---
id: yt-dlp
version: "2026.7.4"
license: Unlicense
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# yt-dlp — A feature-rich command-line audio/video downloader

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 20.0M/mo

## 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 above — 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

pip install yt-dlp
uv add yt-dlp
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_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 20.0M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

video downloader command line, youtube downloader cli, audio video download tool, multi-site video downloader, youtube-dl alternative, batch video download, format selection downloader, cli-tool, media-download, batch-processing

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/yt-dlp) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/yt-dlp/)