# How to Download YouTube Videos, Playlists and Audio in Bulk (2025 Step by Step Guide for Non Techies) | Unlimited Free tired of clicking "download" on every single video like some sort of unpaid intern? this guide shows you how to: * download a whole youtube playlist at once * bulk download youtube videos from links * save everything as mp3 or full video * do it on windows 10 or windows 11, even if you are "not good with computers" no fancy stuff, just copy, paste, enter, done. ## what you will actually get at the end after following this: * a folder full of normal **mp3** songs * or **mp4** video files that work on phone, tv, laptop * you can download full playlists at once later with one command * all offline, no buffering, no ads, no "this video is not available in your country" nonsense ## tools we use (both free, no weird ads) we will use 2 programs: 1. **yt-dlp** this is the main youtube downloader. it can * download single videos * download full playlists at once * grab only audio as mp3 * handle broken downloads better than most "online converters" 2. **ffmpeg** small helper program used in the background to convert stuff to mp3 and attach thumbnails. if you install yt-dlp with the command below, you usually dont need to care about ffmpeg, it gets handled. both are open source, used by millions of nerds already. --- ## step 1 - install windows terminal (if you do not already have it) we will use **windows terminal** or **powershell** to run commands. this is just a text window, not a hacker movie. 1. press the **windows** key 2. type **microsoft store** and open it 3. in search, type: `windows terminal` 4. click **get** or **install** after install, you should see an app called **windows terminal**. ## step 2 - install yt dlp with one command 1. open **windows terminal** 2. copy this line completely: ```powershell winget install --id yt-dlp.yt-dlp -e --source winget ``` 3. right click inside the terminal window to paste 4. press **enter** 5. wait a bit until you see something like "successfully installed" if it asks for any yes or accept, just accept. yt dlp is now installed system wide. ## step 3 - create a simple text file with your youtube links this is where we store the list of stuff to download in bulk. 1. press **windows** key 2. type **notepad** and open it 3. paste your youtube links, one per line example: ```text https://youtu.be/ZTmF2v59CtI https://youtu.be/A04WawrDblo https://youtu.be/Ly0BU3ZdI0k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAVhUAaVCVQ ``` you can put here: * single youtube videos * full playlist links * multiple playlists * channel "uploads" playlist links 4. in notepad, click **file** → **save as** 5. choose **desktop** 6. file name: `my-links.txt` (type the `.txt` part yourself, do not skip) 7. click **save** small mistake many people do: they save it as `my-links.txt.txt` by accident. if windows is hiding file extensions, dont overthink it, just name it `my-links`. ## step 4 - open terminal in the right folder we saved `my-links.txt` on the desktop, so the terminal must work from there. ### option 1 - easiest way 1. go to your **desktop** 2. right click on empty space 3. if you see **open in terminal** or **open powershell window here**, click it done. terminal is now sitting in the desktop folder. ### option 2 - if that menu is missing 1. open **windows terminal** normally 2. type this and press enter: ```powershell cd Desktop ``` `cd` means "change directory". so now it is working inside your desktop folder. --- ## step 5 - bulk download everything in one shot here is the fun part. ### option a - download as mp3 (most people want this) good for music, podcasts, interviews, playlists. in the terminal (already in desktop), paste: ```bash yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 --audio-quality 0 --embed-thumbnail -a my-links.txt ``` what each part means, in plain english: * `-x` extract audio only * `--audio-format mp3` convert to mp3 * `--audio-quality 0` best quality * `--embed-thumbnail` tries to put the video thumbnail inside the mp3 * `-a my-links.txt` read all links from that file press **enter**. now it will process all the links, one after another. you will see progress bars and file names. ### option b - download full videos if you want video plus audio, use: ```bash yt-dlp -a my-links.txt ``` that tells yt dlp to use default best video with sound, for everything listed. when it finishes, files appear right on your desktop, unless you change the folder. ## what the downloaded files look like you will see stuff like: * `Sheila Ki Jawani Full Song - Tees Maar` [`Khan.mp`](http://Khan.mp)`3` * `Chammak Challo - Ra` [`One.mp`](http://One.mp)`3` * `Kombdi Palali -` [`Jatra.mp`](http://Jatra.mp)`3` they behave like normal media files. you can: * double click to open in vlc, windows media player etc * copy to phone via usb * put them on sd card for car * back them up to external drive no magic, just files. ## put downloads in a music folder instead of desktop desktop gets messy, so you may want a dedicated folder. 