Free & open source · Windows 11/10 · Updated 2026
yt-dlp has no official GUI, but several free community frontends let you download videos without touching the command line. Here's how they compare.
Before you start: all GUIs call yt-dlp.exe under the hood. You still need to download yt-dlp.exe and ideally set up FFmpeg for 4K/8K and MP3 support.
2026 comparison
All listed here are free, open source, and actively maintained as of 2026.
The most widely used yt-dlp GUI for Windows. Clean interface, simple URL input, format and quality selector. Good starting point for most users.
Modern, clean Windows app with a minimal interface. Paste a URL, pick format and quality, done. Actively maintained with regular updates. Uses yt-dlp internally.
Feature-rich Windows GUI with full access to yt-dlp flags. Format codes, subtitles, cookies, output templates — all configurable without touching the terminal.
Minimal Windows-only GUI, single executable. No install, no dependencies beyond yt-dlp.exe and ffmpeg.exe in the same folder. Good for users who want something simple and portable.
All projects are community-maintained. Always download from the official GitHub repository of each project. We are not affiliated with any of these tools.
Setup guide
Most GUIs follow the same setup flow. Here's what to do in under 5 minutes.
Get the latest yt-dlp.exe from our download page. Save it to C:\Tools\yt-dlp\
Pick a GUI from the list above. Download the release from its GitHub page — look for a .exe or .zip in the Releases section.
Most GUIs ask for the path to yt-dlp.exe on first launch. Browse to your C:\Tools\yt-dlp\ folder and select it.
Download ffmpeg.exe and place it next to yt-dlp.exe. Required for 4K/8K and MP3. Guide →
In the GUI settings, choose where downloads are saved. A dedicated folder like C:\Videos\ keeps things tidy.
Paste a YouTube URL into the GUI, pick your format and quality, and click Download. That's it.
Format settings
If your GUI lets you set format strings, use these.
bestvideo+bestaudio/best
bestvideo[height<=1080]+bestaudio/best[height<=1080]
bestvideo[ext=mp4]+bestaudio[ext=m4a]/best[ext=mp4]
-x --audio-format mp3 --audio-quality 0
FAQ
yt-dlp.exe. Check the GUI's documentation — if it bundles yt-dlp, still make sure it's up to date.ffmpeg.exe in the same folder as yt-dlp.exe and most GUIs will find it automatically. See the FFmpeg setup guide.yt-dlp.exe (e.g. C:\Tools\yt-dlp\yt-dlp.exe) and select the file.