Install yt-dlp on macOS

Install yt-dlp and ffmpeg on macOS with Homebrew or pipx, and keep them updated.

1. Install yt-dlp

Homebrew is the path of least resistance and installs both tools in one line.

brew install yt-dlp ffmpeg

Without Homebrew, pipx keeps yt-dlp in its own environment so it cannot collide with anything else you have installed through Python.

pipx install yt-dlp

Avoid a bare pip install into the system Python: recent macOS releases push back on it, and when it does work it tends to break later for unrelated reasons.

2. Install ffmpeg

Included above if you used Homebrew. Otherwise install it separately — merging, MP3 extraction and embedding all depend on it.

brew install ffmpeg

3. Check it worked

yt-dlp --version
ffmpeg -version

If the shell cannot find yt-dlp after a pipx install, run pipx ensurepath and open a new terminal.

Cookies from Safari

--cookies-from-browser safari needs Full Disk Access for your terminal, granted in System Settings → Privacy & Security. Without it the read fails with a permissions error that does not mention the setting. Chrome and Firefox work without it.

Updating

brew upgrade yt-dlp     # Homebrew
pipx upgrade yt-dlp     # pipx

Frequently asked questions

› macOS cannot find yt-dlp after installing with pipx.

Run pipx ensurepath, then open a new terminal so the updated PATH is picked up.

› Do I need anything extra for cookies on macOS?

Only for Safari: --cookies-from-browser safari needs Full Disk Access for your terminal, in System Settings → Privacy & Security. Chrome and Firefox work without it.

› 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.