Watch YouTube Videos with mpv Player - Complete Guide

Using mpv with YouTube is a popular way to watch videos from the terminal with fewer ads, keyboard control, and high performance. mpv relies on yt-dlp (or sometimes youtube-dl) to fetch the stream.

Here’s the full setup and usage.

✅ 1) Install mpv and yt-dlp

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On Linux:

Debian / Ubuntu

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sudo apt install mpv yt-dlp

Arch

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sudo pacman -S mpv yt-dlp

Void Linux

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sudo xbps-install -S mpv yt-dlp

Alpine

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sudo apk add mpv yt-dlp

▶️ 2) Play a YouTube Video

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Just pass the URL:

mpv https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID

mpv automatically calls yt-dlp and starts streaming.

📺 3) Play in Best Quality / Limit Resolution

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Force max 1080p:

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mpv --ytdl-format="bestvideo[height<=1080]+bestaudio/best" URL

720p:

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mpv --ytdl-format="best[height<=720]" URL

🔊 4) Audio Only (Music / Podcasts)

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mpv --no-video URL

Or:

mpv --ytdl-format=bestaudio URL

📃 5) Play a Playlist

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mpv handles playlists automatically:

mpv https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=XXXXX

Limit number of videos:

mpv --playlist-start=1 --playlist-end=10 URL

⏯️ Useful mpv Keys

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While playing:

⚙️ 6) Recommended Config

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Create:

mkdir -p ~/.config/mpv
nano ~/.config/mpv/mpv.conf

Example:

hwdec=auto
ytdl-format=bestvideo+bestaudio/best
cache=yes
cache-secs=30

❗ If YouTube Stops Working

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Usually YouTube changes something—update yt-dlp:

yt-dlp -U

or via package manager:

sudo xbps-install -Su yt-dlp

🧠 Extra Tips

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Use cookies (for age-restricted/private videos):

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Export cookies from your browser, then:

mpv --cookies --cookies-file cookies.txt URL

Download instead of stream:

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yt-dlp URL