Video specs · YouTube Shorts
YouTube Shorts video specs
What YouTube’s own help pages say about Shorts length, shape, files, and music — and which numbers YouTube does not publish, so you stop copying guesses from other blogs.
Last verified against the official pages listed below.
- Maximum length
- 3 minutes[1]Applies to square and vertical uploads. Anything longer is treated as a regular video.
- Aspect ratio
- Square (1:1) or vertical (9:16 fills the screen)[1]YouTube tells creators to use a wider ratio such as 16:9 for videos that should not become Shorts.
- Recommended resolution
- Not published[2]YouTube’s encoding page only says the player adapts to vertical and square video. 1080×1920 is common practice, not an official requirement.
- File format
- MP4 recommended[2]YouTube’s recommended upload settings: MP4 container with the moov atom at the front (Fast Start).
- Maximum file size
- 256 GB or 12 hours, whichever is less[3]The general YouTube upload limit; Shorts are capped by the 3-minute length long before that.
- Music in a Short
- Most songs up to 90 seconds[1]Some tracks are limited to 60 or 30 seconds.
- UI safe zone (organic)
- Not published[6]Google Ads offers Shorts ad templates with a marked safe area but no pixel values.
Safe zone on YouTube Shorts
The Shorts player draws the channel name, title, subscribe button, and sound label along the bottom of the frame, and the like, dislike, comment, share, and remix buttons down the right edge. YouTube does not publish organic pixel values for these, and the layout shifts between app versions and devices.
The practical rule: keep captions, faces, and on-screen text in the centre band, clear of the bottom ~360 px and the right edge. Our transparent 1080×1920 overlay marks an approximate zone you can drop on your timeline and check against a real phone.
Recent changes worth knowing
- Starting September 24, 2026, new Shorts between one and three minutes with an active Content ID claim are no longer automatically blocked, according to YouTube Help.
- YouTube counts a view the moment a video starts to play across all formats, including Shorts (dated August 24, 2026 in YouTube Help). Partner Program earnings are still based on engaged views.
- Starting February 1, 2027, YouTube says a channel needs at least 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days to earn a share of Shorts ad revenue for that month.
Publishing Shorts from HypeNest
HypeNest cuts vertical 9:16 clips from a long video, burns in captions, and drafts titles. After you review a clip, you can publish it to a connected YouTube channel directly from HypeNest.
Start freeFAQ
- How long can a YouTube Short be?
- Up to three minutes, for square or vertical videos. A vertical video longer than three minutes is published as a regular long-form video.
- What size should a YouTube Short be?
- YouTube does not publish a required resolution for Shorts. 1080×1920 (9:16) is the common target because it fills a phone screen at full HD.
- Can a Short be 16:9?
- No. YouTube classifies Shorts by square or vertical shape. A 16:9 video is treated as long-form, so reframe it to 9:16 or 1:1 first.
- How much of a song can I use in a Short?
- YouTube says most songs can be used for up to 90 seconds in a Short up to three minutes long, with some tracks limited to 60 or 30 seconds.