You can use yt-dlp on to save and convert media from YouTube, SoundCloud, TikTok, Reddit, and many other sites.
Yt-dlp is a powerful tool for downloading videos and audio from YouTube, SoundCloud, Reddit, and numerous other websites. However, the installation process can be a bit daunting, especially if you’re not accustomed to working with command-line tools. Here’s a simplified guide to get you started.
The GitHub repository for yt-dlp provides standalone executables that you can download, but you’ll need to manually add them to your system’s PATH variable. Additionally, these executables don’t include ffmpeg, which is essential for converting media formats. To make things easier, consider using a package manager to install yt-dlp and ffmpeg. This approach not only handles the setup for you but also simplifies future updates.
How to install yt-dlp on Windows 11/10
There are several ways to install yt-dlp and ffmpeg on Windows, but the simplest method is to use the Chocolatey package manager. While Chocolatey requires PowerShell with administrator privileges for installation, once set up, you can use yt-dlp from a regular Command Prompt or PowerShell session.
To get started, open a new PowerShell window with administrator access. Search for “PowerShell” in the Start menu, right-click on the PowerShell application, and select “Run as administrator.”
Next, enter the following command and press Enter to run the Chocolatey installer. You can simply copy the command below and right-click inside the PowerShell window to paste it.
Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process
When prompted to confirm, press the A key on your keyboard (without the quotes), followed by Enter. After that, run the Chocolatey individual install, a single long line that downloads and executes the installation script.
Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force; [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol -bor 3072; iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString(‘https://community.chocolatey.org/install.ps1’))
This command will initiate the installation process. Once completed, the Chocolatey package manager will be successfully installed on your PC.
I already have Chocolatey installed.
Finally, execute the command to install both ffmpeg and yt-dlp. This will automatically take care of installing any necessary dependencies as well.
choco install ffmpeg yt-dlp
You may be prompted to confirm the installation by pressing the A key again. Once the process is complete, you can run the following command to check and verify the installed version.
yt-dlp –version
Congratulations! Yt-dlp is now installed. Refer to the final section for instructions on keeping it up to date.
How to update yt-dlp (and ffmpeg)
If you installed yt-dlp and its dependencies on Windows using Chocolatey, open a new PowerShell window with administrator privileges and run the following command to upgrade all packages.
choco upgrade all
How to use yt-dlp
