Download youtube private or member videos

youtube-dl.txt

#single video
youtube-dl --cookies youtube.com_cookies.txt "URL"

#playlist
youtube-dl --yes-playlist --cookies youtube.com_cookies.txt "URL"

You can use: --playlist-start, --playlist-end, --playlist-reverse or --playlist-items to achieve this goal.

#Note: cookie should be in Netscape format

Addons
#https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/get-cookiestxt/bgaddhkoddajcdgocldbbfleckgcbcid
#https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/cookies-txt/

python.exe -m pip install --upgrade pip
pip install yt-dlp
yt-dlp --yes-playlist --playlist-start 16 --cookies cookies.txt "https://www.youtube.com/playlist?"

curl -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sivel/speedtest-cli/master/speedtest.py | python -


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Youtube-dl multiple videos download from a file.

yt-dlp.exe -a file.txt

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Subtitile & Video Resolution:

yt-dlp --list-subs --cookies youtube_cookie.txt URL

yt-dlp --write-auto-sub --sub-format srt --sub-lang en --skip-download --cookies youtube_cookie.txt URL


To select the video quality, first use the -F option to list the available formats, here’s an example,

youtube-dl -F URL

The best quality is 22 so use -f 22 instead of -F to download the MP4 video with 1280x720 resolution like this:

youtube-dl -f 22 URL

https://gist.github.com/sathishshan/79b850c8cb14190c37d199a564611bd6.js

Hi, I was just wondering how you use this? It came up when I was trying to find out a way to download a private YouTube video but I don't understand what any of it means :(

<script src="https://gist.github.com/sathishshan/79b850c8cb14190c37d199a564611bd6.js"></script>

https://gist.github.com/sathishshan/79b850c8cb14190c37d199a564611bd6

I think you have a problem with your cookies. Make sure you did it the right way when exporting and attaching the cookies file.

Do you have any good way to export and attach the cookie?

I used this extension to export cookie (from chrome browser): https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/get-cookiestxt-locally/cclelndahbckbenkjhflpdbgdldlbecc
To attach the cookie file, pass this argument: --cookies cookies.txt
Just make sure the cookie file is in netscape format.

Its still showing the same error.

hey i had the same problem but if you have an adblocker on youtube it probably gets in the way when exporting cookies because after i turned it off the command worked! hope this helps.

How to download Membership only videos?

This guide documents the setup process that worked for me on Windows. It assumes you already have legitimate access to the videos through your own account.

Important: Respect copyright laws and platform terms. Only access content you are authorized to view.

Prerequisites

• Windows 10 or Windows 11
• Google Chrome
• YouTube account with access to the videos
• Administrator rights to install software

Step 1 - Prepare Google Chrome

1. Install Google Chrome if not already installed.
2. Set Chrome as your default browser.
3. Sign into Chrome using the same Google account that has access to the videos.
4. Open YouTube and verify you can watch the videos normally.

Step 2 - Install Python

1. Download Python from https://www.python.org/downloads/
2. During installation check Add Python to PATH.
3. Finish installation.

Verify:

python --version

You should see something similar to:

Python 3.12.x

Step 3 - Install Node.js

1. Download Node.js LTS from https://nodejs.org
2. Install using default options.

Verify:

node --version
npm.cmd --version

Step 4 - Install Deno

Some environments may use Deno when working with yt-dlp JavaScript challenge solving.

Install:

irm https://deno.land/install.ps1 | iex

Verify:

deno --version

Step 5 - Install FFmpeg

Install:

winget install Gyan.FFmpeg

After installing FFmpeg, completely close PowerShell / CMD and open a new terminal window. Otherwise ffmpeg may not be detected because PATH has not refreshed yet.

Verify:

ffmpeg -version

Step 6 - Install yt-dlp

python -m pip install -U yt-dlp

Verify:

python -m yt_dlp --version

Step 7 - Install yt-dlp-ejs

python -m pip install -U yt-dlp-ejs

Step 8 - Verify Everything

python --version
node --version
npm.cmd --version
deno --version
ffmpeg -version
python -m yt_dlp --version

All commands should display version information without errors.

Step 9 - Export Cookies

Install the following Chrome extension:

• Get cookies.txt Locally

Chrome Web Store:
https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/get-cookiestxt-locally/cclelndahbckbenkjhflpdbgdldlbecc

GitHub Project:
https://github.com/kairi003/Get-cookies.txt-Locally

1. Open YouTube in Chrome.
2. Make sure you are logged in.
3. Click the extension icon.
4. Export cookies in Netscape format.
5. Save the file as cookies.txt.

Step 10 - Download Videos

Replace VIDEO_URL with the actual URL.

python -m yt_dlp --cookies cookies.txt --remote-components ejs:npm -f "bv*+ba/b" --merge-output-format mp4 "Video/PlayList Link"

If you have already donnwloaded 80 video oit of 120 in a p playlios then yiu can start from 81st vdieo with this command

python -m yt_dlp --playlist-start 81 --cookies cookies.txt --remote-components ejs:npm -f "bv*+ba/b" --merge-output-format mp4 "URL"

This shows download the best available format of video and confirms your setup is working.

Optional - Download Videos to a Specific Folder

By default, videos will be downloaded to the current folder where you run the command.

You can create a dedicated folder for your downloads:

mkdir MyVideos
cd MyVideos

You can still reference cookies.txt from another location using a relative path:

python -m yt_dlp --cookies ..\cookies.txt --remote-components ejs:npm -f "bv*+ba/b" --merge-output-format mp4 "VIDEO_URL"

Example folder structure:

Downloads
├── cookies.txt
└── MyVideos

In this example, cookies.txt stays in Downloads while all downloaded videos are stored inside MyVideos.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: ffmpeg is installed but Windows says 'ffmpeg is not recognized'?

A: Close all PowerShell/CMD windows and open a brand new terminal. FFmpeg updates the PATH variable during installation and existing terminals will not see the change.

Q: npm gives an Execution Policy error?

A: Use:

npm.cmd --version

instead of:

npm --version

Q: The command only shows image formats?

A: Usually one of the following:

• cookies.txt is invalid or expired
• You are not logged into the correct YouTube account
• yt-dlp-ejs is not installed
• Node.js installation is missing or broken

Q: Do I need Deno?

A: Not always. In my testing, the ejs:npm solution using Node.js worked reliably. Deno is included because some setups may use it.

Q: Can I download an entire playlist?

A: Yes.

python -m yt_dlp --cookies cookies.txt --remote-components ejs:npm -f "bv*+ba/b" --merge-output-format mp4 "PLAYLIST_URL"

Q: Can I resume from a specific playlist video?

A: Yes.

python -m yt_dlp --playlist-start 81 --cookies cookies.txt --remote-components ejs:npm -f "bv*+ba/b" --merge-output-format mp4 "PLAYLIST_URL"

Q: How do I download only a few videos from a playlist?

python -m yt_dlp --playlist-items 10-20 --cookies cookies.txt --remote-components ejs:npm -f "bv*+ba/b" --merge-output-format mp4 "PLAYLIST_URL"

Q: My cookies stopped working after a few weeks?

A: Export a fresh cookies.txt file using the browser extension and replace the old one.

Q: Can I keep the downloaded videos forever?

A: Downloaded files stay on your computer until you delete them. Make sure you have enough disk space because large playlists can consume many gigabytes.

Q: How much space do I need?

A: 1080p videos are often hundreds of megabytes each. Large playlists may require tens of gigabytes of free storage.