Shorts YouTube

What are YouTube Shorts?

YouTube Shorts are short vertical videos of up to 3 minutes that play in the Shorts Feed. YouTube classifies an upload as a Short automatically, from its aspect ratio and length — the format is decided by the file, not by a setting you choose.

How YouTube decides a video is a Short

For standard channels, any video uploaded on or after October 15, 2024 with a square or vertical aspect ratio and a length up to 3 minutes is categorized as a Short, and it can earn in the Shorts revenue sharing model from the Shorts Feed. Videos uploaded before that date stay long-form and keep earning on the Watch Page. Official Artist Channels follow the same rule for uploads from December 8, 2025.

If you do not want a video treated as a Short, upload it with a wider aspect ratio such as 16:9.

How Shorts views and revenue work

Since March 31, 2025, a Short counts a view every time it starts to play or replay, with no minimum watch time. The older metric stays in YouTube Analytics under the name “Engaged views”, which counts viewers who chose to keep watching. Shorts monetization and YouTube Partner Program eligibility both run on engaged Shorts views, so the counting change did not move anyone’s earnings. To join YPP through Shorts you need 1,000 subscribers and 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days.

For a practical look at what Shorts pay, read our guide on how to make money on YouTube Shorts.

How to create and upload a Short

Record one in the YouTube app: tap Create, select Short, hold the capture button, add music or effects, tap Next, write a title of up to 100 characters, choose your audience and tap Upload Short. A finished vertical file can also be uploaded through the app or YouTube Studio. Shorts accept a maximum resolution of 1080p.

Two limits catch creators out. Any Short longer than 1 minute with an active copyright claim of any type is blocked globally: it will not play, will not be recommended and cannot be monetized until the claim is resolved, although the channel itself takes no penalty. And most tracks in the Shorts Audio Library clear only 90 seconds inside a 3 minute Short, while some are capped at 60 or 30 seconds.