I do not understand how to install this on Windows. Where are actual instructions?

[lostcat-f]

Please follow the guide below

• You will be asked some questions and requested to provide some information, please read them carefully and answer honestly
• Put an x into all the boxes [ ] relevant to your issue (like this: [x])
• Use the Preview tab to see what your issue will actually look like

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Make sure you are using the latest version: run youtube-dl --version and ensure your version is 2018.04.16. If it's not, read this FAQ entry and update. Issues with outdated version will be rejected.

• [ x] I've verified and I assure that I'm running youtube-dl 2018.04.16

Before submitting an issue make sure you have:

• [x ] At least skimmed through the README, most notably the FAQ and BUGS sections
• [ x] Searched the bugtracker for similar issues including closed ones
• Checked that provided video/audio/playlist URLs (if any) are alive and playable in a browser

What is the purpose of your issue?

• Bug report (encountered problems with youtube-dl)
• Site support request (request for adding support for a new site)
• Feature request (request for a new functionality)
• [ x] Question
• Other

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The following sections concretize particular purposed issues, you can erase any section (the contents between triple ---) not applicable to your issue

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If the purpose of this issue is a bug report, site support request or you are not completely sure provide the full verbose output as follows:

Add the -v flag to your command line you run youtube-dl with (youtube-dl -v <your command line>), copy the whole output and insert it here. It should look similar to one below (replace it with your log inserted between triple ```):

[debug] System config: []
[debug] User config: []
[debug] Command-line args: [u'-v', u'http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaW_jenozKcj']
[debug] Encodings: locale cp1251, fs mbcs, out cp866, pref cp1251
[debug] youtube-dl version 2018.04.16
[debug] Python version 2.7.11 - Windows-2003Server-5.2.3790-SP2
[debug] exe versions: ffmpeg N-75573-g1d0487f, ffprobe N-75573-g1d0487f, rtmpdump 2.4
[debug] Proxy map: {}
...
<end of log>

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If the purpose of this issue is a site support request please provide all kinds of example URLs support for which should be included (replace following example URLs by yours):

• Single video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaW_jenozKc
• Single video: https://youtu.be/BaW_jenozKc
• Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4lCao7KL_QFVb7Iudeipvc2BCavECqzc

Note that youtube-dl does not support sites dedicated to copyright infringement. In order for site support request to be accepted all provided example URLs should not violate any copyrights.

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When clicking the .exe, the command line window pops up and disappears within a second. At one point it stayed on screen long enough to read the error message, which began with "Fatal Python error: Py_Initialize".

I have tried placing the exe in different places, nothing works. Please note that the entirety of instructions for windows installation is currently the following:

Windows users can download an .exe file and place it in any location on
their PATH except for %SYSTEMROOT%\System32 (e.g. DO NOT put in
C:\Windows\System32).

Is that sufficiently detailed to help users understand what to do?

I have Python 3.6 installed. I extracted the gz contents as well and tried clicking the _main.py but this does not do anything. Several of the files have no extensions.

Is this program purposely being made opaque to non-programmers? Please add some clarity.

[dstftw]

There is no installation if you use exe file. youtube-dl.exe is self-contained executable that is supposed to be run from command line. youtube-dl assumes you are aware of command line and how to use it. If not go to google and learn how to run console apps.