yt-dlp: Download Video from Almost Any Website via the Command Line

If you need to download video from TikTok, YouTube, or most other sites that host video content, yt-dlp is a reliable command-line tool for the job. It is a maintained fork of the original youtube-dl project, with broader site support and active development.

Basic Usage

The syntax is minimal. Run yt-dlp followed by the URL of the video you want to download:

yt-dlp 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example'

That is it. The tool handles format selection, metadata extraction, and downloading automatically.

Audio-Only Downloads

If you only want the audio track, add the -x flag:

yt-dlp -x 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example'

This is useful for grabbing podcast episodes, music, or extracting audio from lectures and talks.

Beyond the Basics

yt-dlp supports a large number of flags for customization: selecting specific video quality, choosing output formats, setting filename templates, embedding subtitles, and more. The tool works with hundreds of websites, not just YouTube and TikTok.

Key Takeaways

• yt-dlp <url> downloads video from most websites that serve video content.
• The -x flag extracts audio only.
• The tool is highly configurable with flags for quality, format, naming, and more.

Resources

• yt-dlp (GitHub) -- Command-line video downloader, actively maintained fork of youtube-dl