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How to Use

Ready to download videos like a pro? This guide shows you how to use Social Media Downloader — whether you're running it from source, using the .exe, .deb, binary, or pip install.

Step 1: Install the Tool

Not Installed Yet?

If you haven’t installed the tool yet, check out our Installation Guide first. Once you're set up, come back here to start using it!

Step 2: Run the Program

Depending on how you installed the tool, use one of the methods below:

Run from Source (Python)

python3 smd/downloader.py

Info

This runs the tool directly from the source code.

Run the .exe (Windows)

  1. Download the .exe from the latest release
  2. Double-click it.
  3. A terminal window will open — paste your URL when prompted.

Tip

No setup needed. Just click and go!

Run the .deb Package (Ubuntu/Debian)

sudo dpkg -i social-media-downloader_VERSION_amd64.deb
smd

Info

Replace VERSION with the actual version number you downloaded.

Abstract

This installs the tool globally — run it anytime with smd.

Run the Binary (Other Linux)

chmod +x smd
./smd

Info

Make sure you extracted the .tar.gz binary from Releases first.

Run via pip

pip install social-media-downloader

Then use:

  • social-media-downloader → works in all versions
  • smd → works in v1.1.4 and newer only

Danger

Use the smd shortcut only if you're using v1.1.4 or newer.

Step 3: What You’ll See

Once the program starts, you’ll be greeted with a screen like this:

screenshot of program welcome screen

Step 4: Choose a Platform and Paste a URL

Example Interaction

Welcome to Social Media Downloader!
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

1. Download YouTube/TikTok... etc.
2. Download Instagram
3. Check for updates
4. Help
5. Exit

Enter your choice: 1
Enter video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXAMPLE_ID

The tool will automatically detect your system, check for internet and FFmpeg, and start downloading.

Sample Output

Typical Output Preview

[youtube] Extracting URL...
[youtube] Downloading webpage...
...
Video Details:
Title: Social-Media-Downloader
Uploader: nayandas69
Upload Date: Dec 1, 2024

Available formats:
╒══════╤═══════╤══════════════╤═══════╤═══════════╤═══════════════╤═══════════╤═══════════════╕
│  ID  │ EXT   │ RESOLUTION   │ FPS   │ SIZE      │ VCODEC        │ ACODEC    │ NOTE          │
├──────┼───────┼──────────────┼───────┼───────────┼───────────────┼───────────┼───────────────┤
│  136 │ mp4   │ 1280x720     │ 30    │ 56.82 MB  │ avc1.4d401f   │ none      │ 720p          │
│  251 │ webm  │ audio        │       │ 0.48 MB   │ none          │ opus      │ medium        │
│  299 │ mp4   │ 1920x1080    │ 60    │ 114.83 MB │ avc1.64002a   │ none      │ 1080p60       │
╘══════╧═══════╧══════════════╧═══════╧═══════════╧═══════════════╧═══════════╧═══════════════╛

Then it will prompt you to choose a format, and begin downloading.

You're Ready!

Happy downloading!