vimeo.com: Support for embed-only videos

deekerman commented

2026-02-21 00:32:36 -05:00

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Originally created by @bkircher on GitHub (Aug 25, 2014).

The error message is clear but how can I circumvent it? There is no page that embeds this video.

$ youtube-dl -ct -v http://vimeo.com/user22258446/review/91613211/13f927e053
[debug] System config: []
[debug] User config: []
[debug] Command-line args: ['-ct', '-v', 'http://vimeo.com/user22258446/review/91613211/13f927e053']
[debug] Encodings: locale UTF-8, fs utf-8, out UTF-8, pref UTF-8
[debug] youtube-dl version 2014.08.23
[debug] Python version 2.7.5 - Darwin-13.3.0-x86_64-i386-64bit
[debug] Proxy map: {}
[vimeo] 91613211: Downloading webpage
ERROR: Cannot download embed-only video without embedding URL. Please call youtube-dl with the URL of the page that embeds this video.
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/usr/local/bin/youtube-dl/youtube_dl/extractor/vimeo.py", line 218, in _real_extract
webpage = self._download_webpage(request, video_id)
File "/usr/local/bin/youtube-dl/youtube_dl/extractor/common.py", line 283, in _download_webpage
res = self._download_webpage_handle(url_or_request, video_id, note, errnote, fatal)
File "/usr/local/bin/youtube-dl/youtube_dl/extractor/common.py", line 223, in _download_webpage_handle
urlh = self._request_webpage(url_or_request, video_id, note, errnote, fatal)
File "/usr/local/bin/youtube-dl/youtube_dl/extractor/common.py", line 211, in _request_webpage
raise ExtractorError(errmsg, sys.exc_info()[2], cause=err)
ExtractorError: Unable to download webpage: HTTP Error 403: Forbidden; please report this issue on https://yt-dl.org/bug . Be sure to call youtube-dl with the --verbose flag and include its complete output. Make sure you are using the latest version; type youtube-dl -U to update.
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/usr/local/bin/youtube-dl/youtube_dl/YoutubeDL.py", line 520, in extract_info
ie_result = ie.extract(url)
File "/usr/local/bin/youtube-dl/youtube_dl/extractor/common.py", line 170, in extract
return self._real_extract(url)
File "/usr/local/bin/youtube-dl/youtube_dl/extractor/vimeo.py", line 227, in _real_extract
expected=True)
ExtractorError: Cannot download embed-only video without embedding URL. Please call youtube-dl with the URL of the page that embeds this video.

Original page: http://devweek.com/2014/assets.html

Originally created by @bkircher on GitHub (Aug 25, 2014). The error message is clear but how can I circumvent it? There is no page that embeds this video. $ youtube-dl -ct -v http://vimeo.com/user22258446/review/91613211/13f927e053 [debug] System config: [] [debug] User config: [] [debug] Command-line args: ['-ct', '-v', 'http://vimeo.com/user22258446/review/91613211/13f927e053'] [debug] Encodings: locale UTF-8, fs utf-8, out UTF-8, pref UTF-8 [debug] youtube-dl version 2014.08.23 [debug] Python version 2.7.5 - Darwin-13.3.0-x86_64-i386-64bit [debug] Proxy map: {} [vimeo] 91613211: Downloading webpage ERROR: Cannot download embed-only video without embedding URL. Please call youtube-dl with the URL of the page that embeds this video. Traceback (most recent call last): File "/usr/local/bin/youtube-dl/youtube_dl/extractor/vimeo.py", line 218, in _real_extract webpage = self._download_webpage(request, video_id) File "/usr/local/bin/youtube-dl/youtube_dl/extractor/common.py", line 283, in _download_webpage res = self._download_webpage_handle(url_or_request, video_id, note, errnote, fatal) File "/usr/local/bin/youtube-dl/youtube_dl/extractor/common.py", line 223, in _download_webpage_handle urlh = self._request_webpage(url_or_request, video_id, note, errnote, fatal) File "/usr/local/bin/youtube-dl/youtube_dl/extractor/common.py", line 211, in _request_webpage raise ExtractorError(errmsg, sys.exc_info()[2], cause=err) ExtractorError: Unable to download webpage: HTTP Error 403: Forbidden; please report this issue on https://yt-dl.org/bug . Be sure to call youtube-dl with the --verbose flag and include its complete output. Make sure you are using the latest version; type youtube-dl -U to update. Traceback (most recent call last): File "/usr/local/bin/youtube-dl/youtube_dl/YoutubeDL.py", line 520, in extract_info ie_result = ie.extract(url) File "/usr/local/bin/youtube-dl/youtube_dl/extractor/common.py", line 170, in extract return self._real_extract(url) File "/usr/local/bin/youtube-dl/youtube_dl/extractor/vimeo.py", line 227, in _real_extract expected=True) ExtractorError: Cannot download embed-only video without embedding URL. Please call youtube-dl with the URL of the page that embeds this video. Original page: http://devweek.com/2014/assets.html

