ytdlpx 0.3.0

A modern desktop GUI for yt-dlp — download video and audio in any format

YT-DLPx

A premium, modern desktop application for downloading media from YouTube and 1000+ other sites, and converting local media files between formats. Powered by yt-dlp and ffmpeg, with a beautiful, custom Slate/Indigo user interface built on CustomTkinter.

Current Version: 0.3.0

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Key Features

• Sleek Sidebar Navigation: Modern left-hand vertical sidebar for seamless switching between panels (Download, Convert, and Settings).
• Video & Audio Downloader:
  • Download video formats (MP4, MKV, WEBM) and audio-only formats (MP3, AAC, FLAC, WAV, OGG) with customizable quality levels.
  • Paste multiple URLs at once for batch/playlist queueing.
  • Clipboard Helper: A one-click "📋 Paste" button to instantly retrieve and append links.
  • Card-style queue rows with Tailwind-inspired colored status badges, real-time speed, ETA, and progress bar feedback.
• Local Media Converter:
  • Batch select local video/audio files.
  • Convert to 15+ formats (MP4 H.264/H.265, WEBM, MKV, GIF, MP3, AAC, FLAC, and more) with multi-threaded ffmpeg conversion.
  • Real-time conversion progress bar and thread-level cancellation.
• Centralized Settings Panel:
  • Theme Switcher: Instantly toggle between System, Dark, and Light modes.
  • Custom Destinations: Configure and browse default save locations for downloads and conversions.
  • Concurrency Sliders: Move concurrent download/conversion limits to the settings view to keep the workspace clean.
  • Settings are saved automatically at ~/.config/ytdlpx/settings.json.

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Prerequisites

Before installing yt-dlpx, make sure you have the following system dependencies installed on your system path.

1. FFmpeg

Used for merging downloaded video/audio streams and performing conversions.

# macOS
brew install ffmpeg

# Linux (Debian/Ubuntu)
sudo apt install ffmpeg

2. Python with Tcl/Tk support

The GUI requires Tkinter, which requires a Python interpreter compiled with Tcl/Tk. Standard builds downloaded by some managers (like default uv or pyenv) may omit Tcl/Tk on macOS. It is recommended to use Homebrew's Python.

# macOS (Python 3.11 - 3.13)
brew install python@3.13
brew install python-tk@3.13

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Installation

There are two recommended ways to install yt-dlpx directly from PyPI (pip).

Method 1: Using pipx (Recommended for desktop use)

pipx installs yt-dlpx in an isolated environment and exposes the yt-dlpx command globally.

# 1. Install pipx (if needed)
brew install pipx
pipx ensurepath  # Restart your terminal after this

# 2. Install yt-dlpx (pointing to Homebrew's Python to ensure Tkinter support)
pipx install ytdlpx --python $(brew --prefix python@3.13)/bin/python3.13

Method 2: Using uv (Fastest tool runner)

uv can install tools globally, or run them instantly on-the-fly.

• Run on-the-fly (without installing):

  uvx --python $(brew --prefix python@3.13)/bin/python3.13 ytdlpx
  

• Install globally:

  uv tool install ytdlpx --python $(brew --prefix python@3.13)/bin/python3.13
  

Launch

Once installed, simply run:

yt-dlpx

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Development Setup

If you want to run the project locally or contribute to development:

1. Clone or navigate to the repository directory.
2. Initialize and sync the virtual environment using uv (pointing to Homebrew's Python):

   uv sync --python $(brew --prefix python@3.13)/bin/python3.13
   

3. Run the application:

   uv run python src/ytdlpx/app.py
   

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Troubleshooting

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named '_tkinter'

Your Python interpreter lacks Tcl/Tk. Ensure you installed python-tk from Homebrew and force a reinstall pointing explicitly to that Python version:

pipx install ytdlpx --python $(brew --prefix python@3.13)/bin/python3.13 --force

ffmpeg not found warning on launch

The application will launch, but video/audio merging and local file conversions will fail. Install ffmpeg using Homebrew or your Linux package manager.

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License

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPLv3). See the LICENSE file for the full license text.