youtube-dl won't work on Linux Mint 18.3 64 bit but does on Fedora 34

[hapibeli]

youtube-dl https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnvfNx2TGFs
[youtube] GnvfNx2TGFs: Downloading webpage
[youtube] GnvfNx2TGFs: Downloading video info webpage
WARNING: unable to download video info webpage: HTTP Error 404: Not Found
WARNING: unable to download video info webpage: HTTP Error 404: Not Found
WARNING: unable to download video info webpage: HTTP Error 404: Not Found
WARNING: unable to download video info webpage: HTTP Error 404: Not Found
ERROR: GnvfNx2TGFs: YouTube said: Unable to extract video data

[Flemur]

youtube-dl https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnvfNx2TGFs

Works for me.
$ youtube-dl --version
2021.06.06

Don't use the youtube-dl in the repos (the one you'd install through the Software Manager, synaptic, etc), it's so out of date that it doesn't work most of the time. Uninstall that one and then install a new one like this:

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sudo wget https://yt-dl.org/downloads/latest/youtube-dl -O /usr/local/bin/youtube-dl
sudo chmod a+rx /usr/local/bin/youtube-dl

From: https://github.com/ytdl-org/youtube-dl

Update it as needed with

Code: Select all

sudo youtube-dl -U

Edit: at that URL, the default file youtube-dl downloaded was a 35MB .webm file, which looked "splotchy" in vlc;
the 13.5MB .mp4 file (format #18) looks great.
This is handy:

Code: Select all

youtube-dl --list-formats https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnvfNx2TGFs

so you can

Code: Select all

youtube-dl --format 18 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnvfNx2TGFs

[hapibeli]

Perfecto! Thanks! Now how do I guide the files where I want to put them?

[Larry78723]

You should start by updating your Mint. LM18.x reached End of Life at the end of April and won't receive any security updates in the future. That means anytime you connect to the 'net, you're open to exploits.

[hapibeli]

Does that mean update then upgrade or download 19?

[sanmig]

Now how do I guide the files where I want to put them?

Open the Terminal from the destination folder (Nemo right click).
More e.g.:
https://ostechnix.com/youtube-dl-tutori ... beginners/

[all41]

Perfecto! Thanks! Now how do I guide the files where I want to put them?

create a document in /home/username/.config (hidden directory-press ctrl+h to show) and name it youtube-dl.conf
in this document enter:

-o /path/to/save/destination/%(title)s.%(ext)s

from this system for example only:

-o /mnt/storage/Downloads/%(title)s.%(ext)s

Here this directs youtube-dl to another internal hdd named 'storage' and in a sub-directory named 'Downloads'