How Long Can YouTube Shorts Be

YouTube Shorts was launched four years ago with a concept similar to Instagram Reels. In the meantime, YouTube shorts are only 15-60 seconds long, identical to TikTok & Reels, which might appear in your feed whenever you open the application.

The idea behind short videos is that they engage people quickly & also encourage them to keep watching, which can help them grow their audience.

These videos are shorter and take less editing time than long-form YouTube videos. You can also make more content faster than monopolising trends or showing previews of longer content.

Whether viewers see the video in their shorts feed or their channel profile, they can like, share, and comment from the same screen. They can also subscribe to their channel while watching, which makes it easy for your subscribers to engage with your content.

What Are YouTube Shorts?

YouTube shorts are 15-to 60-second vertical videos that might appear in your never-ending feed. The concept behind the shorts is that if the user doesn’t like a particular video, they can simply scroll down to the following video.

This video format helps engage viewers more quickly and keeps them watching, which allows them to grow their audience.

Since these videos are much shorter, they naturally take less editing time than long-format videos. This allows one to catch up on the latest trends faster and get more engagement.

How Long Can YouTube Shorts Be?

As of the latest update, YouTube shorts can be around three minutes long. However, one can upload shorts of any length through the YouTube application or the YouTube studio.

On 15 October 2024, YouTube significantly increased the maximum length of shorts from 60 seconds to three minutes. These changes apply to square or taller videos in the aspect ratio.

This feature was requested by many of the YouTube creators as it gave them more flexibility to tell their stories.

How to Make YouTube Shorts?

YouTube lets you create shorts straight from the mobile application, but if you have an existing video that you want to upload, then you can do so from mobile or desktop.

Also, you can clip your previously uploaded videos in shorts to save time in the YouTube application or with the help of captions, which can be done through the shorts feature.

Here’s how you can make a short with several methods:

Create Your YouTube Shorts From Scratch

Always ensure you have downloaded YouTube’s mobile application & then signed it. Then, you must;-

1. .Start by clicking on the + icon at the bottom of the menu.

2.  Then, choose Create a Short and allow the YouTube app to access your microphone & camera.

 3. Next, press & hold the Red button to capture footage.

4. Also, if you want to start & stop the recording, then press & release the record button.

5. If you want to add one of YouTube’s existing sounds, click the Add sound button at the top centre of the screen.

6. Adjust your video length at the top right corner of the screen by choosing 15 or 60 seconds.

7. Access the edit menu on the middle right of your screen to change your video’s speed, reverse the camera, or trim the shot. This step allows you to add effects and filters.

8. Once you are happy with the video, tap on the checkmark icon at the bottom of the screen. Then, tap on the Next.

9. Add your video details, such as captions, and then choose to upload a short video to publish.

10. Last but not least, upload a YouTube short to publish your video.

Why Does Length Matter For YouTube Shorts?

The length of YouTube shorts is crucial in how effectively a video captures and retains the audience’s attention.

But why does the YouTube shorts’ length matter anyway?

In today’s fast-paced world, it is essential to understand people’s growing interests and how to grasp them within seconds.

According to the latest survey, users are more likely to watch short videos than traditional long-format videos.

This is probably because of short videos that are under 60 seconds long.

If your YouTube shorts have been watched in full, it signals to the algorithms that the content is engaging for the audience.

These types of full watches might often lead to higher rankings, which offer more visibility and better reach on the platform.

However, the video length limitation encourages creativity—and when the creators have to conclude their story time, creativity is all in 60 seconds.

Luckily, the YouTube short time has been increased from 60 seconds to 3 minutes, which gives them enough time to create, experiment & engage.

Concluding Thoughts

In conclusion, as you produce content and try to develop your online audience, knowing the YouTube Shorts algorithm will help you get the most out of the site. The following thorough advice covers the length of your YouTube shorts and how to use them to captivate your target audience.