how long could a youtube shorts be

YouTube Shorts can be up to 3 minutes long, and that limit applies to vertical or square videos uploaded on or after October 15, 2024. For shorter clips, there’s no special minimum for Shorts under one minute, but the most common sweet spot is still much shorter than the max.

Quick Scoop

• Maximum length: 3 minutes.

• Shorter than 1 minute: still eligible as Shorts, with no new limitation change for those videos.

• Older guidance: many third-party guides still mention the old 60-second limit, so the current official rule is the one to follow.

Useful note

If you’re posting now, think of 3 minutes as the ceiling , not the goal. In practice, Shorts usually perform best when they get to the point fast, especially for hooks, jokes, tutorials, or trends.

TL;DR

A YouTube Short can be up to 3 minutes long.