ytdl-org / youtube-dl
Get started
Taken from the repository's own files on 22 Oct 2026. RepoPilot has not run these commands.
Prerequisites
The files RepoPilot read do not name a runtime version or package manager.
Commands
Makefile| Task | Run | What it runs |
|---|---|---|
| test | make test | #nosetests --with-coverage --cover-package=youtube_dl --cover-html --verbose --processes 4 test && nosetests --verbose test && $(MAKE) codetest |
| install | make install | install -d $(DESTDIR)$(BINDIR) && install -m 755 youtube-dl $(DESTDIR)$(BINDIR) && install -d $(DESTDIR)$(MANDIR)/man1 && install -m 644 youtube-dl.1 $(DESTDIR)$(MANDIR)/man1 && install -d $(DESTDIR)$(SYSCONFDIR)/bash_completion.d && install -m 644 youtube-dl.bash-completion $(DESTDIR)$(SYSCONFDIR)/bash_completion.d/youtube-dl && install -d $(DESTDIR)$(SHAREDIR)/zsh/site-functions && install -m 644 youtube-dl.zsh $(DESTDIR)$(SHAREDIR)/zsh/site-functions/_youtube-dl && install -d $(DESTDIR)$(SYSCONFDIR)/fish/completions && install -m 644 youtube-dl.fish $(DESTDIR)$(SYSCONFDIR)/fish/completions/youtube-dl.fish |
Install and use
README.mdTo install it right away for all UNIX users (Linux, macOS, etc.), type:
sudo curl -L https://yt-dl.org/downloads/latest/youtube-dl -o /usr/local/bin/youtube-dl
sudo chmod a+rx /usr/local/bin/youtube-dl
If you do not have curl, you can alternatively use a recent wget:
sudo wget https://yt-dl.org/downloads/latest/youtube-dl -O /usr/local/bin/youtube-dl
sudo chmod a+rx /usr/local/bin/youtube-dl
Windows users can download an .exe file and place it in any location on their PATH except for %SYSTEMROOT%\System32 (e.g. do not put in C:\Windows\System32).
You can also use pip:
sudo -H pip install --upgrade youtube-dl
This command will update youtube-dl if you have already installed it. See the pypi page for more information.
macOS users can install youtube-dl with Homebrew:
brew install youtube-dl
Or with MacPorts:
sudo port install youtube-dl
Alternatively, refer to the developer instructions for how to check out and work with the git repository. For further options, including PGP signatures, see the youtube-dl Download Page.