How to Fix YouTube DL Slow Download Issue
If you are a fan of downloading videos from YouTube and other sites, you might have heard of or used YouTube DL. It is a popular command-line tool that allows you to download videos in various formats and resolutions. However, sometimes you might encounter slow download speeds with YouTube DL that can be frustrating and time-consuming. In this article, we will explain why YouTube DL can be slow and how to fix it.
youtube dl slow download
What is YouTube DL and Why is it Slow?
YouTube DL is a command-line tool to download videos from YouTube and other sites
YouTube DL is an open-source program that you can run from your terminal or command prompt. It supports downloading videos from hundreds of sites, including YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and more. You can also choose the format, quality, and codec of the video you want to download. You can even download audio-only files or subtitles. YouTube DL is very powerful and flexible, but it also requires some technical knowledge and skills to use it.
YouTube DL can be slow due to various factors such as internet connection, throttling, cache, etc.
There are many reasons why YouTube DL can be slow. Some of the most common ones are:
Your internet connection is slow or unstable. This can affect the speed and reliability of your downloads. You should check your internet speed and bandwidth with a tool like Speedtest.net or Fast.com.
YouTube or other sites are throttling your downloads. This means they are limiting the speed or amount of data you can download at a time. This can happen due to high traffic, server issues, or policy changes. You can check if you are being throttled by comparing the speed of your downloads with different tools or browsers.
Your browser cache and cookies are interfering with your downloads. These are temporary files that store information about your browsing history and preferences. They can sometimes cause errors or conflicts with your downloads. You should clear your browser cache and cookies regularly to avoid this problem.
How to Speed Up YouTube DL Downloads
Check your internet connection and bandwidth
The first thing you should do is check your internet connection and bandwidth. If they are too slow or unstable, you will not be able to download videos fast enough. You should try to use a wired connection instead of Wi-Fi if possible. You should also close any other programs or tabs that are using your internet bandwidth. You can also try to restart your router or modem if they are causing issues.
<h3 Install yt-dlp, a new tool that bypasses throttling and offers faster downloads
One of the best ways to speed up YouTube DL downloads is to use a new tool called yt-dlp. It is a fork of YouTube DL that has many improvements and features. One of the main advantages of yt-dlp is that it can bypass the throttling that YouTube imposes on some videos. It does this by using multiple connections and segments to download the video faster. It also has better support for playlists, subtitles, live streams, and more. You can install yt-dlp from its GitHub page or by using pip:
pip install yt-dlp
Once you have installed yt-dlp, you can use it the same way as YouTube DL, but with some extra options. For example, you can use the --throttled-rate option to set the maximum speed for throttled videos. You can also use the --downloader option to choose the downloader you want to use, such as aria2c or ffmpeg. You can see all the options and examples on the yt-dlp documentation page.
Clear the cache and cookies in your browser
Another simple way to speed up YouTube DL downloads is to clear the cache and cookies in your browser. These are temporary files that store information about your browsing history and preferences. They can sometimes cause errors or conflicts with your downloads. You should clear your browser cache and cookies regularly to avoid this problem. You can do this by following these steps:
Open your browser and go to the settings or options menu.
Find the option to clear browsing data or history.
Select the time range you want to clear, such as the last hour or all time.
Check the boxes for cache and cookies and any other data you want to clear.
Click on the clear button and wait for the process to finish.
This should help you download videos faster and more smoothly with YouTube DL.
Use a VPN to avoid geo-restrictions and network congestion
Sometimes, your download speed can be affected by your location or your network. Some videos might be geo-restricted or blocked in your country or region. This can prevent you from downloading them or make them slower. Also, some networks might have congestion or bandwidth limits that can slow down your downloads. To overcome these issues, you can use a VPN (virtual private network). A VPN is a service that encrypts your internet traffic and routes it through a server in another location. This can help you bypass geo-restrictions and network congestion and download videos faster with YouTube DL. There are many VPN services available online, but you should choose one that is reliable, secure, and fast. Some of the best VPNs for YouTube DL are ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Surfshark, and CyberGhost.
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youtube dl slow download yt dlp Try another YouTube download manager such as JDownloader, ClipGrab, or Video DownloadHelper
If none of the above methods work for you, or you find YouTube DL too complicated or slow, you can try another YouTube download manager. These are programs or extensions that allow you to download videos from YouTube and other sites with a simple click. Some of the best YouTube download managers are:
JDownloader: This is a free and open-source download manager that supports YouTube and many other sites. It has a lot of features and options, such as downloading playlists, subtitles, audio, and more. You can also set the speed limit, number of connections, and proxy settings for your downloads. You can download JDownloader from its official website.
