Caution
Important
A simple, user-friendly YouTube MP3/MP4 downloader with a PyQt6 graphical user interface.
Downloads audio & video's from YouTube videos or playlists with selectable bitrate quality.
- Download audio from YouTube videos (MP3, M4A, OPUS, WAV, or keep the original audio container)
- Download video (MP4) - merges best video + best audio automatically
- Optionally embed metadata (ID3) and embed/save thumbnails (cover art)
- Selectable audio quality: 128, 192, 256, or 320 kbps
- Real-time progress display and detailed log output
- Stop/cancel ongoing download at any time
- Multi-language interface (English & German) with tooltips
- Dark theme powered by
qdarkstyle
A proper installer will be available soon. The tool will then be launchable via a single .exe. However, you will still need to set the PATH for FFmpeg yourself - either through a batch file or manually (your choice).
Before running the application, ensure the following prerequisites are installed on your system:
- Python packages (install via
pip):yt-dlpPyQt6qdarkstyle(optional)
- FFmpeg installed and available on your system PATH - required for audio extraction, conversion and thumbnail embedding.
Download or clone this repository to your local machine:
git clone https://github.com/mambuzrrr/YouTube_Downloader.git
cd YouTube_DownloaderInstall the required Python packages with pip:
pip install -r requirements.txtThe requirements.txt includes:
yt-dlp
PyQt6
qdarkstyleFFmpeg is essential for converting YouTube audio streams into MP3 files. The program calls FFmpeg internally during the download process.
We provide a convenient batch script setup_ffmpeg.bat that will:
-
Download the latest FFmpeg full build archive (7z format) from a trusted source
-
Extract FFmpeg to
C:\ffmpeg -
Add FFmpeg's
bindirectory to your system PATH environment variable automatically
-
Install 7-Zip if not already installed, from https://www.7-zip.org/ The script expects 7-Zip's command line tool (
7z.exe) atC:\Program Files\7-Zip\7z.exe. If you installed 7-Zip elsewhere, editsetup_ffmpeg.batand update the path accordingly. -
Run
setup_ffmpeg.batby double-clicking it or running it in a Command Prompt with administrator rights. -
After the script finishes, restart your computer or open a new Command Prompt window to ensure the updated PATH variable is loaded.
-
Verify FFmpeg installation by running:
ffmpeg -versionYou should see FFmpeg version info printed.
If you prefer manual installation, download FFmpeg from https://ffmpeg.org/download.html and add the bin folder to your system PATH manually.
Run the application:
python YT-DL.py- The GUI will open. Paste a YouTube video or playlist URL into the text field.
- Select the output folder where MP3 files should be saved. Default is your current working directory.
- Choose your preferred MP3 bitrate quality from the dropdown (128 to 320 kbps).
- If downloading a playlist, check the Download playlist checkbox.
- Click Start Download to begin.
- Watch real-time status updates and logs in the output window.
- You can stop the download at any time with the Stop button.
- Switch the interface language between English and German using the dropdown at the top right.
- The downloader now supports both audio and video output:
- Audio formats: MP3, M4A, AAC, OPUS, WAV, FLAC, ALAC, OGG (conversion requires FFmpeg).
- Video format: MP4 (downloads best video + best audio and merges them with FFmpeg). You can choose the target resolution in the UI (Auto / 360p / 480p / 720p / 1080p / 1440p / 2160p).
- FFmpeg is required and must be installed and available on your system
PATHfor audio conversion, metadata embedding, thumbnail embedding, and merging video+audio into MP4. - The app stores a single settings file in the user home (e.g.
~/.brejax_settings.json) to persist preferences (last folder, format, bitrate, resolution, checkboxes). No per-download JSON files are written by default. - If a selected MP4 resolution isn't available for a particular video,
yt-dlpwill select the closest available stream that matches your choice. - This tool runs locally - no uploads to third-party servers. Use it only for private, educational, or archival purposes and respect YouTube's Terms of Service and copyright law.
- If you see FFmpeg-related errors, verify
ffmpeg -versionworks in a terminal and that the executable is on your PATH.
Error: 'ffmpeg' not found
This means FFmpeg is either not installed or not in your system PATH.
Run the batch installer or manually install and add FFmpeg to PATH.
- Check your internet connection.
- Verify that the URL is correct and publicly accessible.
- Verify FFmpeg is functioning correctly by running
ffmpeg -versionin a terminal.
- Ensure you have write permissions to the output folder you selected.
Whats new / improved
- MP4 resolution selection - choose resolution for video downloads (Auto / 360p / 480p / 720p / 1080p / 1440p / 2160p). The app maps the selected label to a
yt-dlpformat string and merges best video + best audio using FFmpeg. - Expanded audio codec support - added AAC, FLAC, ALAC, OGG (in addition to MP3, M4A, OPUS, WAV).
- resolution dropdown visibility toggles automatically for non-MP4 formats.
- Multi-format audio support: MP3, M4A, OPUS, WAV, and option to keep original audio container.
- Option to embed metadata (ID3) and embed/save thumbnails.
- Added WAV output option.
- Safer filename handling: sanitized titles and unique filename generation to avoid overwrites.
- FFmpeg detection at startup, clear warning if missing.
- Clipboard auto-paste for URL on startup.
- Settings persistence: last folder, quality, format and checkboxes saved in
~/.brejax_settings.json. - Restored & extended UI tooltips (English & German) via
language.py. - Small UX fixes: clear logs at new download start, cleaner threading & cleanup.
Notes
- FFmpeg is still required for MP3 extraction and for merging MP4. Ensure
ffmpegis on PATH.
Feel free to submit issues or pull requests. Contributions are welcome!
Developed by Brejax (Rico). For questions or support, open an issue or contact me directly.