deekerman

2026-02-21 00:32:36 -05:00

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deekerman commented

2026-02-21 00:32:38 -05:00

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@phihag commented on GitHub (Aug 25, 2014):

Thank you for the report. It turns out the embedding URL is the page URL itself in this case. Fixed in youtube-dl 2014.08.25. Type sudo youtube-dl -U to update.

@phihag commented on GitHub (Aug 25, 2014): Thank you for the report. It turns out the embedding URL is the page URL itself in this case. Fixed in youtube-dl 2014.08.25. Type `sudo youtube-dl -U` to update.

deekerman commented

2026-02-21 00:32:38 -05:00

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@bkircher commented on GitHub (Aug 25, 2014):

Well, that one was quick. Tested and works for me. Thanks a bunch.

@bkircher commented on GitHub (Aug 25, 2014): Well, that one was quick. Tested and works for me. Thanks a bunch.

deekerman commented

2026-02-21 00:32:38 -05:00

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@palashcode commented on GitHub (Sep 2, 2016):

same problem with 2016.08.31

@palashcode commented on GitHub (Sep 2, 2016): same problem with 2016.08.31

deekerman commented

2026-02-21 00:32:39 -05:00

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@2wenty2wo commented on GitHub (Sep 8, 2016):

Can confirm, also having this problem with Vimeo videos after updating YouTube-DL.

@2wenty2wo commented on GitHub (Sep 8, 2016): Can confirm, also having this problem with Vimeo videos after updating YouTube-DL.

deekerman commented

2026-02-21 00:32:39 -05:00

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@yan12125 commented on GitHub (Sep 8, 2016):

@palashcode @2wenty2wo Could you paste your commands and logs?

@yan12125 commented on GitHub (Sep 8, 2016): @palashcode @2wenty2wo Could you paste your commands and logs?

deekerman commented

2026-02-21 00:32:39 -05:00

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@2wenty2wo commented on GitHub (Sep 8, 2016):

@yan12125 Sure, I just ran it again with the "-v" command, I'm not sure if that's the log you're talking about. Thank you for the super quick reply :)

youtube-dl -v https://player.vimeo.com/video/166756641
[debug] System config: []
[debug] User config: []
[debug] Command-line args: [u'-v', u'https://player.vimeo.com/video/166756641']
[debug] Encodings: locale UTF-8, fs utf-8, out UTF-8, pref UTF-8
[debug] youtube-dl version 2016.09.04.1
[debug] Python version 2.7.11 - Darwin-15.4.0-x86_64-i386-64bit
[debug] exe versions: ffmpeg 3.0.2, ffprobe 3.0.2, rtmpdump 2.4
[debug] Proxy map: {}
[vimeo] 166756641: Downloading webpage
ERROR: Cannot download embed-only video without embedding URL. Please call youtube-dl with the URL of the page that embeds this video.
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/usr/local/bin/youtube-dl/youtube_dl/extractor/vimeo.py", line 409, in _real_extract
webpage = self._download_webpage(request, video_id)
File "/usr/local/bin/youtube-dl/youtube_dl/extractor/common.py", line 507, in _download_webpage
res = self._download_webpage_handle(url_or_request, video_id, note, errnote, fatal, encoding=encoding, data=data, headers=headers, query=query)
File "/usr/local/bin/youtube-dl/youtube_dl/extractor/common.py", line 414, in _download_webpage_handle
urlh = self._request_webpage(url_or_request, video_id, note, errnote, fatal, data=data, headers=headers, query=query)
File "/usr/local/bin/youtube-dl/youtube_dl/extractor/common.py", line 403, in _request_webpage
raise ExtractorError(errmsg, sys.exc_info()[2], cause=err)
ExtractorError: Unable to download webpage: HTTP Error 403: Forbidden (caused by HTTPError()); please report this issue on https://yt-dl.org/bug . Make sure you are using the latest version; type youtube-dl -U to update. Be sure to call youtube-dl with the --verbose flag and include its complete output.
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/usr/local/bin/youtube-dl/youtube_dl/YoutubeDL.py", line 691, in extract_info
ie_result = ie.extract(url)
File "/usr/local/bin/youtube-dl/youtube_dl/extractor/common.py", line 347, in extract
return self._real_extract(url)
File "/usr/local/bin/youtube-dl/youtube_dl/extractor/vimeo.py", line 418, in _real_extract
expected=True)
ExtractorError: Cannot download embed-only video without embedding URL. Please call youtube-dl with the URL of the page that embeds this video.

