yt-dlp/yt-dlp · error · ExtractorError

Unable to log in

Error message

Unable to log in

What it means

Error "Unable to log in" thrown in yt-dlp/yt-dlp.

Source

Thrown at yt_dlp/extractor/pornhub.py:132

            f'https://www.{host}/front/authenticate', None,
            f'Logging in to {site}',
            data=urlencode_postdata(login_form),
            headers={
                'Content-Type': 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded; charset=UTF-8',
                'Referer': login_url,
                'X-Requested-With': 'XMLHttpRequest',
            }, impersonate=True)

        if response.get('success') == '1':
            self._logged_in = True
            return

        message = response.get('message')
        if message is not None:
            raise ExtractorError(
                f'Unable to login: {message}', expected=True)

        raise ExtractorError('Unable to log in')


class PornHubIE(PornHubBaseIE):
    IE_DESC = 'PornHub and Thumbzilla'
    _VALID_URL = rf'''(?x)
                    https?://
                        (?:
                            (?:[a-zA-Z0-9.-]+\.)?
                            {PornHubBaseIE._PORNHUB_HOST_RE}
                            /(?:(?:view_video\.php|video/show)\?viewkey=|embed/)|
                            (?:www\.)?thumbzilla\.com/video/
                        )
                        (?P<id>[\da-z]+)
                    '''
    _EMBED_REGEX = [r'<iframe[^>]+?src=["\'](?P<url>(?:https?:)?//(?:www\.)?pornhub(?:premium)?\.(?:com|net|org)/embed/[\da-z]+)']
    _TESTS = [{
        'url': 'http://www.pornhub.com/view_video.php?viewkey=648719015',
        'md5': '4d4a4e9178b655776f86cf89ecaf0edf',

View on GitHub (pinned to 81ecd58b13)

Solutions

1. Verify your login credentials
2. Use --cookies-from-browser with a logged-in session

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at yt_dlp/extractor/pornhub.py:132 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of yt-dlp/yt-dlp@81ecd58b13 (2026-08-22). Data as JSON: /api/errors/4dc4bed4ea0ababb. Report an issue: GitHub.