1. create a folder, for example: `C:\Users\YourName\Music\My YouTube Songs` 2. open **windows terminal** 3. go into that folder, replace `YourName` with your real username: ```bash cd "C:\Users\YourName\Music\My YouTube Songs" ``` 4. move or copy `my-links.txt` into this folder 5. run the same command as before, for example: ```bash yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 --audio-quality 0 --embed-thumbnail -a my-links.txt ``` now everything goes into that music folder. --- ## how to download a full youtube playlist at once this is what many people search for: **download youtube playlist at once** or **bulk download youtube playlist to mp3**. steps: 1. open the playlist on youtube 2. copy the playlist url, looks like: ```text https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxxxxxxxxxxxx ``` 3. paste that playlist link into `my-links.txt` on a new line 4. save the file 5. run the command you want: for mp3: ```bash yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 --audio-quality 0 --embed-thumbnail -a my-links.txt ``` for full video: ```bash yt-dlp -a my-links.txt ``` yt dlp sees that it is a playlist, then: * grabs all videos from that playlist * downloads them one by one * names them with proper titles you can mix: * single videos * playlists * multiple playlists all inside the same `my-links.txt`. ## download only part of a big playlist playlist has 300 videos but you only need the first 40 or 80, no problem. ### option 1 - manual selection just copy only the videos you want into `my-links.txt` and ignore the rest. basic but works. ### option 2 - playlist start and end if you want a range, use extra options. example, download videos 1 to 50 from a playlist into mp3: ```bash yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 --audio-quality 0 --embed-thumbnail --playlist-start 1 --playlist-end 50 "https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxxxxxxxxxxxx" ``` here we are giving the playlist url directly instead of via `my-links.txt`. both ways are fine. --- ## some extra tricks if you feel like leveling up you can totally skip this section first time. ### best video quality for all playlists ```bash yt-dlp -f "bv*+ba/b" -a my-links.txt ``` that tries best video plus best audio, falls back to best single file if needed. ### auto organize by playlist name into folders nice for downloading many playlists at once. ```bash yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 --audio-quality 0 --embed-thumbnail -o "%(playlist_title)s/%(title)s.%(ext)s" -a my-links.txt ``` this creates folders named after each playlist and puts its songs inside. --- ## common problems and quick fixes ### error: `'yt-dlp' is not recognized` terminal says something like that, usually means the path did not refresh. * close all terminal windows * open a new windows terminal * try `yt-dlp --version` if that still fails, reinstall: ```powershell winget install --id yt-dlp.yt-dlp -e --source winget ``` watch for any error lines. ### some videos fail, others work happens when: * video is private * geo blocked * removed * age restricted in a weird way usually yt dlp skips that one and continues, you can ignore it or find another source. ### cannot open `my-links.txt` if it says file not found, you are in the wrong folder. in terminal, run: ```bash cd Desktop ``` then run your command again. or move the text file into the folder where you download stuff and `cd` there. --- ## is it legal to download youtube videos like this short boring answer: **it depends**. a few basics: * youtube terms say downloads should be via official features like app or premium * different countries have different rules about personal copies * safest options are: * your own uploads * content where the creator clearly allows downloading * stuff under a license that permits it this guide is for technical education. it is not legal advice. check your local laws and use some common sense. creators spend time making content, so do not just mass rip and reupload. --- ## quick faq for google people and skimmers ### how do i bulk download youtube videos on windows 10 or 11 * install yt dlp with `winget` * create `my-links.txt` with one youtube link per line * go to the folder in terminal and run: ```bash yt-dlp -a my-links.txt ``` ### how do i download a youtube playlist at once to mp3 * put the playlist link into `my-links.txt` * run: ```bash yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 --audio-quality 0 --embed-thumbnail -a my-links.txt ``` ### can i download multiple playlists at the same time yes. you can: * put several playlist links in `my-links.txt` * or run separate commands in different folders if you want each playlist in its own folder. ## closing thought once yt dlp is installed and you know the basic command, **downloading a full youtube playlist at once** turns into a 5 second job. you just update your `my-links.txt`, run one command, and your music or videos are yours, offline, not at the mercy of random deletions or bad internet.