@2wenty2wo commented on GitHub (Sep 8, 2016): @yan12125 Sure, I just ran it again with the "-v" command, I'm not sure if that's the log you're talking about. Thank you for the super quick reply :) --- youtube-dl -v https://player.vimeo.com/video/166756641 [debug] System config: [] [debug] User config: [] [debug] Command-line args: [u'-v', u'https://player.vimeo.com/video/166756641'] [debug] Encodings: locale UTF-8, fs utf-8, out UTF-8, pref UTF-8 [debug] youtube-dl version 2016.09.04.1 [debug] Python version 2.7.11 - Darwin-15.4.0-x86_64-i386-64bit [debug] exe versions: ffmpeg 3.0.2, ffprobe 3.0.2, rtmpdump 2.4 [debug] Proxy map: {} [vimeo] 166756641: Downloading webpage ERROR: Cannot download embed-only video without embedding URL. Please call youtube-dl with the URL of the page that embeds this video. Traceback (most recent call last): File "/usr/local/bin/youtube-dl/youtube_dl/extractor/vimeo.py", line 409, in _real_extract webpage = self._download_webpage(request, video_id) File "/usr/local/bin/youtube-dl/youtube_dl/extractor/common.py", line 507, in _download_webpage res = self._download_webpage_handle(url_or_request, video_id, note, errnote, fatal, encoding=encoding, data=data, headers=headers, query=query) File "/usr/local/bin/youtube-dl/youtube_dl/extractor/common.py", line 414, in _download_webpage_handle urlh = self._request_webpage(url_or_request, video_id, note, errnote, fatal, data=data, headers=headers, query=query) File "/usr/local/bin/youtube-dl/youtube_dl/extractor/common.py", line 403, in _request_webpage raise ExtractorError(errmsg, sys.exc_info()[2], cause=err) ExtractorError: Unable to download webpage: HTTP Error 403: Forbidden (caused by HTTPError()); please report this issue on https://yt-dl.org/bug . Make sure you are using the latest version; type youtube-dl -U to update. Be sure to call youtube-dl with the --verbose flag and include its complete output. Traceback (most recent call last): File "/usr/local/bin/youtube-dl/youtube_dl/YoutubeDL.py", line 691, in extract_info ie_result = ie.extract(url) File "/usr/local/bin/youtube-dl/youtube_dl/extractor/common.py", line 347, in extract return self._real_extract(url) File "/usr/local/bin/youtube-dl/youtube_dl/extractor/vimeo.py", line 418, in _real_extract expected=True) ExtractorError: Cannot download embed-only video without embedding URL. Please call youtube-dl with the URL of the page that embeds this video.

deekerman commented

2026-02-21 00:32:39 -05:00

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@yan12125 commented on GitHub (Sep 8, 2016):

How did you get the URL https://player.vimeo.com/video/166756641? Is it embedded in another website?

