The reason for this error showing up can be that you’ve got an outdated version of youtube-dl. It doesn’t matter which operating system you’re using; make sure the youtube-dl version is 2021.12.17. You can check the version by running the following command in the command prompt: If it’s an older version, make sure to upgrade it. I’ll mention the steps for that below. Apart from this, there are three more ways to fix this error, and each of them requires you to execute some commands.
1. Update youtube-dl
As I mentioned above, updating youtube-dl is necessary to make it function properly. The latest version is 2021.12.17, and no new ‘official’ update has been released after that. Though there’s a patched v2023.02.17 as well. Having said that, below are the commands to update youtube-dl on different platforms: For Windows: You need to go to the location where youtube-dl was downloaded. Afterward, type cmd on the location bar and execute the following command.
For macOS:
For Self-Updating
Using Python
2. Reinstall youtube-dl
If the update doesn’t work, then reinstall the youtube-dl download manager altogether. Again, I will list the commands and steps for each operating system. You don’t need any commands on Windows, but they will do on Linux and Mac.
On Windows
On macOS
On Linux
Now try and download some videos and see if the ‘unable to extract uploader id’ error shows up or not.
3. Install the Master Branch of youtube-dl
Installing the master branch (youtube-dlp) and importing it as youtube-dl has worked for many users. This method will be completed by using just two commands, and the uploader id problem will be gone. But before that, make sure you have Python on your system. Here’s what you need to do:
4. Install and Use yt-dlp
yt-dlp is a fork of youtube-dl and is based on youtube-dlc which is now inactive. With yt-dlp, you get the combined features of youtube-dl and dlc. There are many new features in it, including support for clips, stories, filtered search, and more. So, if youtube-dl keeps showing the ‘unable to extract uploader id’ error, it’s a good idea to start using yt-dlp. Here’s how you can install it on different OSes:
Alternatively, you can use commands instead of these steps.
For UNIX-like OSes (Linux, BSD, MacOS)
Use either of the three ways:
Using pip (Python)
To install without optional dependencies:
Using Homebrew
Using Pacman
With APT
With MacPorts
