Install guide

How to install yt-dlp on Mac, Windows, and Linux

A clean yt-dlp install is simple: install yt-dlp, install ffmpeg, verify both commands work, and only then move on to actual downloading. Skipping those checks is how people end up debugging the wrong problem for an hour.

Quick answer

Install yt-dlp and ffmpeg together, then verify both.

yt-dlp --version
ffmpeg -version

macOS

brew install yt-dlp ffmpeg

yt-dlp --version
ffmpeg -version

Homebrew is the simplest path. If yt-dlp downloads basic files but audio extraction fails later, ffmpeg is usually the missing piece.

Windows

winget install yt-dlp.yt-dlp
winget install Gyan.FFmpeg

yt-dlp --version
ffmpeg -version

If the command is not recognized, restart your terminal. A lot of Windows install issues are just PATH updates not appearing in the current shell yet.

Linux

python3 -m pip install -U yt-dlp
sudo apt install ffmpeg

yt-dlp --version
ffmpeg -version

Package-manager versions can lag. If you need the latest extractor fixes, pip is often the safer yt-dlp install path.

Fast install sanity check

yt-dlp -F "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaW_jenozKc"

If this returns format information, your install is basically working. If not, the problem is usually PATH, environment mismatch, or missing ffmpeg.

The mistake to avoid

Do not move straight into platform-specific troubleshooting before confirming the install itself works. If version checks and the basic format listing fail, fix the install first.

If it keeps breaking

Tired of fixing this every time a site changes?

Paste a link to see what a managed import API returns — the one that stays current so your workflow doesn't break.