@yan12125 commented on GitHub (Sep 8, 2016): How did you get the URL https://player.vimeo.com/video/166756641? Is it embedded in another website?

deekerman commented

2026-02-21 00:32:39 -05:00

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@2wenty2wo commented on GitHub (Sep 8, 2016):

Yeah it's embedded on https://www.heyhey.tv/exclusive-member-vid/1984-episode-39/
I paid legally to get all the old Australian TV "Hey Hey It's Saturday" episodes and I've been downloading them for my Dad. It's been downloading fine until I updated youtube-dl tonight. Now I get that error.

@2wenty2wo commented on GitHub (Sep 8, 2016): Yeah it's embedded on https://www.heyhey.tv/exclusive-member-vid/1984-episode-39/ I paid legally to get all the old Australian TV "Hey Hey It's Saturday" episodes and I've been downloading them for my Dad. It's been downloading fine until I updated youtube-dl tonight. Now I get that error.

deekerman commented

2026-02-21 00:32:39 -05:00

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@yan12125 commented on GitHub (Sep 8, 2016):

Could you try:

youtube-dl -v "https://player.vimeo.com/video/166756641" --referer "https://www.heyhey.tv/exclusive-member-vid/1984-episode-39/"

@yan12125 commented on GitHub (Sep 8, 2016): Could you try: ``` youtube-dl -v "https://player.vimeo.com/video/166756641" --referer "https://www.heyhey.tv/exclusive-member-vid/1984-episode-39/" ```

deekerman commented

2026-02-21 00:32:39 -05:00

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@2wenty2wo commented on GitHub (Sep 8, 2016):

Thanks @yan12125 that did work. Just going to take ages now that I have to add a referer. 40+ more videos to go haha. Thanks again.

@2wenty2wo commented on GitHub (Sep 8, 2016): Thanks @yan12125 that did work. Just going to take ages now that I have to add a referer. 40+ more videos to go haha. Thanks again.

deekerman commented

2026-02-21 00:32:39 -05:00

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@ddmee commented on GitHub (Nov 30, 2016):

Hey, I had this same error with Vimeo, for a paid-for video: 'ERROR: Cannot download embed-only video without embedding URL. Please call youtube-dl with the URL of the page that embeds this video'.

Using this method was successful: Woot!
youtube-dl -v "https://player.vimeo.com/video/166756641" --referer "https://www.heyhey.tv/exclusive-member-vid/1984-episode-39/"

Perhaps it is a good idea to add something about this into some documentation somewhere?

@ddmee commented on GitHub (Nov 30, 2016): Hey, I had this same error with Vimeo, for a paid-for video: 'ERROR: Cannot download embed-only video without embedding URL. Please call youtube-dl with the URL of the page that embeds this video'. Using this method was successful: Woot! `youtube-dl -v "https://player.vimeo.com/video/166756641" --referer "https://www.heyhey.tv/exclusive-member-vid/1984-episode-39/" ` Perhaps it is a good idea to add something about this into some documentation somewhere?

deekerman commented

2026-02-21 00:32:39 -05:00

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@therohanchawla commented on GitHub (Nov 30, 2016):

@2wenty2wo u can always create a .txt file for batch command

@therohanchawla commented on GitHub (Nov 30, 2016): @2wenty2wo u can always create a .txt file for batch command

deekerman commented

2026-02-21 00:32:39 -05:00

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@TechieGenie commented on GitHub (Aug 25, 2019):

In the place of referer argument, value need not be the complete URL. Just the website name is enough.

@TechieGenie commented on GitHub (Aug 25, 2019): In the place of referer argument, value need not be the complete URL. Just the website name is enough.

deekerman commented

2026-02-21 00:32:39 -05:00

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@BTMeeks commented on GitHub (Apr 3, 2024):

In the place of referer argument, value need not be the complete URL. Just the website name is enough.

Thanks for the tip! That saved me from trying to log into the website, with a deeper URL, and a "restricted content" result.

@BTMeeks commented on GitHub (Apr 3, 2024): > In the place of referer argument, value need not be the complete URL. Just the website name is enough. Thanks for the tip! That saved me from trying to log into the website, with a deeper URL, and a "restricted content" result.

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vimeo.com: Support for embed-only videos #2870