Using Release Binaries

yt-dlp provides pre-compiled binaries for different platforms, making installation simple without requiring Python or other dependencies. All binaries are available from the GitHub releases page.

Recommended Binaries

The following binaries are recommended for most users:

Windows

• yt-dlp.exe - Windows (Win8+) standalone x64 binary (recommended for Windows)

Linux/BSD

• yt-dlp - Platform-independent zipimport binary. Needs Python (recommended for Linux/BSD)

macOS

• yt-dlp_macos - Universal MacOS (10.15+) standalone executable (recommended for macOS)

Alternative Binaries

Windows Alternatives

• yt-dlp_x86.exe - Windows (Win8+) standalone x86 (32-bit) binary
• yt-dlp_win.zip - Unpackaged Windows executable (no auto-update)

Linux Alternatives

• yt-dlp_linux - Linux standalone x64 binary
• yt-dlp_linux_armv7l - Linux standalone armv7l (32-bit) binary
• yt-dlp_linux_aarch64 - Linux standalone aarch64 (64-bit) binary

macOS Alternatives

• yt-dlp_macos.zip - Unpackaged MacOS (10.15+) executable (no auto-update)
• yt-dlp_macos_legacy - MacOS (10.9+) standalone x64 executable

Installation Steps

Windows

1. Download the appropriate .exe file
2. Place it in a directory that's in your PATH, or create a new directory and add it to PATH
3. Open Command Prompt or PowerShell and test:

yt-dlp --version

Linux/BSD

1. Download the yt-dlp binary
2. Make it executable:

chmod a+rx yt-dlp

3. Move to PATH:

sudo mv yt-dlp /usr/local/bin/

4. Test:

yt-dlp --version

macOS

1. Download the yt-dlp_macos binary
2. Rename and make executable:

mv yt-dlp_macos yt-dlp

chmod a+rx yt-dlp

3. Move to PATH:

sudo mv yt-dlp /usr/local/bin/

4. Test:

yt-dlp --version

Updating Binaries

Automatic Update

Most release binaries support self-updating:

yt-dlp -U

Update Channels

There are three release channels available:

Stable (Default)

• Default channel with tested releases

yt-dlp -U

Nightly (Recommended)

• Daily builds with latest patches and changes
• Recommended for regular users

yt-dlp --update-to nightly

Available from yt-dlp-nightly-builds

Master

• Built after each commit to master branch
• Latest fixes but may have regressions

yt-dlp --update-to master

Available from yt-dlp-master-builds

Advanced Update Options

Switch to a different channel

yt-dlp --update-to nightly

Upgrade/downgrade to specific version

yt-dlp --update-to stable@2023.07.06

Update to specific tag

yt-dlp --update-to 2023.10.07

Update from different repository

yt-dlp --update-to example/yt-dlp@2023.09.24

Verification Files

For security-conscious users, verification files are available:

• SHA2-512SUMS - GNU-style SHA512 checksums
• SHA2-512SUMS.sig - GPG signature for SHA512 sums
• SHA2-256SUMS - GNU-style SHA256 checksums
• SHA2-256SUMS.sig - GPG signature for SHA256 sums

Verifying Downloads

Import the public key

curl -L https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/raw/master/public.key | gpg --import

Verify signatures

gpg --verify SHA2-256SUMS.sig SHA2-256SUMS

gpg --verify SHA2-512SUMS.sig SHA2-512SUMS

Source Code

• yt-dlp.tar.gz - Source tarball containing manpages, shell completion files, etc.

Troubleshooting

Issue Reporting

If you experience issues with the stable release, install the nightly release before submitting a bug report:

yt-dlp --update-to nightly

Dependencies

Most standalone binaries include all necessary dependencies. However, some features may require:

• ffmpeg and ffprobe for format merging and post-processing
• Additional libraries for specific sites or features

Windows Dependencies

On Windows, if you get an error about missing MSVCR100.dll, install the Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 SP1 Redistributable Package (x86).

All Releases

You can find all releases at: https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases