## Instructions for YouTube:

**There is a small chance your account could be banned. DO NOT login with an important Google account (such as an account you use for Gmail)**

*If yt-dlp is asking you to log in, first try running `--update-to nightly` to see whether it fixes the issue!*

### Export cookies automatically (this works on MacOS and Linux, but it only works on Windows if you use Firefox):

1. Log into YouTube in your browser

2. Add `--cookies-from-browser BROWSER` to your command, replacing BROWSER with the name of your browser (options: `brave, chrome, chromium, edge, firefox, opera, safari, vivaldi, whale`)

### Export cookies automatically on Firefox forks (eg Waterfox):

1. Log into YouTube in your browser

2. visit [about:profiles](about:profiles)

3. copy the "Root Directory"

4. Add `--cookies-from-browser "firefox:ROOT"` to your command (eg `--cookies-from-browser "firefox:C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\12345678.default-release"`)

### Export cookies automatically on other Chromium browsers (Mac and Linux only):

1. Log into YouTube in your browser

2. visit [chrome://version](chrome://version)

3. copy the "Profile Path"

4. Add `--cookies-from-browser "chromium:ROOT"` to your command (eg `--cookies-from-browser "chromium:/home/user/.var/app/io.github.ungoogled_software.ungoogled_chromium/config/chromium/Default"`)

### Export cookies manually (on Chromium-based browsers):

1. Install https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/get-cookiestxt-locally/cclelndahbckbenkjhflpdbgdldlbecc

2. Enable "Allow in incognito" in chrome://extensions/?id=cclelndahbckbenkjhflpdbgdldlbecc

3. Open an incognito window and log into youtube

4. open https://youtube.com/robots.txt in a new tab and close the youtube tab

5. Export cookies, then close the incognito window (so the cookies will never rotate)

6. Pass the cookies to yt-dlp using `--cookies "PATHTOCOOKIES"`

## Instructions for every other site:

**<ins>DO NOT login to Facebook/Instagram with yt-dlp, unless you want your account to be banned</ins>**

### Method 1: Add `--username "USERNAME" --password "PASSWORD"` to your command

**DO NOT use this for X/Twitter, until https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/issues/12616 is fixed**

*If you are trying to log in using Adobe Pass, use `--ap-list-mso` to find the ID for your TV Provider, then use `--ap-mso PROVIDERID --ap-username "USERNAME" --ap-password "PASSWORD"`*

### Method 2: Log in with your browser, then use `--cookies-from-browser BROWSER` (this method works on MacOS and Linux, but it only works on Windows if you use Firefox)

For firefox forks, use `--cookies-from-browser "firefox:ROOTDIR"` where ROOTDIR is your "root directory", found in [about:profiles](about:profiles)

### Method 3: Export cookies manually using https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/get-cookiestxt-locally/cclelndahbckbenkjhflpdbgdldlbecc, then use `--cookies "PATHTOCOOKIES"`

### Method 4: If the video is password protected but doesn't require an account, add `--video-password PASSWORD` to your command