Software⏱️ 3 min read📅 2026-06-15

How to Fix: Unrecognised option '-get-url' Error splitting the argument list: Option not found

FFmpeg and youtube-dl command line error

Quick Answer: The issue is caused by the incorrect usage of the --get-url option. Replace it with -f 22 to specify the format. The corrected command should be: ffmpeg -i $(youtube-dl -f 22 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkTHhk07nv4) -ss 00:05:12.70 -t 00:00:08.10 -c:v copy -c:a copy hamster.mp4

📋 Table of Contents

  1. ⚠️ Common Causes
  2. ✅ Best Solutions to Fix It
  3. 🎯 Final Words

The command you provided is attempting to download a clip from a YouTube video using the `ffmpeg` and `youtube-dl` tools. However, you are encountering an error message indicating that the `-get-url` option is not recognized. This issue affects users who are trying to use these tools for this specific task.

This error can be frustrating, especially when trying to download a portion of a video from YouTube. Fortunately, there are alternative methods and steps you can take to resolve this issue.

⚠️ Common Causes

  • The `-get-url` option is not recognized in the latest versions of `ffmpeg`. This is because the `youtube-dl` tool has been deprecated and replaced by other tools such as `yt-dlp`. The `-get-url` option was previously used to retrieve the URL of a YouTube video, but it is no longer supported.
  • Another possible cause is that the version of `ffmpeg` you are using does not support the latest features. You may need to update your installation to a newer version to resolve this issue.

✅ Best Solutions to Fix It

Update youtube-dl and use yt-dlp instead

  1. Step 1: First, install the `yt-dlp` tool using pip: `pip3 install yt-dlp`. This will replace the deprecated `youtube-dl` tool.
  2. Step 2: Next, update your command to use `yt-dlp` instead of `youtube-dl`. For example: `ffmpeg -i $(yt-dlp -f 22 --get-url https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkTHhk07nv4) -ss 00:05:12.70 -t 00:00:08.10 -c:v copy -c:a copy hamster.mp4`.
  3. Step 3: You can also use the `--output` option to specify the output file name and location.

Update ffmpeg to a newer version

  1. Step 1: First, update your installation of `ffmpeg` using your package manager. For example, on Ubuntu or Debian: `sudo apt-get install ffmpeg`. On Red Hat or CentOS: `sudo yum install ffmpeg`.
  2. Step 2: Next, check the documentation for the latest version of `ffmpeg` to ensure that it supports the features you need.

🎯 Final Words

By updating `youtube-dl` to `yt-dlp` and ensuring that your installation of `ffmpeg` is up-to-date, you should be able to resolve the `-get-url` option error and successfully download the clip from the YouTube video.

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