What yt-dlp is and why you might install it

yt-dlp is a command-line tool that downloads video and audio from YouTube and hundreds of other websites. It is a maintained fork of youtube-dl, meaning it is based on the same code but receives regular updates and bug fixes. You run it from your Windows command prompt or PowerShell, type a URL, and it saves the video file to your computer.

People install yt-dlp to keep local copies of videos they want to watch offline, to extract audio from videos as MP3 files, or to download content before it disappears from the internet. It is free and open-source, meaning the code is publicly available and anyone can review it.

The installation process takes about five minutes and requires only that you download a file and add it to a folder Windows already knows about. You do not need administrator rights, though some steps are easier if you have them.

Key Takeaways

  • yt-dlp runs from the command line and requires Python 3.8 or newer, which you can download free from python.org.
  • The fastest installation method is to download the standalone executable file from the yt-dlp GitHub releases page and place it anywhere on your computer.
  • After installation, you test yt-dlp by opening PowerShell or Command Prompt and typing a simple command to confirm it works.
  • Once installed, you download a video by typing yt-dlp [URL] in your command prompt, and the file saves to your current folder.

Installing yt-dlp using the standalone executable

The easiest method for most Windows users is to download the standalone executable file. This file contains everything yt-dlp needs to run and does not require you to install Python separately. Go to the yt-dlp GitHub releases page at github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases and look for the latest release at the top of the list.

Under the "Assets" section, download the file named yt-dlp.exe. This is the Windows executable. Save it to a folder you will remember — your Downloads folder, your Documents folder, or a new folder called yt-dlp on your C: drive all work fine. Once the download finishes, you are done with this step.

If you want to run yt-dlp from any folder on your computer without typing the full path each time, move the yt-dlp.exe file to a folder that Windows already searches automatically. The easiest choice is your Windows user folder. Open File Explorer, type %APPDATA% in the address bar and press Enter, then create a new folder called yt-dlp inside it. Move yt-dlp.exe into that folder, then add this folder to your system PATH so Windows can find it. Right-click "This PC" or "My Computer" in File Explorer, select Properties, click "Advanced system settings", then "Environment Variables", select the PATH variable, click Edit, and add the full path to your yt-dlp folder. Click OK on each dialog to save.

Installing yt-dlp using Python and pip

If you already have Python installed on your Windows computer, you can install yt-dlp through Python's package manager, called pip. First, check whether Python is installed by opening PowerShell (right-click the Start button and select "Windows PowerShell" or "Terminal") and typing python --version. If Python is installed, you will see a version number like "Python 3.11.5". If you see an error, Python is not installed and you should use the standalone executable method instead.

If Python is installed and the version is 3.8 or newer, type this command into PowerShell: pip install yt-dlp. PowerShell will download and install yt-dlp automatically. This usually takes one to two minutes. When it finishes, type yt-dlp --version to confirm the installation worked.

If you do not have Python installed but prefer this method, download Python from python.org. Run the installer, and on the first screen, check the box that says "Add Python to PATH" before clicking Install. Once Python finishes installing, open PowerShell and run the pip command above.

Testing your installation

After installing yt-dlp, test it to make sure it works. Open PowerShell or Command Prompt and type yt-dlp --version. You should see output showing the version number, like "2024.01.16". If you see this, the installation is complete and working.

If you get an error saying "yt-dlp is not recognized as an internal or external command", the most common cause is that Windows cannot find the yt-dlp.exe file. If you used the standalone executable method, navigate to the folder where you saved yt-dlp.exe in PowerShell by typing cd C:\path\to\folder (replacing the path with the actual location), then try the command again. If you used the pip method, restart PowerShell completely and try again — sometimes PowerShell needs to refresh its list of available commands.

Downloading your first video

Once yt-dlp is installed and tested, downloading a video is straightforward. Open PowerShell or Command Prompt, navigate to the folder where you want to save the video, and type yt-dlp [URL], replacing [URL] with the actual video link. For example: yt-dlp https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ.

yt-dlp will display progress information as it downloads, showing the percentage complete and estimated time remaining. The video file will save to your current folder with a filename based on the video title. By default, yt-dlp downloads the best quality available.

If you want to download only the audio as an MP3 file instead of the full video, add the -x flag: yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 [URL]. If you want to specify a different video quality or format, type yt-dlp -F [URL] first to see all available formats, then use the -f flag to choose one.

Updating yt-dlp

yt-dlp receives updates regularly to support new websites and fix bugs. If you installed using the standalone executable, download the latest yt-dlp.exe file from the GitHub releases page and replace your old file with it. If you installed using pip, open PowerShell and type pip install --upgrade yt-dlp to download and install the newest version.

You can check your current version at any time by typing yt-dlp --version. Keeping yt-dlp updated is important because websites change how they host videos, and older versions may stop working.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need administrator rights to install yt-dlp?

No. The standalone executable method works without administrator rights. The pip method also works without them in most cases. Administrator rights only make it easier to add yt-dlp to your system PATH so you can run it from any folder without typing the full path.

What if yt-dlp stops working after a website update?

Update yt-dlp to the latest version. Most download failures happen because the tool is outdated and the website has changed. Run pip install --upgrade yt-dlp if you used pip, or download the newest yt-dlp.exe if you used the standalone method. If it still does not work after updating, the website may have blocked automated downloads.

Can yt-dlp download from websites other than YouTube?

Yes. yt-dlp supports hundreds of websites including Vimeo, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Twitch, and many others. The same command works for all of them — just paste the video URL. Type yt-dlp --list-extractors to see the full list of supported sites.

Where do downloaded videos save on my computer?

Videos save to whatever folder you are in when you run the yt-dlp command. If you open PowerShell and type the command without changing folders first, videos save to your user home directory. To save to a specific folder, use the cd command to navigate there first, or use the -o flag to specify a path: yt-dlp -o "C:\Videos\%(title)s.%(ext)s" [URL].

Is it legal to download videos with yt-dlp?

yt-dlp itself is legal — it is just a tool. Whether downloading a specific video is legal depends on the video's copyright and the website's terms of service. Many creators allow downloads, and some websites provide download buttons themselves. Always check the creator's permission or the website's rules before downloading.