diff --git a/yt_dlp/postprocessor/ffmpeg.py b/yt_dlp/postprocessor/ffmpeg.py
index c0925cb6e..7b7534b63 100644
--- a/yt_dlp/postprocessor/ffmpeg.py
+++ b/yt_dlp/postprocessor/ffmpeg.py
@@ -207,7 +207,7 @@ class FFmpegPostProcessor(PostProcessor):
 
     @property
     def available(self):
-        return self.basename is not None
+        return self._ffmpeg_location.get() or self.basename is not None
 
     @property
     def executable(self):