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Format Selection in yt-dlp

Format selection in yt-dlp allows you to choose specific video and audio qualities for download. This powerful feature gives you control over the format of the media you're downloading.

Basic Syntax​

The basic syntax for format selection is:

yt-dlp -f FORMAT URL

Where FORMAT is a format selector string.

Format Codes​

Each downloadable media stream has a unique format code. You can view available formats using:

yt-dlp -F URL

Common Format Selectors​

  • best: Select the best quality format.
  • worst: Select the worst quality format.
  • bestvideo: Select the best quality video-only format.
  • bestaudio: Select the best quality audio-only format.
  • mp4: Select the best mp4 format.
  • 136+140: Select format code 136 for video and 140 for audio.

Advanced Format Selection​

Quality Preference​

Use comparison operators to set quality preferences:

  • best[height<=720]: Best quality video with height no more than 720 pixels.
  • best[fps>30]: Best quality video with more than 30 fps.

Format Filtering​

Filter formats based on various criteria:

  • best[ext=mp4]: Best mp4 format.
  • best[acodec^=opus]: Best format with opus audio codec.

Sorting Formats​

Use / to specify preference order:

yt-dlp -f 'bestvideo+bestaudio/best' URL

This tries to download and merge the best video with the best audio, falling back to the best combined format if merging fails.

Format Selection Examples​

Best Video with Best Audio, Prefer MP4​

yt-dlp -f 'bestvideo[ext=mp4]+bestaudio[ext=m4a]/best[ext=mp4]/best' URL

Best Video No Larger Than 720p​

yt-dlp -f 'bestvideo[height<=720]+bestaudio/best[height<=720]' URL

Best MP4 Video with M4A Audio​

yt-dlp -f 'bestvideo[ext=mp4]+bestaudio[ext=m4a]' URL

Worst Video No Worse Than 480p​

yt-dlp -f 'worst[height>=480]' URL

Best Video and Audio but No Better Than 720p​

yt-dlp -S 'res:720' URL

Format Sorting (-S option)​

The -S option allows for more flexible sorting of formats:

yt-dlp -S 'ext:mp4:m4a' URL

This prefers mp4 video and m4a audio extensions.

Tips for Format Selection​

  • Use -F to list all available formats before deciding.
  • Combine format selectors for precise control.
  • Remember that not all formats may be available for every video.
  • Use --merge-output-format to specify the final container if merging separate audio and video.

Format selection is a powerful feature of yt-dlp. Experiment with different selectors to find the perfect balance of quality and file size for your needs.