yt-dlp for MAC
Free, open-source command-line tool that downloads video and audio from YouTube and thousands of other sites.
yt-dlp Overview
yt-dlp is a free, open-source command-line program that downloads video and audio from YouTube and thousands of other websites. You give it a web address in Terminal and it saves the video, the audio only, or a whole playlist or channel, in the format and quality you choose. yt-dlp is a fork of youtube-dl, is developed by a large group of volunteers, and is released into the public domain under the Unlicense.
On a Mac, the easiest way to run it is the yt-dlp_macos file from the official GitHub releases page: a single program that works on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs with macOS 10.15 or later, with no Python install needed. It can also be installed with Homebrew or pip. For the best results, install ffmpeg as well, which yt-dlp uses to merge separate video and audio streams and to convert files.
Key Features
yt-dlp works in Terminal, so you control every detail with short commands.
- Thousands of sites: YouTube, Vimeo, SoundCloud, Twitch, TikTok and many more.
- Playlists and channels: download a single video, a whole playlist or a channel.
- Format choice: pick the exact video and audio quality, or let yt-dlp choose the best.
- Audio only: save just the sound, converted to MP3, M4A and other formats with ffmpeg.
- Subtitles and thumbnails: download subtitles, embed them, and save thumbnails and metadata.
- Templates: name and sort downloaded files automatically with output templates.
- SponsorBlock: mark or remove sponsored segments in YouTube videos.
- Self-update: keep the standalone version current with one command.
What’s New in Version 2026.08.19
yt-dlp 2026.08.19 brings fixes and updates for many supported sites.
- Fixed downloading from TikTok, including support for share links
- New YouTube player client and updated client fallbacks
- Reworked Apple and Showroom extractors
- Fixed logged-in downloading from Instagram
- Browser impersonation for Bandcamp
- Support for curl_cffi 0.16
yt-dlp FAQ
Is yt-dlp free for Mac?
Yes. yt-dlp is free and open source. Its code is released into the public domain under the Unlicense; the ready-made programs also contain code under other open-source licenses.
Does yt-dlp have a window or buttons?
No. yt-dlp is a command-line program: you run it in Terminal by typing a command such as yt-dlp followed by the video's web address. Some separate apps put a window around it, but yt-dlp itself has no interface.
How do I install yt-dlp on a Mac?
Download the yt-dlp_macos file from the official GitHub releases page, make it executable in Terminal with chmod +x, and run it. You can also install it with Homebrew (brew install yt-dlp) or with pip if you use Python 3.10 or later.
Which macOS version does yt-dlp need?
The standalone yt-dlp_macos program needs macOS 10.15 Catalina or later and runs on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.
Do I need ffmpeg for yt-dlp?
It is strongly recommended. yt-dlp uses ffmpeg to merge separate video and audio streams, which most high-quality videos use, and to convert audio and video files. Without it, yt-dlp falls back to formats that are already combined.
How do I download only the audio with yt-dlp?
Add -x to the command, for example: yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 followed by the address. This needs ffmpeg to convert the audio.
Can yt-dlp download whole playlists?
Yes. Give yt-dlp the address of a playlist or a channel and it downloads every video in it. Options let you pick only some items or skip ones you already have.
How do I update yt-dlp?
If you use the standalone program, run yt-dlp -U. If you installed it with Homebrew, run brew upgrade yt-dlp. yt-dlp shows a reminder when your version is more than 90 days old.
Is it legal to download videos with yt-dlp?
yt-dlp itself is legal open-source software. What you may download depends on the website's terms and on copyright law where you live; only download videos you have the right to save.
Where does the yt-dlp download on yt-dlp.FULLMAC.app come from?
The download button leads to yt-dlp's official GitHub page at https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp, where the releases are published. yt-dlp.FULLMAC.app does not change or repackage the program.
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