ClipGrab: This is a free and easy-to-use download manager that supports YouTube and other sites. It has a simple interface that lets you paste the video URL, choose the format and quality, and start the download. You can also use the built-in search function to find videos on YouTube. You can download ClipGrab from its official website.
Video DownloadHelper: This is a free browser extension that supports YouTube and other sites. It adds a button to your browser toolbar that lets you download videos from any webpage. You can also choose the format and quality of the video, and convert it to another format if needed. You can download Video DownloadHelper from the Chrome Web Store or the Firefox Add-ons site.
These are some of the alternatives to YouTube DL that you can try if you want to download videos faster and easier.
Use aria2c as an external downloader to get higher speed and parallel downloads
One of the advanced methods to speed up YouTube DL downloads is to use aria2c as an external downloader. aria2c is a command-line tool that supports multiple protocols, such as HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, BitTorrent, and more. It can also download multiple files at the same time with high speed and efficiency. You can use aria2c with YouTube DL to get faster and parallel downloads of videos from YouTube and other sites. To do this, you need to install aria2c from its official website or by using a package manager such as apt or brew. Then, you need to add the --external-downloader option to your YouTube DL command, followed by aria2c. For example:
youtube-dl --external-downloader aria2c
This will use aria2c to download the video from YouTube with higher speed and parallel connections. You can also add other options to customize your download, such as --external-downloader-args to pass arguments to aria2c, or --max-filesize to limit the file size of the video. You can see all the options and examples on the YouTube DL documentation page.
Conclusion
YouTube DL is a powerful tool to download videos from YouTube and other sites, but it can be slow sometimes
YouTube DL is one of the most popular and versatile tools to download videos from YouTube and other sites. It offers a lot of features and options, such as choosing the format, quality, codec, subtitles, audio, and more. However, it can also be slow due to various factors, such as internet connection, throttling, cache, etc.
You can try various methods to speed up YouTube DL downloads such as checking your internet connection, installing yt-dlp, clearing the cache, using a VPN, trying another download manager, or using aria2c
If you want to download videos faster and smoother with YouTube DL, you can try different methods to fix the slow download issue. Some of the methods are:
Check your internet connection and bandwidth with a tool like Speedtest.net or Fast.com.
Install yt-dlp, a new tool that bypasses throttling and offers faster downloads.
Clear the cache and cookies in your browser regularly.
Use a VPN to avoid geo-restrictions and network congestion.
Try another YouTube download manager such as JDownloader, ClipGrab, or Video DownloadHelper.
Use aria2c as an external downloader to get higher speed and parallel downloads.
You can also explore other alternatives to YouTube DL such as NewPipe, yt-dlp-gui, ClipGrab, Open Video Downloader, etc.
If you are not satisfied with YouTube DL or want to try something different, you can also explore other alternatives to YouTube DL. These are some of the tools that can help you download videos from YouTube and other sites:
NewPipe: This is a free and open-source app for Android that allows you to NewPipe: This is a free and open-source app for Android that allows you to watch and download videos from YouTube and other sites. It has a simple and lightweight interface that does not use any Google services or APIs. You can also play videos in the background, pop-up mode, or picture-in-picture mode. You can download NewPipe from F-Droid or GitHub.
yt-dlp-gui: This is a graphical user interface for yt-dlp, the new tool that bypasses throttling and offers faster downloads. It has a user-friendly and intuitive interface that lets you download videos from YouTube and other sites with a few clicks. You can also customize the format, quality, subtitles, and more. You can download yt-dlp-gui from its GitHub page.
ClipGrab: This is a free and easy-to-use download manager that supports YouTube and other sites. It has a simple interface that lets you paste the video URL, choose the format and quality, and start the download. You can also use the built-in search function to find videos on YouTube. You can download ClipGrab from its official website.
Open Video Downloader: This is a free and open-source download manager that supports YouTube and other sites. It has a sleek and modern interface that lets you search and download videos from various sources. You can also choose the format, quality, resolution, and more. You can download Open Video Downloader from its official website.
These are some of the alternatives to YouTube DL that you can try if you want to download videos faster and easier.
FAQs
What is the difference between youtube-dl and yt-dlp?
youtube-dl and yt-dlp are both command-line tools to download videos from YouTube and other sites. However, yt-dlp is a fork of youtube-dl that has many improvements and features. Some of the main differences are:
yt-dlp can bypass the throttling that YouTube imposes on some videos, resulting in faster downloads.
yt-dlp has better support for playlists, subtitles, live streams, and more.
yt-dlp has more options and customization for downloading videos, such as choosing the downloader, setting the speed limit, etc.
yt-dlp is more actively developed and updated than youtube-dl.
