAYLIST_URL

How do I download a video and playlist simultaneously?

By default, if a URL contains both a video and playlist, only the video is downloaded.

# Download entire playlist
yt-dlp --yes-playlist URL

# Download only the video
yt-dlp --no-playlist URL

How do I limit download to specific quality?

# Max 1080p
yt-dlp -f "bestvideo[height<=1080]+bestaudio/best" URL

# Exactly 720p
yt-dlp -f "bestvideo[height=720]+bestaudio" URL

# Max file size
yt-dlp --max-filesize 100M URL

How do I download subtitles?

# Download all available subtitles
yt-dlp --write-subs --sub-langs all URL

# Download auto-generated subs
yt-dlp --write-auto-subs --sub-langs en URL

# Embed subtitles in video
yt-dlp --embed-subs URL

# Specific languages
yt-dlp --write-subs --sub-langs en,es,fr URL

How do I download livestreams?

# Download from current position
yt-dlp URL

# Download from start (experimental)
yt-dlp --live-from-start URL

# Wait for scheduled stream
yt-dlp --wait-for-video 60 URL

How do I resume interrupted downloads?

# Resume (enabled by default)
yt-dlp --continue URL

# Restart from beginning
yt-dlp --no-continue URL

Authentication

How do I download private/members-only videos?

Use cookies from your logged-in browser:

yt-dlp --cookies-from-browser firefox URL

Supported browsers: firefox, chrome, chromium, edge, opera, safari, brave

How do I use username and password?

yt-dlp --username YOUR_USERNAME --password YOUR_PASSWORD URL

# Or use netrc file
yt-dlp --netrc URL

Many sites block programmatic login. Using cookies is more reliable.

What is a .netrc file and how do I use it?

A .netrc file stores login credentials.

Location:

• Linux/macOS: ~/.netrc
• Windows: %HOME%\_netrc

Format:

machine youtube
login [e-mail]
password your_password

machine twitch
login your_username
password your_password

Usage:

yt-dlp --netrc URL

Format Selection

How do I list available formats?

yt-dlp -F URL

This shows all formats with IDs, resolutions, codecs, and file sizes.

How do I download specific formats?

# By format ID
yt-dlp -f 137+140 URL

# By criteria
yt-dlp -f "bestvideo[ext=mp4]+bestaudio[ext=m4a]" URL

Why are video and audio separate?

Many sites (especially YouTube) serve high-quality video and audio as separate streams.

yt-dlp automatically:

1. Downloads both streams
2. Merges them using ffmpeg

This is why ffmpeg is required for best quality downloads.

How do I prefer MP4 over WEBM?

yt-dlp -f "bestvideo[ext=mp4]+bestaudio[ext=m4a]/best[ext=mp4]/best" URL

# Or merge to MP4
yt-dlp --merge-output-format mp4 URL

Output & File Naming

How do I customize output filename?

# Basic template
yt-dlp -o "%(title)s.%(ext)s" URL

# With uploader and date
yt-dlp -o "%(uploader)s - %(upload_date)s - %(title)s.%(ext)s" URL

# Organize in folders
yt-dlp -o "%(uploader)s/%(playlist)s/%(playlist_index)s - %(title)s.%(ext)s" URL

See Output Templates for all available fields.

How do I save to a specific folder?

# Using -P option
yt-dlp -P /path/to/folder URL

# Using -o with full path
yt-dlp -o "/path/to/folder/%(title)s.%(ext)s" URL

How do I avoid overwriting files?

# Don't overwrite (default)
yt-dlp --no-overwrites URL

# Force overwrite
yt-dlp --force-overwrites URL

How do I restrict filename characters?

# ASCII only
yt-dlp --restrict-filenames URL

# Windows-compatible
yt-dlp --windows-filenames URL

Post-Processing

How do I convert video to MP4?

# Merge to MP4 container
yt-dlp --merge-output-format mp4 URL

# Re-encode to MP4
yt-dlp --recode-video mp4 URL

How do I embed thumbnail in audio file?

yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 --embed-thumbnail URL

Requires mutagen (or AtomicParsley for M4A).

How do I embed metadata?

# Embed metadata and thumbnail
yt-dlp --embed-metadata --embed-thumbnail URL

# Add chapter markers
yt-dlp --embed-chapters URL

How do I remove ads with SponsorBlock?

# Remove sponsor segments
yt-dlp --sponsorblock-remove sponsor URL

# Remove all SponsorBlock categories
yt-dlp --sponsorblock-remove all URL

# Just mark chapters (don't remove)
yt-dlp --sponsorblock-mark all URL

Advanced Usage

How do I use a configuration file?

Create ~/.config/yt-dlp/config (Linux/macOS) or %APPDATA%/yt-dlp/config.txt (Windows):

# Format selection
-f bestvideo+bestaudio

# Output template
-o ~/Videos/%(title)s.%(ext)s

# Embed metadata
--embed-metadata
--embed-thumbnail

# SponsorBlock
--sponsorblock-mark all

Options in config file are used automatically.

How do I download from a list of URLs?

Create a text file with one URL per line:

yt-dlp --batch-file urls.txt

# Or from stdin
cat urls.txt | yt-dlp --batch-file -

How do I use yt-dlp with a download manager?

# Get direct URL
yt-dlp -g URL

# Use with aria2c
yt-dlp --downloader aria2c --downloader-args "-x 16 -s 16" URL

How do I filter videos in a playlist?

# Only videos shorter than 10 minutes
yt-dlp --match-filters "duration < 600" PLAYLIST_URL

# Only videos uploaded this year
yt-dlp --dateafter now-1year PLAYLIST_URL

# Exclude live streams
yt-dlp --match-filters "!is_live" PLAYLIST_URL

Can I use yt-dlp in my Python script?

Yes! See the Embedding yt-dlp guide.

from yt_dlp import YoutubeDL

ydl_opts = {'format': 'best'}
with YoutubeDL(ydl_opts) as ydl:
    ydl.download(['https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID'])

Troubleshooting

Why is my download failing?

1. Update to nightly:

   yt-dlp --update-to nightly
   

2. Check verbose output:

   yt-dlp --verbose URL
   

3. Try with cookies:

   yt-dlp --cookies-from-browser firefox URL
   

See the Troubleshooting guide for more solutions.

Why is yt-dlp slow?

• Use external downloader: --downloader aria2c
• Increase concurrent fragments: -N 10
• Check your internet connection
• Some sites have rate limiting

Where can I get help?

• Troubleshooting Guide
• GitHub Discussions
• Discord Server
• GitHub Issues (for bugs)

More Information

For more detailed information, see:

• Official Documentation
• Wiki
• Format Selection
• Output Templates
• All Options