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Playlist Handling in yt-dlp

yt-dlp offers robust features for downloading and managing playlists. This guide covers the key aspects of playlist handling.

Basic Playlist Download​

To download all videos in a playlist, simply provide the playlist URL:

yt-dlp https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Playlist Options​

Playlist Selection​

  • --playlist-start NUMBER: Start downloading at this playlist index (default is 1)
  • --playlist-end NUMBER: Stop downloading at this playlist index
  • --playlist-items ITEM_SPEC: Comma-separated playlist item specification
    • Example: --playlist-items 1,2,5-8,10-N (N means last video)

Playlist Control​

  • --no-playlist: Download only the video, if URL refers to both a video and a playlist
  • --yes-playlist: Download the playlist, if URL refers to both a video and a playlist

Playlist Ordering​

  • --playlist-reverse: Download playlist videos in reverse order
  • --playlist-random: Download playlist videos in random order

Advanced Playlist Handling​

Download Archive​

Avoid re-downloading videos using a download archive:

yt-dlp --download-archive archive.txt PLAYLIST_URL

This creates/updates archive.txt with video IDs, skipping already downloaded videos in future runs.

Naming and Organization​

Use output templates for organized playlist downloads:

yt-dlp -o '%(playlist)s/%(playlist_index)s - %(title)s.%(ext)s' PLAYLIST_URL

This creates a folder with the playlist name and numbers each video.

Filtering Playlist Videos​

Use --match-filter to download only specific videos from a playlist:

yt-dlp --match-filter "duration > 600" PLAYLIST_URL

This example downloads only videos longer than 10 minutes.

Playlist Metadata​

  • --write-info-json: Write video metadata to a .info.json file
  • --write-playlist-metafiles: Write playlist metadata in addition to video metadata

Examples​

Download the first 5 videos of a playlist:​

yt-dlp --playlist-end 5 PLAYLIST_URL

Download all videos in a playlist except the first 3:​

yt-dlp --playlist-start 4 PLAYLIST_URL

Download specific videos from a playlist:​

yt-dlp --playlist-items 1,3,5-7 PLAYLIST_URL

Download playlist, naming files by video number and title:​

yt-dlp -o '%(playlist_index)s-%(title)s.%(ext)s' PLAYLIST_URL

Download only new videos from a playlist:​

yt-dlp --download-archive archive.txt PLAYLIST_URL

Tips for Playlist Handling​

  • Use --simulate to preview which videos will be downloaded.
  • Combine with format selection for precise control over video quality.
  • Use --verbose to see detailed information during the download process.
  • For large playlists, consider using --max-downloads to limit the number of videos downloaded.
  • Utilize --playlist-reverse or --playlist-random for different viewing orders.

Playlist handling in yt-dlp provides flexible options for managing large collections of videos. By combining these features, you can efficiently download and organize content from various playlist sources.