Reference

yt-dlp Default Download Location

What the yt-dlp default download location is, the default filename template, and how to permanently change where files are saved using -P and a config file.

Updated 2026-06-13

By default, yt-dlp saves downloads to the current working directory using the filename template %(title)s [%(id)s].%(ext)s. There is no built-in 'Downloads' default — it's wherever your terminal happens to be.

The default filename

Out of the box you get files like:

Never Gonna Give You Up [dQw4w9WgXcQ].webm

Change it for one download

yt-dlp -P "~/Videos" "<URL>"

Change the default permanently

Add a -P line (and optionally an -o template) to your config file:

# ~/.config/yt-dlp/config
-P ~/Videos
-o %(title)s.%(ext)s

Now every download goes to ~/Videos automatically. Related reading: where does yt-dlp download to and download location.

Separate folders for audio vs video

yt-dlp -P "home:~/Videos" -P "temp:/tmp" "<URL>"

-P accepts typed prefixes (home, temp, subtitle, thumbnail…) so you can route different outputs to different places.

Frequently asked questions

What is yt-dlp's default download folder?+

The current working directory of your terminal. It does not default to your system Downloads folder.

What is the default filename format?+

%(title)s [%(id)s].%(ext)s — the video title, its ID in brackets, and the original extension.

How do I set a permanent default location?+

Add -P /your/path to your config file so it applies to every run.