Guide · video length
How long can a YouTube Short be?
A YouTube Short can be up to three minutes long. In 1,503 Shorts from 40 of the most subscribed YouTube channels, half ran 43 seconds or less, and Shorts under 15 seconds long did best, at 1.11× their channel’s usual views.
What YouTube allows
A YouTube Short can be up to three minutes long. YouTube counts a video as a Short when it is square or vertical, up to three minutes long, and uploaded on or after October 15, 2024.
A Short over one minute long with an active Content ID claim of any kind, including a manual claim, is blocked globally on YouTube.
Most songs from the Shorts audio library can play for up to 90 seconds in a three-minute Short; some are limited to 60 or 30 seconds.
Source: YouTube Help
How long the top channels’ Shorts run
In 1,503 Shorts from 40 of the most subscribed YouTube channels, half ran 43 seconds or less. 24% ran a minute or longer.
| Length | Shorts | Share | Views vs. usual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 seconds | 105 | 7% | 1.11× |
| 15–30 seconds | 324 | 22% | 1.04× |
| 30–60 seconds | 712 | 47% | 0.99× |
| 1–1.5 minutes | 229 | 15% | 1.00× |
| 1.5–3 minutes | 133 | 9% | 0.97× |
Views vs. usual is the median YouTube Short’s views against its own channel’s median: above 1.00× did better than usual. A length with fewer than 50 Shorts shows no score.
The best length for a YouTube Short
Shorts under 15 seconds long did best: the median one earned 1.11× its channel’s usual views. Those 1.5–3 minutes long did worst, at 0.97×.
How we measured
We read the latest Shorts of each of the most subscribed YouTube channels and kept those posted in the past year, and at least a week before we read them, once their views had settled. Any pinned post was left out, since an account pins what already did well. That left 1,503 Shorts from 40 of the most subscribed YouTube channels, posted between October 2, 2025 and September 24, 2026.
Each video is scored by its views against its own channel’s median views, so the biggest channel cannot outweigh a smaller one: a score of 1.20× means a fifth more views than that channel usually gets. A length counts only with at least 50 Shorts behind it.
These are the biggest channels on YouTube, and smaller ones may see different results. The study measures views, not watch time or follows, and shows which lengths did well, not that the length made them do well.
Common questions
How long can a YouTube Short be?
A YouTube Short can be up to three minutes long. YouTube counts a video as a Short when it is square or vertical, up to three minutes long, and uploaded on or after October 15, 2024. A Short over one minute long with an active Content ID claim of any kind, including a manual claim, is blocked globally on YouTube. Most songs from the Shorts audio library can play for up to 90 seconds in a three-minute Short; some are limited to 60 or 30 seconds.
What is the best length for a YouTube Short?
Shorts under 15 seconds long did best: the median one earned 1.11× its channel’s usual views. Those 1.5–3 minutes long did worst, at 0.97×.
How long is the average YouTube Short?
In 1,503 Shorts from 40 of the most subscribed YouTube channels, half ran 43 seconds or less. 24% ran a minute or longer.
Can a YouTube Short be longer than 60 seconds?
Yes. A square or vertical video up to three minutes long, uploaded on or after October 15, 2024, counts as a Short. A Short over one minute with an active Content ID claim is blocked globally.
Sources
- Understand three-minute YouTube ShortsYouTube Help, read October 1, 2026