yt-dlp Complete Guide: I Download Video from 1000+ Sites With This One Tool

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Direct answer: yt-dlp (182,957 ★, Unlicense, GitHub-verified 2026-08-07) is a command-line tool that downloads video from YouTube, Bilibili, TikTok, and over a thousand other sites — free, open source, no watermark, original quality. Five commands cover 95% of usage: download, extract audio, download playlists, grab subtitles, and pin format. This guide covers all five.

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Why yt-dlp instead of download websites

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Download-website pattern: three ads, one fake button, watermark on output, and a toolbar installer. yt-dlp: one command, real quality, nothing else. It's the standard tool for archival, research, and AI content pipelines — Unlicense means no license restrictions at all.

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Install

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• Windows: download the .exe from the official releases page, add to PATH.
• macOS: brew install yt-dlp.
• Linux: package manager, or the one-liner from the repo.
• Python users: pip install yt-dlp.

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No accounts, no API keys.

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The five commands you'll actually use

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Task	Command
Download video (best quality)	yt-dlp \"URL\"
Audio only (mp3)	yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 \"URL\"
Whole playlist, organized	yt-dlp -o \"%(playlist_title)s/%(title)s.%(ext)s\" \"URL\"
Subtitles only	yt-dlp --write-subs --sub-langs \"en,zh\" --skip-download \"URL\"
Pin a format (720p safe)	yt-dlp -f \"bestvideo[height<=720]+bestaudio/best\" \"URL\"

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When it breaks

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Sites change internals constantly; yt-dlp updates constantly to match. The fix is usually:

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yt-dlp -U

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That updates to the newest version — 80% of \"it stopped working\" is solved by this. The other 20% is rate-limiting: too many downloads too fast. Wait a few minutes, don't hammer.

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Legal note

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The tool is legal and used by archivists, journalists, and educators. Downloading copyrighted content for redistribution is not. Downloading what you have the right to access — public talks, your own videos, Creative Commons content — is fine. Use judgment.

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Why it matters for AI work

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yt-dlp is quietly essential to AI content pipelines: pull videos → transcribe with Whisper (106,802 ★, MIT) → build datasets. Grab footage → feed MoneyPrinterTurbo (101,968 ★, MIT) for faceless videos. It's the plumbing under a lot of AI workflows, and it costs nothing.

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FAQ

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Does it work with Bilibili, Douyin, TikTok? Yes — 1000+ sites supported, including the major Chinese platforms. Some login-walled content needs a cookies parameter (see official docs).

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Is it safe? It's open source with a massive community; the Windows .exe is the official build. Download only from the official releases page.

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What if a site needs login? Use --cookies-from-browser chrome or export cookies — documented per-site in the repo wiki.

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How was the star count verified? GitHub API, 2026-08-07: yt-dlp 182,957 ★, Unlicense.

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Summary

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yt-dlp (182,957 ★, Unlicense, verified 2026-08-07): five commands, one tool, no accounts. Install it, update when it complains, and never use a sketchy download site again. It's also the quiet foundation of AI video pipelines. Browse the full 461-tool catalog at ylyvip.net/tools.