Error Fixed : YT-DLP Unable to Download Video Http Error Forbidden

If yt-dlp gives you this error: “unable to download video: HTTP Error 403: Forbidden” …it means YouTube (or another site) is blocking your request, likely due to one of these reasons:

🔍 Why You’re Seeing 403 Forbidden with yt-dlp

✅ Fixes for yt-dlp 403 Forbidden

✅ 1. Update yt-dlp (ALWAYS first)

Or, if installed via pip:

YouTube updates frequently — a 403 error is often fixed just by updating.

✅ 2. Pass Your YouTube Cookies (for age-restricted or private videos)

Step-by-step:

1. Go to https://www.youtube.com in your browser (logged in).

2. Use Get cookies.txt extension for Chrome or similar for Firefox.

3. Export cookies to a file (e.g. cookies.txt)

4. Use it in yt-dlp:

🔐 This is essential for downloading:

• Age-restricted content

• Private/unlisted videos

• Member-only content

✅ 3. Use a Custom User-Agent

Some servers reject requests from unknown clients. You can spoof a browser:

Or combine with cookies:

✅ 4. Try a Proxy or VPN (Geo-blocked content)

Some videos are region-locked. You can use a proxy:

Or run yt-dlp behind a VPN located in the appropriate country.

✅ 5. Force Insecure Connections (if behind a strict firewall)

This tells yt-dlp to try using a basic extractor — works in rare cases.

✅ 6. Use Verbose Mode to Debug

Run with:

This gives detailed output and may show exactly what request is failing.

🧪 Bonus: For Specific Sites (Other than YouTube)

Some sites (like TikTok, Twitter, NicoVideo) require specific workarounds:

• Try adding --referer if needed:

  yt-dlp --referer "https://example.com" "VIDEO_URL"


• Use --no-check-certificate for SSL issues:

  yt-dlp --no-check-certificate "VIDEO_URL"


🧼 Last Resort: Try yt-dlp with --netrc (if account is needed)

If you use .netrc for login credentials:

✅ Summary Fix Checklist