How long can YouTube Shorts be?
Last updated 2026-10-20
YouTube Shorts can be up to three minutes long. A video uploaded on or after October 15, 2024 counts as a Short when it is square or vertical and runs three minutes or less. A 16:9 video stays a regular video at any length. YouTube says you can upload Shorts at up to 1080p.
YouTube Shorts length and size at a glance
These figures come from YouTube Help.
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum length | 3 minutes |
| Aspect ratio | Square or vertical, for example 1:1 or 9:16 |
| 16:9 video | Stays a regular video, at any length |
| Maximum resolution | 1080p |
| Upload date rule | Uploaded on or after October 15, 2024 (December 8, 2025 for Official Artist Channels) |
| Where to upload 3-minute Shorts | The YouTube app and YouTube Studio |
What makes a video a Short
Two things decide it: shape and length. The video must be square or vertical, and it must run three minutes or less. Videos uploaded before October 15, 2024 stay as regular videos.
Example: a two-minute clip at 1920 by 1080 is a regular video. The same footage on a 1080 by 1920 canvas is a Short. Length alone never changes that.
If your footage is 16:9, you have two ways to get a vertical frame. Crop in so the picture fills it, or fit the whole picture inside it with space around. Either gives a vertical video that qualifies.
Official Artist Channels follow the same rule for uploads from December 8, 2025.
Copyright claims and the one-minute line
Copyright claims work differently once a Short passes one minute. A Short over one minute with an active copyright claim of any type is blocked globally. It cannot be played or recommended and cannot earn money until the claim is resolved. There is no penalty to your channel. YouTube says nothing changes for Shorts under one minute.
Decision rule: if your Short uses music that could be claimed, keep it under one minute or use audio you have cleared.
Resolution
YouTube's help page says you can upload Shorts at up to 1080p. A 1440p export goes beyond that stated maximum, so export at 1080p. For a vertical Short that means a 1080 by 1920 frame, and for a square one 1080 by 1080.
The YouTube pages we read give no required frame rate for Shorts, so match the frame rate you recorded at.
Set up and export Shorts in Woven
Woven Video is an AI video editor for Mac. It can set the canvas, cut to length and export a file that qualifies as a Short. You upload that file in YouTube yourself.
Ask in chat
- Make this a vertical Short under two minutes with captions.
- Cut this to the best 60 seconds and keep the captions on.
- Export it at 1080p.
Or do it by hand
- 1Pick the shape. Open Format in the toolbar and choose Vertical 1080x1920, or Square 1080x1080. Horizontal 1920x1080 would not count as a Short.
- 2Fit wide footage. Select a 16:9 clip, open the Crop tab and set Fit to Fill to cover the vertical canvas, or to Fit to show the whole picture with space around it. To change which part of the frame shows, ask in chat.
- 3Check the length. A Woven reel ends where its last item ends. Look at where the last item on the timeline ends, whether clip, text or audio, and keep it at 3:00 or less.
- 4Set the frame rate. On the Settings page, which shows when nothing is selected, pick the Frame rate option nearest your footage: 24, 25, 30, 50, 60 or 120 fps. Footage at 29.97 fps maps to 30.
- 5Export at 1080p. Click Export and choose 1080p, not 1440p. Woven makes an H.264 MP4.
Common questions
Up to three minutes. The video must also be square or vertical and uploaded on or after October 15, 2024.
They can run up to three minutes. YouTube's help page sets a maximum, not a target, so make each Short as long as the idea needs.
Three minutes. A square or vertical video longer than three minutes is a regular video, not a Short.
YouTube says you can upload Shorts at up to 1080p. For a vertical Short that is a 1080 by 1920 frame.
No. YouTube counts only square or vertical videos as Shorts. A 16:9 video stays a regular video, whatever its length.
Yes. YouTube says you can upload Shorts of up to three minutes through the YouTube app and YouTube Studio.
Sources
- YouTube Help: Understand three-minute YouTube Shorts, checked October 19, 2026
- YouTube Help: Get started creating YouTube Shorts, checked October 19, 2026
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