YT-DLP WebUI All Features

This page covers everything YT-DLP WebUI can do. Whether you’re a first-time user or setting up for a family member, read on to see what’s possible.

📥 Browser-Based Downloads

The core feature: paste a URL, click download, get your file. No command line needed.

Open the app in your browser
Paste a URL from YouTube, Vimeo, Twitter, or any supported site
Pick a preset (or use defaults)
Click Download

The download starts instantly. You can see progress bars, speed, and estimated time remaining — just like a desktop download manager.

💡 Pro tip: Press Ctrl+K from anywhere in the app to instantly open the download panel.

🔍 URL Analysis (Preview Before You Download)

Not sure what’s behind a URL? Paste it and click Analyze instead of Download. The app fetches:

Video title and thumbnail
Duration
Whether it’s a single video or a playlist
Available subtitles

This saves you from downloading something you didn’t want.

🎛️ Preset System

Presets are saved download configurations — like recipe cards for yt-dlp. Instead of tweaking settings every time, you pick a preset and go.

Built-in Presets

Preset	Best for
General Video	Everyday downloads — best quality, keeps original format
Audio Only	Music, podcasts, audiobooks — converts to MP3 320kbps
Jellyfin	Media server libraries — MKV with metadata, thumbnails, subtitles
Plex	Plex Media Server — MP4 with metadata and subtitles
Archive	Complete preservation — all formats, all subs, descriptions, thumbnails

Custom Presets

You can also create your own presets with full control over yt-dlp options. Save them with a name and description, and they appear alongside the built-in ones.

⚡ Concurrent Downloads

Download multiple files at the same time. The default limit is 3 concurrent downloads, but you can change it in settings. Downloads beyond the limit are queued and start automatically when a slot frees up.

📊 Real-Time Progress

Every download shows:

Progress bar (percentage complete)
Download speed (e.g., “12.5 MB/s”)
Estimated time remaining (e.g., “00:02:30”)
File size

For playlists, you also see: “Item 3 of 15” so you know where you are.

📜 Download History

Every download is recorded in the history page with:

Source URL and domain (e.g., “youtube.com”)
Status (completed / failed)
File size and format
When it happened

You can filter history by:

Source domain
Download status
Preset used

This makes it easy to find past downloads or check what failed.

🕐 Scheduled Downloads

Set a download to start at a specific time in the future. Useful for:

Downloading during off-peak hours
Scheduling a playlist download for later
Timing downloads around your availability

🔁 Playlist Monitoring

This is one of the most powerful features. You can watch a playlist and have new videos downloaded automatically as they’re published.

How it works:

Add a playlist URL to the monitoring page
Set how often to check (e.g., every 60 minutes)
Choose which preset to use
Turn on Auto-download

The app periodically checks the playlist for new videos. When it finds one you haven’t downloaded yet, it starts the download automatically.

💡 Perfect for: YouTube creators you follow, podcast series, weekly shows, course playlists.

🔔 Notifications

Get alerts when downloads finish or fail — without checking the app.

Webhook Notifications

Send an HTTP POST to any URL when a download completes or fails. This lets you:

Post to Slack/Discord/Telegram
Trigger your own automation scripts
Integrate with home automation (Home Assistant, etc.)

Email Notifications

Get an email when downloads finish or fail. Requires configuring SMTP settings.

🎨 Auto Theme

The UI automatically matches your operating system’s dark or light mode. Change your system theme, and the app follows — no manual toggle needed.

⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
`Ctrl+K`	Open download panel
`Esc`	Close panel / cancel

🏷️ Rebranding

Make the app your own by changing:

App name — appears in the nav bar, page titles, and footer
Logo icon — pick from built-in SVG icons
Favicon — the icon shown in browser tabs

All configured in the .env file. Restart the server to see changes.

🔒 HTTPS Support

Enable HTTPS with self-signed certificates for encrypted access. Perfect for:

Accessing the app over the internet
Using it behind a reverse proxy
Keeping your downloads private

📤 Settings Export/Import

Backup your entire configuration — all settings and all custom presets — as a single JSON file. Use it to:

Migrate to a new server
Share your setup with a friend
Keep a backup before making big changes

🧹 Auto Cache Cleanup

The app automatically cleans up yt-dlp’s temporary files (.part, .info.json, .description) every 60 seconds. Files older than 10 minutes are removed. Your completed downloads are never touched.

🔧 System Management

From the System page, you can:

Check yt-dlp version — see what’s currently installed
Update yt-dlp — one click, no terminal needed
Check dependencies — verify ffmpeg and ffprobe are available

🌐 Responsive Design

The UI works on:

Desktop — full-featured layout
Tablet — adjusted for medium screens
Smartphone — compact, touch-friendly

🗺️ Feature Summary

Feature	Built-in	Customizable
Downloads	✅ Paste URL and go	Presets, concurrent limits
Presets	5 built-in presets	Unlimited custom presets
Scheduling	✅ Future date/time	Any date/time
Playlist monitoring	✅ Per-playlist config	Interval, preset, output path
Notifications	Webhook + email templates	Per-user preferences
Rebranding	Name, icon, favicon in `.env`	Any SVG icon ID
HTTPS	Self-signed certs	Custom cert paths
Theme	Auto (system preference)	Follows OS setting