How long can a YouTube Short be?

YouTube says a Short can be up to 3 minutes when the video is square or vertical. On a standard channel, that applies to uploads on or after 15 October 2024. A 4 minute video is longer than that. This page checks a length and a shape. It does not upload a video, and the length does not predict views.

Check a length

YouTube's published length

These rules are from YouTube Help, Understand three-minute YouTube Shorts, and Upload YouTube Shorts, as read on 3 November 2026. A Short uploaded from a computer can be up to 3 minutes with a square or vertical aspect ratio. On a standard channel, a video uploaded on or after 15 October 2024 with that shape and length is categorized as a Short. A video uploaded before that date stays a long-form video. For an Official Artist Channel, the same change starts with uploads on or after 8 December 2025.

Length	Square or vertical, standard channel
15 seconds	Within 3 minutes
1 minute	Within 3 minutes. Not over one minute.
90 seconds	Within 3 minutes. Over one minute.
3 minutes	The published maximum
3 minutes 1 second	Longer than a Short

YouTube says a Short over one minute with an active copyright claim of any type, including a manual claim, is blocked globally. It is not playable or recommended, and it is not eligible for monetization. There is no channel penalty. Shorts of less than one minute are outside that change. Most songs in the Shorts Audio Library can be used for up to 90 seconds in a 3 minute Short. Some tracks are limited to 60 or 30 seconds. A frame size is a separate check in the aspect ratio calculator. An Instagram Reel has a different published length in the Reel length checker. A regular YouTube upload is 15 minutes by default, or 12 hours when verified, in the upload length checker.

Questions about YouTube Shorts length

How long can a YouTube Short be?

Up to 3 minutes. On a standard channel, a square or vertical video uploaded on or after 15 October 2024 is categorized as a Short when it is up to 3 minutes.

Is a 60 second video a YouTube Short?

Yes, if it is square or vertical. One minute is within the 3 minute maximum. YouTube's extra copyright-claim rule is for a Short that is over one minute.

What happens to a Short longer than one minute?

YouTube says a Short over one minute with an active copyright claim of any type is blocked globally. It is not playable, not recommended, and not eligible for monetization. There is no channel penalty. A Short of one minute or less is outside that rule.

Does a horizontal video count as a Short if it is under 3 minutes?

No. YouTube categorizes a Short when the video is square or vertical. A horizontal video stays a regular video.

Is this YouTube Shorts length checker free?

Yes. It runs in your browser. There is no account and no charge. The length does not predict views or monetization.

Vlozy makes the video and can publish it to the YouTube account you connect. This page only checks the published length and shape. See what Vlozy does.