Download full Coursera course with dl_coursera

A quick guide to downloading course materials using the Python dl_coursera tool. Note: Only download courses you are enrolled in. Cookies expire every 2 weeks – export new ones if downloads stop working. What You Need:

• Python installed
• A Coursera account
• Browser with cookie exporter extension

Step 1: Install Python
Download and install Python from python.org (version 3.7 or higher). During installation on Windows, check “Add Python to PATH” and verify installation:

python --version 

Step 2: Install dl_coursera
Open Terminal (Mac/Linux) or Command Prompt/PowerShell (Windows) and run:

pip install -U dl_coursera 

Step 3: Get Your Cookies
Install a cookie exporter extension for your browser:

• Chrome/Edge/Brave: “Get cookies.txt” from Chrome Web Store
• Firefox: “Export Cookies” from Firefox Add-ons
• Log into your Coursera account. Click the extension icon and export cookies
• Save the file as cookies.txt

Remember where you saved it (Downloads folder is fine)

Step 4: Find Your Course Slug
The slug is the course identifier in the URL.

Examples:

https://www.coursera.org/learn/social-psychology → slug: social-psychology

https://www.coursera.org/learn/machine-learning → slug: machine-learning

Step 5: Download the Course

If cookies.txt is in your current directory:

dl_coursera --cookies cookies.txt social-psychology 

If cookies.txt is elsewhere:

dl_coursera --cookies /path/to/cookies.txt social-psychology 

Specify output directory:

dl_coursera --cookies cookies.txt --outdir ./downloads social-psychology 

For paths with spaces (Windows):

dl_coursera --cookies "C:\Users\Name\My Drive\cookies.txt" social-psychology 

Common Issues

Files Downloaded
The tool creates a folder with the course slug containing:

• Video lectures (MP4)
• Subtitles
• Readings (PDF)
• Jupyter notebooks
• Quiz questions

Update the Tool

pip install -U dl_coursera