Installation#

On macOS, I recommend using Homebrew — it keeps everything updated automatically:

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brew install yt-dlp

Keep it Updated

Using brew means you can run brew upgrade yt-dlp periodically to get the latest version. This is important because streaming sites change frequently, and yt-dlp updates to match.

For other platforms:

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# Using pip
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pip install -U yt-dlp
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# Windows: Download from releases
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# https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases

Basic Usage#

Download a YouTube video:

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yt-dlp https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID

Download best quality:

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yt-dlp -f bestvideo+bestaudio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID

Extract audio only (great for music or podcasts):

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yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID

My Workflow for Downloading Courses#

Here’s exactly how I download course videos from platforms like Hotmart:

1. Open the course in your browser (make sure you’re logged in)
2. Start playing the video you want to download
3. Click The Stream Detector icon — it will show detected streams
4. Look for the highest quality option (usually the one with the largest resolution)
5. Copy the generated command and paste it in your terminal

The extension generates something like:

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yt-dlp "https://streaming-platform.com/video.m3u8"

You can add options for better organization:

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yt-dlp -o "~/Videos/Course/%(title)s.%(ext)s" "https://streaming-platform.com/video.m3u8"

The Tedious Part (Being Honest)#

I won’t lie — downloading an entire course is tedious. You have to:

1. Open each video one by one
2. Wait for the stream to be detected
3. Copy and run the command
4. Potentially rename files to keep them in order

There’s no magic “download all” button. But for an expensive course you want to keep forever, it’s worth the effort.

Pro Tip

I usually rename files with a number prefix like 01-introduction.mp4, 02-getting-started.mp4 to keep them organized for later viewing.

Installation#

Again, Homebrew is my go-to:

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brew install gallery-dl

Or with pip:

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pip install -U gallery-dl

The Cookie Trick (This Was My “Aha” Moment)#

When I first tried gallery-dl with Pinterest, it barely worked. It only downloaded a few images, and they were all low resolution. Frustrating.

The solution? Use your browser’s cookies.

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gallery-dl --cookies-from-browser chrome https://www.pinterest.com/username/board-name/

This Changes Everything

The --cookies-from-browser option lets gallery-dl use your logged-in browser session. This means:

• Access to your private boards
• Full resolution images
• No rate limiting issues
• Access to age-restricted content

After enabling cookies, gallery-dl downloaded everything in full quality. Game changer.

Supported Browsers#

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# Use cookies from different browsers
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gallery-dl --cookies-from-browser chrome URL
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gallery-dl --cookies-from-browser firefox URL
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gallery-dl --cookies-from-browser safari URL
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gallery-dl --cookies-from-browser brave URL

My Pinterest Workflow#

Here’s how I downloaded my house inspiration board:

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gallery-dl --cookies-from-browser chrome \
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  -D ~/Pictures/House-Project \
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  https://www.pinterest.com/myusername/house-ideas/

After downloading, I went through the images manually, deleted the ones that didn’t fit my vision, and kept the best ones for my mood board. It saved me hours compared to saving images one by one.

A Trip Down Memory Lane#

Using gallery-dl reminded me of my university days. Back then, I was obsessed with collecting images — anime wallpapers, character art, references for drawing. I had entire CDs filled with collections.

My “downloading tools” back then were primitive: either saving images one by one, or using sketchy scrapers that would crawl pages and download files based on extension or file size. gallery-dl is the modern, reliable version of what I wished I had back then.

yt-dlp Configuration#

Create ~/.config/yt-dlp/config:

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# Default output template
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-o ~/Videos/%(uploader)s/%(title)s.%(ext)s
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# Always use best quality
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-f bestvideo+bestaudio
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# Use Chrome cookies by default
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--cookies-from-browser chrome

gallery-dl Configuration#

Create ~/.config/gallery-dl/config.json:

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{
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  "extractor": {
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    "base-directory": "~/Downloads/gallery-dl",
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    "cookies-from-browser": "chrome"
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  }
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}

1. Keep Tools Updated#

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brew upgrade yt-dlp gallery-dl

Streaming sites change constantly. Updated tools = fewer errors.

2. When Stuck, Ask AI#

Both tools have extensive documentation, but it can be overwhelming. What works for me: copy the README into an AI chat and ask how to do something specific.

For example: “I have the gallery-dl README. How do I download only images larger than 1MB?“

3. Firefox/Zen for More Options#

The Stream Detector has more features on Firefox. If you’re doing this regularly, consider using Zen Browser or Firefox for your downloading sessions.

4. Respect the Content#

I use these tools to:

• Archive courses I’ve legitimately purchased
• Download my own content and collections
• Save things I’m afraid might disappear

Always respect copyright and terms of service.

yt-dlp Commands#

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# Basic download
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yt-dlp URL
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# Best quality
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yt-dlp -f bestvideo+bestaudio URL
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# Audio only
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yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 URL
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# With cookies
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yt-dlp --cookies-from-browser chrome URL
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# Custom output path
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yt-dlp -o "~/Videos/%(title)s.%(ext)s" URL

gallery-dl Commands#

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# Basic download
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gallery-dl URL
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# With browser cookies (recommended)
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gallery-dl --cookies-from-browser chrome URL
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# Custom output directory
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gallery-dl -D ~/Pictures/MyDownloads URL
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# With metadata
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gallery-dl --write-metadata --cookies-from-browser chrome URL