Install yt-dlp

Install yt-dlp and ffmpeg on Windows, macOS or Linux, then check the install worked.

Choose your system

Windows winget, Scoop or a single .exe. macOS Homebrew or pipx. Linux Package manager, pipx or the official binary.

You almost certainly need ffmpeg too

yt-dlp downloads without it, but merging separate video and audio, extracting MP3, embedding subtitles or thumbnails and cutting sections all call ffmpeg. Installing it up front avoids a confusing first failure.

Check the install worked

yt-dlp --version
ffmpeg -version

Frequently asked questions

› Which install method should I pick?

Whichever package manager you already use. The one thing worth avoiding is dropping the binary somewhere random and hoping your shell finds it — that is what produces 'yt-dlp is not recognized'.

› Do I really need ffmpeg?

For plain downloads, no. For anything that merges video and audio, converts to MP3, embeds subtitles or thumbnails, or cuts a section — yes, and those cover most of what people actually want.

› How do I update yt-dlp?

A standalone binary updates itself with yt-dlp -U. Installed through a package manager, update it with that manager instead; self-update refuses to modify a file it does not own. Updating fixes more problems than any single flag.

› Is yt-dlp safe to install?

It is a well-known open-source project. Download it from its official releases page or a package manager you already trust, and be wary of re-uploads on random download sites — those are where trouble comes from.