yt-dlp

A feature-rich command-line audio/video downloader

yt-dlp v2026.7.4 20.0M downloads/30d#1,046 on PyPI★ 184,467

Permissive license Unlicense Active released 2026-07-04

What it is and what it does

yt-dlp is a command-line tool that downloads video and audio content from a wide range of websites. It's a maintained fork of youtube-dl with active development and additional features. The tool runs as a standalone executable or Python package and requires no runtime dependencies, making it straightforward to install and use.

You use it by passing a URL on the command line, optionally specifying output format, quality, subtitles, and post-processing steps. It supports configuration files, batch operations, metadata modification, and integration with external tools like SponsorBlock for automatic segment removal. The project is actively maintained, supports current Python versions (3.10 through 3.14), and runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows.

Use it for:

Download videos from YouTube or other platforms for offline viewing with custom quality and format selection
Batch-download entire playlists or channels with filename templates and metadata preservation
Extract audio from videos and convert to other formats using post-processing
Automatically remove sponsorship segments using SponsorBlock integration
Archive video content with subtitle downloads and metadata modification

Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying

yt-dlp downloads audio and video from thousands of sites via a command-line interface, supporting format selection, metadata modification, and post-processing.

Yes. yt-dlp is actively maintained, has no install friction, carries a permissive license, and is widely used (top 5000 PyPI packages). It solves a clear problem with broad site support and low barrier to entry. Install it if you need to download video or audio from the web.

Install

yt-dlp on PyPI

pip

pip install yt-dlp

uv

uv add yt-dlp

poetry

poetry add yt-dlp

Installing yt-dlp

Before you install

Low install friction with no runtime dependencies. Active maintenance with recent releases; repository shows strong community engagement (184467 stars) and current development activity.

License in practice

Licensed under Unlicense (permissive public domain equivalent). Standalone executables bundle GPLv3+ code, so the combined work carries GPLv3+ licensing; the Python package itself remains permissive.

Quickstart

pip install yt-dlp

yt-dlp 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example'

Requires Python 3.10 or later. Some video sites may require additional system tools for post-processing.

Verify before relying

Whether all thousands of supported sites remain functional or if some require authentication/workarounds
Performance characteristics for large batch downloads or high-resolution formats
Compatibility with specific video hosting platforms beyond YouTube

Package facts

License	Unlicense (permissive)
Python support	supports the current Python release (>=3.10)
Install friction	low — pure-Python wheel
Runtime dependencies	none
Maintenance	actively maintained — 41 days since the last release
Last repo commit	2026-08-04
First released	2021-01-15
Downloads	20,041,303/month — #1,046 on PyPI (30-day window, as of 2026-08-14)
Known vulnerabilities	none known (OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14)

Evidence: yt_dlp-2026.7.4-py3-none-any.whl

Keywords: cli, downloader, sponsorblock, youtube-dl, youtube-downloader, yt-dlp

Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableEnvironment :: ConsoleOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3 :: OnlyProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.14Programming Language :: Python :: ImplementationProgramming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPythonProgramming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: PyPyTopic :: Multimedia :: Video