---
title: "yt-dlp — Video Downloading"
domain: opensource
category: media-creative
tags: [yt-dlp, video, youtube, downloads, cli]
status: published
created: 2026-04-02
updated: 2026-04-02
---
# yt-dlp — Video Downloading

## What It Is

`yt-dlp` is a feature-rich command-line video downloader, forked from youtube-dl with active maintenance and significantly better performance. It supports YouTube, Twitch, and hundreds of other sites.

---

## Installation

### Fedora
```bash
sudo dnf install yt-dlp
# or latest via pip:
sudo pip install yt-dlp --break-system-packages
```

### Update
```bash
sudo pip install -U yt-dlp --break-system-packages
# or if installed as standalone binary:
yt-dlp -U
```

Keep it current — YouTube pushes extractor changes frequently and old versions break.

---

## Basic Usage

```bash
# Download a single video (best quality)
yt-dlp https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID

# Download to a specific directory with title as filename
yt-dlp -o "/path/to/output/%(title)s.%(ext)s" URL
```

---

## Plex-Optimized Download

Download best quality and auto-convert to HEVC for Apple TV direct play:

```bash
yt-dlp URL
```

That's it — if your config is set up correctly (see Config File section below). The config handles format selection, output path, subtitles, and automatic AV1/VP9 → HEVC conversion.

> [!note] `bestvideo[ext=mp4]` caps at 1080p because YouTube only serves H.264 up to 1080p. Use `bestvideo+bestaudio` to get true 4K, then let the post-download hook convert AV1/VP9 to HEVC. See [Plex 4K Codec Compatibility](../../04-streaming/plex/plex-4k-codec-compatibility.md) for the full setup.

---

## Playlists and Channels

```bash
# Download a full playlist
yt-dlp -o "%(playlist_index)s - %(title)s.%(ext)s" PLAYLIST_URL

# Download only videos not already present
yt-dlp --download-archive archive.txt PLAYLIST_URL
```

`--download-archive` maintains a file of completed video IDs — re-running the command skips already-downloaded videos automatically.

---

## Format Selection

```bash
# List all available formats for a video
yt-dlp --list-formats URL

# Download best video + best audio, merge to mp4
yt-dlp -f 'bestvideo+bestaudio' --merge-output-format mp4 URL

# Download audio only (MP3)
yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 URL
```

---

## Config File

Persist your preferred flags so you don't repeat them every command:

```bash
mkdir -p ~/.config/yt-dlp
cat > ~/.config/yt-dlp/config << 'EOF'
--remote-components ejs:github
--format bestvideo+bestaudio
--merge-output-format mp4
--output /plex/plex/%(title)s.%(ext)s
--write-auto-subs
--embed-subs
--exec /usr/local/bin/yt-dlp-hevc-convert.sh {}
EOF
```

After this, a bare `yt-dlp URL` downloads best quality, saves to `/plex/plex/`, embeds subtitles, and auto-converts AV1/VP9 to HEVC. See [Plex 4K Codec Compatibility](../../04-streaming/plex/plex-4k-codec-compatibility.md) for the conversion hook setup.

---

## Running Long Downloads in the Background

For large downloads or playlists, run inside `screen` or `tmux` so they survive SSH disconnects:

```bash
screen -dmS yt-download bash -c \
  "yt-dlp -o '/plex/plex/%(title)s.%(ext)s' PLAYLIST_URL 2>&1 | tee ~/yt-download.log"

# Check progress
screen -r yt-download
# or
tail -f ~/yt-download.log
```

---

## Subtitle Downloads

The config above handles subtitles automatically via `--write-auto-subs` and `--embed-subs`. For one-off downloads where you want explicit control over subtitle embedding alongside specific format selection:

```bash
yt-dlp -f 'bestvideo[vcodec^=avc]+bestaudio[ext=m4a]/bestvideo+bestaudio' \
    --merge-output-format mp4 \
    -o "/plex/plex/%(title)s.%(ext)s" \
    --write-auto-subs --embed-subs URL
```

This forces H.264 video + M4A audio when available — useful when you want guaranteed Apple TV / Plex compatibility without running the HEVC conversion hook.

---

## Troubleshooting

For YouTube JS challenge errors, missing formats, and n-challenge failures on Fedora — see [yt-dlp YouTube JS Challenge Fix](../../05-troubleshooting/yt-dlp-fedora-js-challenge.md).

**YouTube player client errors:** If downloads fail with extractor errors, YouTube may have broken the default player client. Override it:

```bash
yt-dlp --extractor-args "youtube:player-client=default,-tv_simply" URL
```

This can also be added to your config file as a persistent workaround until yt-dlp pushes a fix upstream. Keep yt-dlp updated — these breakages get patched regularly.

---