On Linux (AppImage) or Windows, the system may prevent the app from executing these external binaries due to security settings. Corrupted Paths:
In short: This usually points to a missing dependency, a broken PATH environment variable, or a conflict with security software.
To help narrow down the exact cause of your error, please let me know: open video downloader error unhandled error execa top
Sometimes the error occurs when trying to download a specific format (like 4K or specific audio codecs) that is currently broken on the backend.
Open Video Downloader (also known as youtube-dl-gui ) relies on background engines like yt-dlp or youtube-dl to process video links. When those engines crash, fail to launch, or are blocked, the app throws an unhandled error via its Node.js execution module ( execa ). On Linux (AppImage) or Windows, the system may
If the issue persists, consider trying other GUI frontends for yt-dlp , such as or Youtube-dl-gui . Conclusion
Some security software prevents programs from spawning subprocesses or downloading necessary binary files. Temporarily disable your firewall or antivirus, then restart Open Video Downloader and allow it to download its engine. After it works, re‑enable your security software and add an exception for Open Video Downloader. Open Video Downloader (also known as youtube-dl-gui )
Go to the app's and toggle OFF "Save metadata." This often bypasses the crash entirely. 5. Check Linux Permissions If you are using the AppImage: Error! Unhandled error (execa). #515 - GitHub
In plain English:
Cached data from interrupted downloads can corrupt future requests. Close the app completely. Navigate to the app data folder:
to fetch and download videos. The "execa" error occurs when the application tries to run that background tool but fails. This is usually caused by an outdated version of the downloader trying to fetch broken dependency links, or the app failing to automatically download its own internal binaries (like