YouTube Shorts

YouTube Shorts explained

The old blanket limit of 60 seconds no longer fully describes the format. For standard channels, YouTube specifies square or vertical uploads from 15 October 2024 lasting up to three minutes; certain artist channels have separate upload conditions. Check the current help page and actual classification in the channel. The maximum length is not a recommendation to extend every idea to that duration.

A Short should make sense without prior knowledge of a longer film. Choose a question, observation or procedure and explain enough for the contribution itself to be useful. An arbitrarily cut excerpt with an unfulfilled promise does not create a good continuation. Framing, captions and important details need to work in the mobile view.

The next step requires a usable link. Ordinary URLs in Shorts descriptions and comments are not clickable. A related video from the same channel can instead be accessible in the Shorts player; the channel needs advanced feature access. Check that route on the published Short. An on-screen instruction to follow a description link does not replace a functional check.

Since 31 March 2025, YouTube counts Shorts starts and replays as views without a minimum watch duration. Engaged views instead reflect continuing to watch. Record the definition used in comparisons over time. Creative Engineering connects the editorial idea with this measurable viewing journey. We take responsibility for the concept and quality. Evaluate understanding, useful further viewing and full effort rather than maximising the headline view count.