Free & open source  ·  Windows 11/10  ·  Official GitHub release

Download yt-dlp.exe for Windows —
4K, MP3, Playlists, No Bloat

The fastest open-source YouTube downloader for Windows. Save videos in 4K/8K, extract MP3, download entire playlists. Runs from PowerShell in under 60 seconds.

Download yt-dlp.exe Step-by-step install guide →

Latest release  ·  Verify on GitHub  ·  No installer needed  ·  Windows 11/10

Open source on GitHub No installer, fully portable No ads, no bundled software 4K / 8K / HDR support 1000+ supported sites

What yt-dlp can do

yt-dlp for Windows — everything YouTube

One portable .exe file. No installation. No admin rights. Works from PowerShell or CMD.

Download YouTube videos in 4K and 8K

Best available quality with automatic FFmpeg merge. Supports AV1, VP9, H.264 and HDR formats.

Convert YouTube to MP3 on Windows

Extract audio as MP3, AAC, FLAC or Opus. Embed metadata, artist tags and artwork automatically.

Download YouTube playlists and channels

Download entire playlists and channels in one command. Skip already-saved files automatically.

Download subtitles and closed captions

Auto or manual subtitles in SRT and WebVTT. Embed into MKV or save as separate files.

yt-dlp GUI for Windows — no command line

Prefer a visual interface? Several free GUI frontends for yt-dlp are available on Windows.

Is yt-dlp safe and legal in 2026?

Open source, community-audited, no telemetry. Legal when used in compliance with copyright and ToS.

Quick start

How to install yt-dlp on Windows in 4 steps

No admin rights needed. Works on any Windows 11 or Windows 10 machine.

Step 01

Download yt-dlp.exe

Save to any folder, e.g. C:\Tools\yt-dlp\ — no install, fully portable.

Step 02

Open PowerShell in that folder

Click the address bar in Explorer, type powershell, press Enter.

Step 03

Verify the install

Run yt-dlp --version. If you see a version number, you're ready.

Step 04

Download your first video

Paste a YouTube URL and press Enter. yt-dlp picks the best quality automatically.

Need FFmpeg for 4K/8K? FFmpeg setup guide →  ·  Full install guide with PATH →

yt-dlp commands for Windows

Most useful yt-dlp commands — copy and paste

Run these directly in PowerShell or CMD. Replace the URL with your video or playlist link.

Best quality video (auto-merge with FFmpeg)
yt-dlp "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID"
Convert YouTube to MP3 — best quality
yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 --audio-quality 0 "URL"
Download entire YouTube playlist
yt-dlp --yes-playlist "PLAYLIST_URL"
Download in 4K with English subtitles
yt-dlp -f "bestvideo[height<=2160]+bestaudio" --write-sub --sub-langs en "URL"

Full yt-dlp commands cheatsheet for Windows →

All guides

yt-dlp Windows guides — step by step

Everything you need to get the most out of yt-dlp on Windows 11 and 10.

How to install yt-dlp on Windows

Download, PATH setup, FFmpeg, updates

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Best yt-dlp GUI for Windows 2026

Visual frontends — no command line needed

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YouTube to MP3 with yt-dlp on Windows

Best quality, embed tags & artwork

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Download YouTube playlists on Windows

Full channels, ordering, skip duplicates

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Download YouTube in 4K and 8K on Windows

HDR, AV1, format selection, FFmpeg merge

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Download subtitles with yt-dlp on Windows

SRT, WebVTT, embed, auto vs manual

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Is yt-dlp safe and legal in 2026?

Open source audit, copyright, ToS explained

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yt-dlp vs youtube-dl in 2026

Speed, updates, features, site support

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions about yt-dlp for Windows

Is yt-dlp safe to use on Windows?
Yes. yt-dlp is fully open source and hosted on GitHub. Every line of code is publicly audited. No bundled software, no telemetry, no background services.
Does yt-dlp work on Windows 11?
Yes. yt-dlp.exe runs on Windows 11 and Windows 10 (64-bit) with no installation. Download the .exe, open PowerShell, and run your first command.
Do I need a GUI for yt-dlp on Windows?
No. yt-dlp works great with simple copy-paste commands in PowerShell. If you prefer a visual interface, see the best yt-dlp GUI guide for Windows 2026.
Is yt-dlp legal to use?
yt-dlp itself is legal — it's an open-source tool. Whether downloading specific content is lawful depends on its copyright and the platform's Terms of Service. See the full yt-dlp safe and legal guide.
How do I update yt-dlp on Windows?
Open PowerShell in the folder where yt-dlp.exe is saved and run yt-dlp -U. It replaces itself with the latest version automatically.
Do I need FFmpeg with yt-dlp?
FFmpeg is optional but strongly recommended. YouTube streams 4K/8K as separate video and audio tracks — FFmpeg merges them. It's also required for MP3 extraction. See the FFmpeg setup guide for Windows.