Downloads the video + a text file containing the full description. Download Detailed Metadata ( --write-info-json )
If you are scripting or need specific data, you can dump the video information as JSON to stdout. yt-dlp --dump-json "URL" Use code with caution. yt-dlp download description
yt-dlp is a powerful, open-source command-line media downloader based on the popular youtube-dl project. While its primary purpose is downloading video and audio, it excels at grabbing metadata, including descriptions, subtitles, and thumbnails. Downloads the video + a text file containing
For embedding metadata or converting formats, you must have ffmpeg installed. To download descriptions for every video in a
To download descriptions for every video in a playlist, use the command as normal on a playlist URL. yt-dlp --write-description "PLAYLIST_URL" Use code with caution. 3. Extracting Specific Description Information (JSON)
This prints the entire video object in the terminal, allowing you to parse it with tools like jq . 4. Key Considerations and Troubleshooting
You must use cookies to download descriptions or videos for age-restricted content, using the --cookies option. Summary of Useful Flags Save Description File yt-dlp --write-description URL Save All Metadata (JSON) yt-dlp --write-info-json URL Embed in Video File yt-dlp --add-metadata URL Download Description Only yt-dlp --skip-download --write-description URL Save Thumbnail yt-dlp --write-thumbnail URL