How do I use aria2c with youtube-dl?
aria2c is a command-line tool that supports multiple protocols, such as HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, BitTorrent, and more. It can also download multiple files at the same time with high speed and efficiency. You can use aria2c with youtube-dl to get faster and parallel downloads of videos from YouTube and other sites. To do this, you need to install aria2c from its official website or by using a package manager such as apt or brew. Then, you need to add the --external-downloader option to your youtube-dl command, followed by aria2c. For example:
youtube-dl --external-downloader aria2c
This will use aria2c to download the video from YouTube with higher speed and parallel connections. You can also add other options to customize your download, such as --external-downloader-args to pass arguments to aria2c, or --max-filesize to limit the file size of the video. You can see all the options and examples on the youtube-dl documentation page.
How do I download a YouTube playlist with youtube-dl?
To download a YouTube playlist with youtube-dl, you need to use the -i option to ignore errors and continue downloading. You also need to use the --yes-playlist option to confirm that you want to download the playlist instead of the individual video. For example:
youtube-dl -i --yes-playlist
This will download all the videos in the playlist with their default format and quality. You can also add other options to customize your download, such as -f to choose the format, -o to choose the output filename template, --download-archive to keep track of downloaded videos, etc. You can see all the options and examples on the youtube-dl documentation page.
How do I update youtube-dl to the latest version?
To update youtube-dl to the latest version, you need to use the -U option or --update option. For example:
youtube-dl -U
This will check for updates and install them if available. You can also use pip or brew to update youtube-dl if you installed it with those methods For example:
pip install --upgrade youtube-dl
or
brew upgrade youtube-dl
This will update youtube-dl to the latest version available. You can also download the latest version of youtube-dl from its official website or GitHub page.
How do I download videos in 4K or higher resolution with youtube-dl?
To download videos in 4K or higher resolution with youtube-dl, you need to use the -f option or --format option to specify the format code or quality of the video. For example:
youtube-dl -f bestvideo+bestaudio
This will download the best video and audio streams available and merge them into one file. You can also use the format code of the video you want to download, such as 313 for 4K VP9 or 401 for 8K AV1. You can see the available formats and codes by using the -F option or --list-formats option. For example:
youtube-dl -F
This will show you a list of formats and codes for the video, such as:
[info] Available formats for example: format code extension resolution note 249 webm audio only tiny 57k , opus @ 50k (48000Hz), 1.41MiB 250 webm audio only tiny 76k , opus @ 70k (48000Hz), 1.88MiB 251 webm audio only tiny 143k , opus @160k (48000Hz), 3.54MiB 140 m4a audio only tiny 130k , m4a_dash container, mp4a.40.2@128k (44100Hz), 3.22MiB 160 mp4 256x144 144p 67k , avc1.4d400c, 30fps, video only, 1.66MiB 278 webm 256x144 144p 96k , webm container, vp9, 30fps, video only, 2.38MiB 133 mp4 426x240 240p 134k , avc1.4d4015, 30fps, video only, 3.32MiB 242 webm 426x240 240p 220k , vp9, 30fps, video only, 5.46MiB 243 webm 640x360 360p 405k , vp9, 30fps, video only, 10.03MiB 134 mp4 640x360 360p 604k , avc1.4d401e, 30fps, video only, 14.93MiB 244 webm 854x480 480p 752k , vp9, 30fps, video only, 18.58MiB 135 mp4 854x480 480p 1110k , avc1.4d401f, 30fps, video only, 27.41MiB 247 webm 1280x720 720p 1503k , vp9, 30fps, video only, 37.15MiB 136 mp4 1280x720 720p 2297k , avc1.4d401f, 30fps, video only, 56.76MiB 302 webm 1280x720 720p60 2631k , vp9, 60fps, video only, 65.07MiB 298 mp4 1280x720 720p60 3476k , avc1.4d4020, 60fps, video only, 85.95MiB 248 webm 1920x1080 1080p 2649k , vp9, 30fps, video only, 65.49MiB 137 mp4 1920x1080 1080p 4347k , avc1.640028, 30fps, video only, 107.41MiB 303 webm 1920x1080 1080p60 4375k , vp9, 60fps, video only, 108.24MiB 299 mp4 1920x1080 1080p60 5863k , avc1.64002a, 60fps, video only, 145.01MiB 271 webm 2560x1440 1440p10k , vp9, fps, video only 313 webm 3840x2160 fps, video only 18 mp4 640x360 medium , avc1.42001E, mp4a.40.2@96k (44100Hz), 22 mp4 1280x720 hd720 , avc1.64001F, mp4a.40.2@192k (44100Hz) (best)
You can then use the format code to download the video in the desired resolution. For example:
youtube-dl -f 313
This will download the video in the highest resolution available, which is usually 4K or higher.
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