Format · YouTube Shorts
YouTube treats a video as a Short if it is vertical or square and at most 3 minutes long. Ideal is 1080 × 1920 pixels at an aspect ratio of 9:16.
Unlike TikTok and Reels, on YouTube the shape decides whether a video becomes a Short: a landscape video ends up as a regular video on the channel, not in the Shorts feed. For Shorts it really has to go portrait.
If you publish the same material as a regular YouTube video and as a Short, you need two versions: 16:9 for the channel and 9:16 for Shorts – from one video, with its own crop for portrait.
| Format | Aspect ratio | Pixels (1080p) | Max. length | Free of app elements |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube Shorts | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 | 3 min | ≈ 69 % |
As of 12 October 2026. Lengths as stated by the platforms; they change often, and the app is what counts. No figure where the platform does not confirm a limit. "Free of app elements" are guide values from FrameJet’s preview – no platform publishes its overlay exactly.
Turn a landscape video into YouTube Shorts
Upload the video, set the framing, done – you pick the other formats in the same run. All dimensions in the video formats guide.
1080 × 1920 pixels at an aspect ratio of 9:16. Square videos also count as Shorts.
Up to 3 minutes. If a vertical video is longer, it appears as a regular video.
No. YouTube does not classify a landscape video as a Short. It has to be vertical or square.
Yes, TikTok, Instagram Reel, Instagram Story use the same aspect ratio. Just watch the edges each app covers differently.