ERROR: no write permissions on youtube-dl [windows 8]

[5shekel]

not a youtube-dl problem per se, but can effect users struggling with windows 8 machines.
even when opened as "elevated command line" still cant get youtube-dl to run or update.

C:\>youtube-dl --update
Hi! We changed distribution method and now youtube-dl needs to update itself on
 more time.
This will only happen once. Simply press enter to go on. Sorry for the trouble!
From now on, get the binaries from http://rg3.github.com/youtube-dl/download.ht
l, not from the git repository.

ERROR: no write permissions on youtube-dl

solution > http://i.imgur.com/9oJfcnL.jpg
set permissions on file>right click>properties>security

[bonacker]

I had the same problem on earlier versions of Windows and setting the permissions didn't fix it, although the permissions tab for XP is much simpler than that .png file shows for Win8.

What fixed it for me was typing the whole file name for youtube-dl.exe.

C:> youtube-dl.exe instead of c:> youtube-dl

I've no idea why it works this way but it definitely fixed the same problem for me.

[FiloSottile]

Oh, wait. It could be that we are statting youtube-dl when the file is youtube-dl.exe.

Damned Windows, this is on my TODO.

[arpitchauhan]

What worked for me was running

"path/to/youtube-dl/youtube-dl.exe" -U 

in a command prompt windows without administrative privileges.

Just running

youtube-dl.exe -U 

won't work. [I can run that because the folder containing youtube-dl.exe is in my path.]

[sdenchev]

Just create a shortcut to youtube-dl and add -U after the path (either in properties->Target or while creating it with new->Shortcut). Run as admin if necessary(wasn't in my case).

[gnomontosunlight]

To me, typing youtube-dl --update also did not do the trick. (Typing youtube-dl.exe -U did the trick to me. In a window with administrative privileges.) But, my question is: either what way it will work, should not the documentation of youtube-dl (at http://rg3.github.io/youtube-dl/documentation.html ) be adapted (under "Getting started"), in a way that, following that documentation, this will always work?

[phihag]

There was a bug where we didn't recognize when a file was called without the .exe suffix. Fixed.

@gnomontosunlight In general, I'd rather fix bugs than document them.

[gnomontosunlight]

@phihag Sure, I really agree: fixing bugs is (much) better than to document them ;-). But my impression was that the bug was in the documentation rather than in the code. There I was mistaken then...

[lucaslopes]

[SOLVED] on mac:

ERROR: no write permissions on /path/to/youtube-dl

1. go to that path shown in the error message, if is an alias then right click on it and select Show Original;
2. right click on youtube-dl file and then click Get Info, in Sharing & Permissions change the privilege of admin and your user from Read only to Read & Write;
3. drag the youtube-dl file on terminal and put -U in the end of the line and hit enter to update it.

I suggest you first try skipping step 2; if doesn't work, then you repeat including it, but re-change the permissions to Read only, at least from your user.