Free tools

YouTube Shorts checker

Drop one video or a batch to see which ones YouTube will treat as Shorts, and why. A Short is up to 3 minutes long with a square or vertical frame.

  • Free, no sign-up
  • Your videos stay on your device
  • Rules checked October 28, 2026

Drop your videos

One file or a whole batch. MP4, MOV, WebM and MKV are read directly (MP4 and MOV with a phone's rotation); other formats through your browser. Nothing is uploaded.

What makes a video a YouTube Short in 2026

Length
Up to 3 minutesSince October 15, 2024; one minute before that
Frame
Square or vertical1:1, 4:5, 9:16 and anything taller than wide
Over 1 minute
No copyright claimsA claimed Short over a minute is blocked globally
Batch upload
Up to 15 at a timeFrom YouTube Studio on a computer

Sources: YouTube Help: Upload YouTube Shorts and YouTube Help: Understand three-minute YouTube Shorts, read on October 28, 2026.

Why your video is, or isn't, a Short

YouTube doesn't ask. Upload a video that is 3 minutes or shorter with a square or vertical frame and it goes to Shorts; anything longer, or wider than it is tall, is a regular video. That is why a 2-minute vertical clip that would have been a regular video in 2023 lands in Shorts now. Videos uploaded before October 15, 2024 keep the category they had. Shorts earn from the Shorts feed under YouTube's Shorts revenue sharing; regular videos earn from the watch page.

Phone videos and rotation

A phone held upright often records a sideways frame, 1920 × 1080, with a flag that tells players to turn it. The checker reads that flag in MP4 and MOV files and checks the frame the way it plays, 1080 × 1920, so an upright phone clip correctly reads as vertical.

Getting the frame right

Once it's a Short, the app's buttons and captions sit over the edges of the frame: the safe zone checker shows where, for Shorts, Reels and TikTok. To check the export itself (bitrate, frame rate, codec and audio), use the video bitrate checker, and the aspect ratio calculator gives the size for any shape. More on how YouTube's Shorts rules changed this year: the October 2026 original content update.

How it reads your video

Your browser reads each MP4 or MOV file in slices, so even a multi-gigabyte video is never loaded whole: the moov box at the start or end of the file holds its length and frame size, and the rotation flag a phone writes says which way up the frame plays. WebM and MKV files are read from their header the same way; other formats go through the browser's own player. The video never leaves your device. Then it applies YouTube Help's rule for uploads on or after October 15, 2024: up to three minutes and a square or vertical frame make a Short.

Embed this checker

Teachers, bloggers and course creators can put this YouTube Shorts checker on their own page for free. Paste the code below into your page's HTML. It loads from markstudios.com, so it stays current when we update the numbers.

Questions, answered.

Anything else? Message Mark and you'll get a written reply within one business day.

How long can a YouTube Short be?

Up to 3 minutes. YouTube Help says to upload a Short from a computer, select a video up to 3 minutes long with a square or vertical aspect ratio. Since October 15, 2024, any video a standard channel uploads that is up to three minutes and square or vertical is categorized as a Short.

Why is my video a YouTube Short?

Because it is 3 minutes or shorter and its frame is square or vertical. YouTube puts every upload like that in Shorts automatically. To post it as a regular video instead, make the frame horizontal, such as 16:9, or the video longer than 3 minutes.

Why is my 2-minute video a YouTube Short?

Since October 15, 2024 the Shorts limit has been three minutes, not one, so a vertical or square video of 2 minutes now counts as a Short. Before that date, videos over a minute uploaded as regular videos, and YouTube says videos uploaded before then stay that way.

Why isn’t my video a YouTube Short?

Either it runs longer than 3 minutes or its frame is wider than it is tall. Drop it in the checker to see which. A phone video recorded upright is often stored sideways with a rotation flag; the checker reads that flag and checks the frame the way players show it.

Can a vertical video longer than 3 minutes go on YouTube?

Yes, as a regular video. YouTube’s player adapts to vertical and square videos, so it plays upright on the watch page; it just isn’t a Short.

What happens to a Short over one minute with a copyright claim?

YouTube says any Short over one minute with an active copyright claim of any type, including manual claims, is blocked globally: it can’t be played or recommended and can’t earn money, with no penalty to the channel. Shorts under one minute aren’t affected by this rule.

How many Shorts can I upload at once?

Up to 15 at a time from YouTube Studio on a computer, according to YouTube Help. You can drop a whole batch into this checker to see which ones will land as Shorts.

Is my video uploaded anywhere?

No. The checker reads each file’s length and frame size on your device. Nothing is sent to us.

Rather have the Shorts made for you?

Vertical cuts from your long videos, captioned and sized for Shorts, Reels and TikTok, and you work directly with Mark.

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