How-To Guide

How to Install Pytube in Python

Pytube is a lightweight Python library for downloading YouTube videos. Here's how to install it — and how to fix the errors that usually follow.

⚠️ Before you install: Pytube is intended for downloading videos you have the right to download — your own content, public-domain material, or content licensed for reuse. Downloading copyrighted videos without permission violates YouTube's Terms of Service. Use responsibly.

📦 What is Pytube?

Pytube is a pure-Python library (no third-party dependencies) that lets you interact with YouTube programmatically. It's popular for:

Downloading videos for offline viewing
Extracting video metadata (title, length, thumbnails)
Downloading only the audio track
Selecting specific resolutions or formats
Building download tools and automation scripts

The package is available on PyPI as pytube. However, the original project has had maintenance gaps — which is why this guide also covers pytubefix, a maintained fork that stays compatible with YouTube's frequent changes.

📋 What You'll Need

Python 3.8 or newer installed
pip (Python's package manager, included with Python 3.4+)
An internet connection
A terminal (Command Prompt, PowerShell, or Terminal)
About 3 minutes of your time

Not sure if Python is installed? Read our guide: How to Install Python →

Verify Python and pip are installed

Open your terminal and run:

python --version
pip --version

You should see something like:

Python 3.12.1
pip 24.0 from ... (python 3.12)

💡 On Mac/Linux: You may need to use python3 and pip3 instead of python and pip.

Install Pytube

Run this in your terminal:

pip install pytube

If you get a permission error, use:

pip install --user pytube

Or, for the maintained fork (recommended if you run into HTTP 403 errors):

pip install pytubefix

💡 Mac / Linux: If pip isn't found, try pip3 install pytube. If you're using a virtual environment (recommended), activate it first.

Verify the installation

Run this one-liner to confirm Pytube is installed:

python -c "import pytube; print(pytube.__version__)"

If you installed pytubefix instead:

python -c "import pytubefix; print(pytubefix.__version__)"

You should see a version number — for example, 15.0.0. If you see an error, jump to the "Common Errors" section below.

Test with a simple script

Create a new file called downloader.py and paste this:

from pytube import YouTube

url = "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
yt = YouTube(url)

print("Title:", yt.title)
print("Length:", yt.length, "seconds")
print("Author:", yt.author)

# Download highest resolution video
yt.streams.get_highest_resolution().download()
print("Download complete!")

Run it with:

python downloader.py

If a video file appears in your folder, installation is successful. 🎉

🎵 Bonus: Download Only the Audio

To download just the audio track (useful for music or podcasts):

from pytube import YouTube

yt = YouTube("https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ")
audio = yt.streams.filter(only_audio=True).first()
audio.download()

# Optional: rename .mp4 to .mp3 after downloading
print("Audio downloaded!")

Pytube saves the audio as an .mp4 file by default. You can rename it to .mp3 afterward, or use FFmpeg to convert it properly.

🔧 Common Errors (and Fixes)

❌ HTTP Error 403: Forbidden

YouTube changed its API and the original Pytube stopped working. Fix:

pip uninstall pytube
pip install pytubefix

Then change your import from from pytube import YouTube to from pytubefix import YouTube.

❌ ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'pytube'

This means you installed it in a different Python environment. Try:

python -m pip install pytube

❌ 'pip' is not recognized as an internal or external command

Python isn't on your system PATH. Reinstall Python and check "Add Python to PATH" on the first installer screen. Or, use:

python -m pip install pytube

❌ PytubeExtractError / RegexMatchError

YouTube changed its HTML structure. This is why switching to pytubefix is often the quickest fix:

pip uninstall pytube -y
pip install pytubefix

❌ AttributeError: 'NoneType' object has no attribute 'download'

The stream you selected doesn't exist for that video (e.g., no 1080p available). Always filter with a fallback:

stream = yt.streams.get_highest_resolution()
if stream:
    stream.download()
else:
    print("No suitable stream found.")

⚖️ Pytube vs pytubefix: Which Should You Use?

Since 2024, YouTube has made frequent changes that break the original Pytube. Here's a quick comparison:

pytube

Original package on PyPI
Widely documented
⚠️ Often breaks with new YouTube changes
⚠️ Slow updates

pytubefix ✅

Actively maintained fork
Same API as pytube
Regular compatibility updates
Recommended for new projects

💡 Rule of thumb: If you're learning or building a small script, use pytubefix for fewer headaches. If your project already uses pytube and works, don't change it — just be aware it may break in the future.