YouTube Shorts can be up to 3 minutes long. Any square or vertical video of 3 minutes or less that you upload is treated as a Short; there's no setting to choose. A vertical video longer than 3 minutes becomes a regular YouTube video instead. The old 60-second limit was lifted on 15 October 2024, but one-minute rules still apply to copyright claims and licensed music.
Here are the details that trip people up, checked against YouTube's help pages on 10 November 2026.
YouTube Shorts length at a glance
| What | Limit |
|---|---|
| Maximum length | 3 minutes |
| Minimum length | None set by YouTube |
| Aspect ratio | Square (1:1) or vertical (9:16 is best) |
| Recommended size | 1080 × 1920 |
| Shorts camera in the app | Up to 3 minutes, recorded in segments |
| Copyright claims | A Short over 1 minute with an active claim is blocked worldwide |
| Licensed music | Often limited to a shorter clip, depending on the track |
| Uploads before 15 October 2024 | Vertical videos of 1 to 3 minutes stayed regular videos |
Source: YouTube Help, Upload YouTube Shorts up to 3 minutes.
What happens if a vertical video is longer than 3 minutes?
It uploads as a regular, long-form YouTube video. It still plays, but it appears on the normal watch page rather than in the Shorts feed, and it's judged and recommended like any other long video. YouTube doesn't trim it to 3 minutes for you, so if you want it in the Shorts feed, cut it to 3:00 or less before you upload.
Wide videos (16:9) are never Shorts, whatever their length. A 30-second landscape clip is a regular video.
The one-minute rule that still matters
The 3-minute limit came with a catch. According to YouTube, any Short longer than one minute that has an active copyright claim, of any kind, is blocked worldwide. It can't be watched, recommended or monetised until the claim is resolved.
Shorts of one minute or less aren't affected by this rule. So if your Short uses clips from TV, films, sport or other people's videos, or music you didn't license through YouTube, keep it to 60 seconds or under.
How long can music be in a YouTube Short?
It depends on the track. When you add a song from the Shorts audio library in the app, the length you can use is set by the licensing deal for that song, and many tracks are limited to a clip of a minute or less. If your Short runs longer than the clip allows, the music stops early or the track isn't offered at all.
For a Short longer than a minute with music all the way through, use music you have the rights to, or tracks from YouTube's Audio Library that are free to use.
How to make a YouTube Short longer than 60 seconds
Upload one you've already made. On a phone, tap the plus button in the YouTube app, choose to create a Short, and pick a vertical video of up to 3 minutes from your gallery. On a computer, upload it in YouTube Studio like any other video; YouTube classifies it as a Short automatically if it's vertical or square and 3 minutes or less.
Record in the Shorts camera. In the YouTube app, tap the plus button and choose Create a Short. The duration control in the top-right corner sets the maximum length; switch it to 3 minutes. You can record in several segments and undo the last one.
To check that a video was classified as a Short, open YouTube Studio, go to Content and look in the Shorts tab.
What's the best length for a YouTube Short?
The best length is the shortest one that tells the whole story. Shorts are recommended on how many people keep watching and how many watch again, so a tight 25-second Short often does better than a padded 90-second one.
| Type of Short | Good length |
|---|---|
| A joke, reaction or loop | 10 to 30 seconds |
| A tip or quick how-to | 30 to 60 seconds |
| Anything with licensed music or clips | 60 seconds or less |
| A tutorial, story or explainer | 1 to 3 minutes |
Treat these as starting points and check average view duration and the percentage of people who viewed versus swiped away in YouTube Studio's analytics for each Short. If people drop off at the same point, that's where to cut.
Shorts length compared with TikTok and Reels
| Maximum length | |
|---|---|
| YouTube Shorts | 3 minutes |
| Instagram Reels | 3 minutes |
| TikTok | 10 minutes in the app; longer uploads from a computer for some accounts |
If you post the same video to all three, 3 minutes is the length that fits everywhere, and 60 seconds is the safe length if it includes music or clips.
Post the same video to Shorts and TikTok
Most vertical videos work on both. In Postbase you upload the video once, choose YouTube and TikTok, and write a caption for each: YouTube takes the title and description, TikTok takes the caption and its privacy settings. Both go out at the time you pick, and YouTube classifies a vertical video of 3 minutes or less as a Short automatically. (TikTok posts from Postbase go out as private for now, until TikTok approves Postbase for public posting.) There's a step-by-step guide to scheduling YouTube videos and Shorts.
Available channels
Customize per channel
New on the shelf: Kochere, Ethiopia ☕️ Washed process, light roast. In the cup it's apricot, black tea and a little bergamot. Roasted Monday, shipped Tuesday. 40 bags this week, and they go fast.
Frequently asked questions
How long can a YouTube Short be in 2026?
Up to 3 minutes, as long as the video is square or vertical. Longer vertical videos upload as regular YouTube videos.
Can YouTube Shorts be longer than 60 seconds?
Yes. Since 15 October 2024 Shorts can be up to 3 minutes. Keep it to 60 seconds or less if it uses licensed music or clips, because a Short over one minute with a copyright claim is blocked.
What happens if my Short is over 3 minutes?
It becomes a regular, long-form video. It still plays on YouTube but doesn't appear in the Shorts feed. Trim it to 3:00 or less to keep it a Short.
What is the minimum length of a YouTube Short?
YouTube doesn't set a minimum. Very short Shorts work, especially ones that loop, but give viewers enough to understand what they're watching.
Why did my vertical video upload as a regular video?
Either it's longer than 3 minutes, or it isn't square or vertical (a 16:9 landscape frame never counts). Videos uploaded before 15 October 2024 that were between 1 and 3 minutes also stayed regular videos.
What resolution should a YouTube Short be?
1080 × 1920 pixels, a 9:16 vertical frame. Square 1080 × 1080 also counts as a Short. See our image and video sizes tool for every network.
Can I schedule a YouTube Short?
Yes. Upload it in YouTube Studio and choose Schedule at the visibility step, or use a scheduler such as Postbase to post it at a set time alongside TikTok.
Do longer Shorts get more views?
Not by themselves. Shorts are recommended on whether people keep watching, so length only helps when the video holds attention all the way through.
Postbase