# If installed via pip pip install --upgrade youtube-dl brew upgrade youtube-dl On Linux (self-update) sudo youtube-dl -U 2. Try yt-dlp (recommended fork) yt-dlp is more actively maintained and fixes many YouTube 404 issues.
[youtube] <video_id>: Downloading JSON metadata | Cause | Explanation | |-------|-------------| | Private / deleted video | The video no longer exists or is private. | | Age or country restriction | The endpoint returns 404 instead of a restriction notice. | | Outdated youtube-dl version | YouTube changes its API; old versions break. | | Service-side change | The site changed its internal JSON endpoint. | | Invalid URL | A mistyped URL points to a non-existent resource. | | Blocked by network/DNS | Corporate/school firewall returns 404 for blocked domains. | Solutions 1. Update youtube-dl Outdated versions are the #1 cause. youtube-dl unable to download json metadata http error 404
pip install yt-dlp yt-dlp <video_url> Open the URL in a browser (maybe incognito/private mode) to check if it’s truly available. 4. Use cookies For age‑restricted or member‑only videos: # If installed via pip pip install --upgrade