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I'm trying to download a YouTube playlist to my local computer, but youtube-dl constantly returns the below error after trying to download the first video from the playlist:

ExtractorError: Could not find JS function u'xm'; please report this issue on https://yt-dl.org/bug . Make sure you are using the latest version; see  https://yt-dl.org/update  on how to update. Be sure to call youtube-dl with the --verbose flag and include its complete output.

youtube-dl reports its version as 2016.02.22, if relevant.

How can I solve this issue and download my videos?

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  • @Ruud I counter that. The question you linked says to check the version, and I have the latest version. I have also used quotes as suggested. Therefore, the question you linked does not resolve my issue, and is not a duplicate.
    – UltraLuminous
    Dec 23, 2016 at 18:53
  • The latest version downloads this playlist with no issues. The command youtube-dl --version should show: 2016.12.22
    – andrew.46 ♦
    Dec 24, 2016 at 6:11
  • @UltraLuminous Are you speaking on OP's behalf? If so, then notice the part where it says "youtube-dl version 2016.02.22" in OP's output; clearly outdated. If not, and you are convinced your problem is not a duplicate, then please post a new question with the exact details.
    – Ruud Helderman
    Dec 24, 2016 at 12:31

1 Answer 1

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This error is caused by you having a (relatively) old version of youtube-dl installed on your computer. YouTube's software changed, causing some various parts of the site, specifically the xm script, to be removed. The traceback essentially states this:

ExtractorError: Could not find JS function u'xm'

In order to remedy this issue, you should update your version of youtube-dl to the latest present in the software repositories.

Simply run these two commands to (first) update your package cache, and (second) update youtube-dl:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install youtube-dl
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  • I got that error with the repository versions, in 16.04. To solve it, I had to install the latest, as instructed here.
    – user308164
    Jan 15, 2017 at 19:14

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