yt-dlp

Download a video

$ yt-dlp [https://youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID]

$ yt-dlp -x [url]

$ yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 [url]

$ yt-dlp -F [url]

$ yt-dlp -f [format_code] [url]

$ yt-dlp -f "bestvideo+bestaudio" [url]

$ yt-dlp [playlist_url]

$ yt-dlp --write-subs --sub-lang en [url]

$ yt-dlp -o "%(title)s.%(ext)s" [url]

yt-dlp [options] URL...

yt-dlp is a feature-rich command-line program to download videos from YouTube and many other sites. It's a fork of youtube-dl with additional features and active maintenance.
The tool supports thousands of sites, not just YouTube. Use --list-extractors to see all supported sites.
Format selection is powerful: bestvideo+bestaudio merges separate streams, best[height<=720] limits quality, and specific format codes from -F select exact streams.
Configuration can be stored in ~/.config/yt-dlp/config for default options.

-F, --list-formats

List available formats

Select format by code or quality selector

Extract audio only

Convert audio to format (mp3, aac, wav, etc.)

Audio quality (0=best, 9=worst)

Output filename template

Download subtitles

Subtitle languages (comma-separated)

Embed subtitles in video

Embed thumbnail in audio

Download to specified directory

Download only the video if URL refers to playlist

Playlist items to download (e.g., 1,3,5-10)

Update yt-dlp

%(title)s: Video title
%(id)s: Video ID
%(ext)s: File extension
%(uploader)s: Channel name
%(upload_date)s: Upload date (YYYYMMDD)
%(playlist_index)s: Playlist position

Site support depends on extractor updates. When sites change, extractors may break until updated. Run yt-dlp -U regularly.
Some sites require authentication. Use --cookies-from-browser or --cookies to provide login cookies.
Downloaded content may be subject to copyright. Respect content creators' rights and terms of service.
Merging formats requires ffmpeg to be installed for proper video/audio combination.

ffmpeg(1), youtube-dl(1), aria2c(1), wget(1)