HOW TO BACKUP YOUTUBE CHANNELS ?

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YouTube-DL is a powerful open-source tool that enables users to download videos, playlists, and even audio files from YouTube. This article will guide you through the process of installing and using YouTube-DL for easy and efficient video downloads.

1. Installing YouTube-DL

To install YouTube-DL, there are two common methods:

Method 1: Using Snap Package Manager

sudo snap install youtube-dl

Method 2: Using APT Package Manager

sudo apt install youtube-dl

Both commands are effective, and you can choose the one based on your preferred package manager.

2. Preparing to Download Videos

Before downloading, create a temporary directory to store the videos:

mkdir /tmp/channel; cd /tmp/channel

This ensures that all your downloads are organized in a designated folder.

3. Downloading All Videos from a YouTube Channel

To download all videos from a specific YouTube channel, first get the channel’s URL. For example, let’s use the YouTube channel for As I Lay Dying:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC05WaqA-0OLM5Y7NmmHq1hw

Now, use the following command to download all available videos from the channel:

youtube-dl -f best -ciw -o "%(title)s.%(ext)s" -v https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC05WaqA-0OLM5Y7NmmHq1hw

4. Understanding the Command Options

Here’s a breakdown of the options used in the above command:

  • -f best: Downloads the highest quality video available.
  • -c: Continues downloading any partially completed files.
  • -i: Ignores errors and continues downloading, skipping unavailable videos.
  • -w: Ensures that files are not overwritten.
  • -o: Defines the output format for the file name. In this case, the title and extension of the video are used.
  • -v: Enables verbose output, which provides detailed information for debugging.

5. Downloading YouTube Playlists

To download videos from a playlist, you’ll need either the playlist’s URL or ID. Here’s an example of both:

  • URL Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btL3cI1grAo&list=PLCQ95L4288YTuUZ0KInDA1koNlIyMoPNO
  • ID Example: PLCQ95L4288YTuUZ0KInDA1koNlIyMoPNO

To download the playlist, use the following command:

youtube-dl -i -f mp4 --yes-playlist 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btL3cI1grAo&list=PLCQ95L4288YTuUZ0KInDA1koNlIyMoPNO'

This command will download every video from the specified playlist in MP4 format.

6. Downloading a Single YouTube Video

If you only want to download a single video, you can use the following command:

youtube-dl -i -f mp4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6G_dHS4MEeM

This will download the video in MP4 format.

7. Downloading Audio as MP3

In case you want to download just the audio of a video, you can extract it in MP3 format using the following command:

youtube-dl -i --audio-format mp3 -x https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6G_dHS4MEeM

This is ideal if you only need the audio content from a YouTube video, like for music or podcasts.

Conclusion

Glitchmind brings for you YouTube-DL is a highly versatile tool that simplifies video downloads from YouTube. Whether you want to download individual videos, entire playlists, or audio-only files, this guide has shown you how to make the most of YouTube-DL with straightforward commands. Always ensure you are following YouTube’s terms of service when downloading content.

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