How to Make a YouTube Short: Record, Upload and Publish

YouTube Shorts are the quick, upright videos you scroll through on your phone, and they're one of the easiest ways for a small business to put a face to a name. You don't need a studio, a script or an editing suite. You need a phone, one idea and a few minutes. This guide follows YouTube's help pages for creating and uploading Shorts, covering recording in the app, uploading a video you've already made, adding sound, and what makes a video count as a Short. Where the help is silent on something, I'll say so.

Record a YouTube Short in the app

YouTube's help article gives these steps:

1. Sign in to the YouTube app on your phone.
2. Tap Create, then select Short.
3. Press and hold the capture button to record, or tap it once to start and again to stop. You can change the duration in the upper-right corner.
4. After recording, add music, filters or effects. Use Undo and Redo to remove or restore clips.
5. Tap Done to preview your video, and add sounds, text-to-speech or other effects.
6. Tap Next to add a title, choose privacy settings and say whether the video is made for kids.
7. Tap Upload Short to publish, or Save draft to finish later.

The help page says the title can be up to 100 characters. It also says the Shorts camera in the YouTube app isn't available on tablets right now, so use a smartphone for this route.

How long can a YouTube Short be?

YouTube's help says Shorts can be up to three minutes long. You can record one clip or several that add up to that total, and the progress bar shows how many segments you've recorded. Short, of course, doesn't have to mean three minutes. Plenty of the best ones are a few seconds of one clear idea.

What makes a video a YouTube Short

According to the help pages, two things: length and shape. A Short is up to three minutes long and has a square or vertical aspect ratio. YouTube's article on three-minute Shorts adds that videos with those dimensions uploaded after the change count as Shorts, while earlier uploads stay long-form. And if you want a video to stay out of Shorts, use a wider format such as 16:9.

Feature	What YouTube's help says
Maximum length	Up to three minutes
Shape	Square or vertical
Upload quality	Up to 1080p
Where you can record in the app	A smartphone; the Shorts camera isn't available on tablets
Default privacy	Private for creators aged 13 to 17, public for 18 and over

Upload a video you've already filmed as a YouTube Short

You don't have to record inside the app. The help says you can upload vertical videos from your computer or phone as Shorts. From a computer, the steps are:

1. Sign in to YouTube Studio.
2. Click Create in the top-right corner, then choose Upload videos.
3. Select your video file. You can choose up to 15 videos at a time.
4. Click Edit draft to finish the details before you publish.

If you're not sure how the regular upload screen works, my guide to uploading a video to YouTube covers it from both computer and phone. Once the file is square or vertical and within the length limit, YouTube will treat it as a Short.

Add sound and music to a YouTube Short

The sound screen in the Shorts camera is the easy place to add music. YouTube's help recommends music from the Shorts Audio Library to reduce copyright claims. Depending on the song, you may be able to use up to 90 seconds of music. The help also warns that Shorts over a minute with an active claim may remain playable, while its page on three-minute Shorts says that those over a minute with an active copyright claim are blocked globally until the claim is resolved. If you're using your own voice or your own recorded sound, you avoid the question altogether.

Edit with AI and other helpers for a YouTube Short

The help describes an Edit with AI option. You select up to three minutes of videos or photos, each at least five seconds, tap Edit with AI, pick a template and review the draft it generates. You can then make more edits before uploading. It adds that this feature isn't available in all regions, so you may not see it. You can also choose a thumbnail frame from the final upload screen by tapping the thumbnail's edit icon.

Save a YouTube Short as a draft

Not ready to publish? Tap Save draft. One detail from the help centre is worth remembering: drafts are stored on your device, not on your channel. Deleting the app or replacing your phone will erase them. If a Short matters to you, finish it before you change phones.

Where a published YouTube Short appears

The help says viewers can find Shorts in the Shorts tab, search results, the YouTube homepage, your channel homepage, the feed of channels people follow, and notifications. If you've published one and the view count looks stuck, see my explainer on why a Shorts view count can sit at zero. And for the words under the video, my guide to choosing hashtags for YouTube Shorts is a good next stop.

A simple recipe for your first business Short

• Pick one question your customers ask all the time.
• Answer it in one sentence at the start, then show how.
• Film upright, close to a window for light, and keep your phone steady.
• Use your own voice. Add text on screen so it makes sense on mute.
• Publish and see what viewers do, then make another.

If you'd rather not see Shorts in your own feed while you work on yours, here's how: what YouTube lets you do about Shorts.

This guide is part of my YouTube Help: 30 Guides to Channels, Subscribers, Monetisation, Thumbnails and Fixes.

Frequently asked questions

How do I make a YouTube Short?

In the YouTube app, tap Create, select Short, record with the capture button, add sounds or effects, tap Next to add a title and privacy settings, then tap Upload Short.

How long can a YouTube Short be?

YouTube's help says up to three minutes.

Does a Short have to be vertical?

YouTube's help says a Short needs a square or vertical aspect ratio. A wider format such as 16:9 keeps a video out of Shorts.

Can I make a YouTube Short on a computer?

You can upload a square or vertical video as a Short through YouTube Studio: Create, Upload videos, then select your file.

Where are my YouTube Short drafts stored?

On your device, not your channel, according to YouTube's help. Deleting the app or replacing your phone will erase them.

Can I use any song in a YouTube Short?

YouTube's help recommends the Shorts Audio Library to reduce copyright claims, and says that depending on the song you may use up to 90 seconds.