How to Install yt-dlp on Windows PC
#1. Download yt-dlp for Windows. ← The link always downloads the latest yt-dlp.
#2. Create a folder named ytdl in the C drive (system drive) and place yt-dlp.exe in that folder (C:\ytdl). Just copy and paste the yt-dlp.exe file there, the way you downloaded it in the first step.
#3. Download yt-dlp’s custom ffmpeg build. ← Specifically, download win64-gpl.
#4. Using any unzipping software such as WinRAR, open the ffmpeg file you downloaded in step #3, and locate the ffmpeg.exe file in the bin folder.
#5. Copy or move the ffmpeg.exe file to C:\ytdl. (Paste ffmpeg.exe inside the ytdl folder you created in drive C). The other files in the ZIP are not needed.
#6. Click your START button > type envir > select Edit the system environment variables.
#7. Click ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES (the button at the bottom right).
#8. Under System variables, click NEW, then enter C:\ytdl as the variable value and ytdl as the variable name. (To get a backslash (\), hold the left Alt and type 92).
#9. Click OK, OK, OK (Close all 3 windows).
Congratulations, yt-dlp is now installed. Now, how to use it…
How to Use yt-dlp on Windows PC to Download YouTube Videos
#1. Click START > type CMD to open Command Prompt (Do Not Run as Admin, never!)
#2. Type cd \ytdl and press Enter
#3. Then enter: yt-dlp “youtube video link here” (yt-dlp + youtube url in straight double quotes).
Yt-dlp downloads are saved in the ytdl folder you created under the directory C:\ytdl. By default, video downloads are in the best available quality.
Summary:
Installing yt-dlp YouTube downloader on your desktop is simple. Download yt-dlp and ffmpeg, then place both files inside a folder you’ll create called ytdl in drive C. After that, add C:\ytdl to your system variables.
To use yt-dlp, open Command Prompt (Not as Admin), navigate to the folder by entering cd \ytdl, then run yt-dlp + the video URL in straight double quotes.
