The most liked YouTube video is Would You Fly To Paris For A Baguette?, a 47-second MrBeast Short with 58.8 million likes as of October 2026. Despacito, the long-time record holder, is now second with 56.8 million.
I opened each contender on YouTube on 27 October 2026 and read the like count YouTube shows under the video. The result surprises most people: seven of the 12 most liked videos are Shorts, and most of them are under a minute long.
The 12 most liked videos on YouTube
| Rank | Video | Channel | Likes (Oct 2026) | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Would You Fly To Paris For A Baguette? | MrBeast | 58.8 million | Short, 47 seconds |
| 2 | Despacito | Luis Fonsi ft. Daddy Yankee | 56.8 million | Music video |
| 3 | See You Again | Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth | 47.1 million | Music video |
| 4 | Baby Shark Dance | Pinkfong | 47.1 million | Children's song |
| 5 | Our MOST INTENSE Balloon Popping Race!! | How Ridiculous | 43.0 million | Short, 55 seconds |
| 6 | Giving iPhones Instead Of Candy on Halloween | MrBeast | 42.7 million | Short, 40 seconds |
| 7 | Dynamite | BTS | 39.7 million | Music video |
| 8 | If Cleaning Was a Timed Sport. Part 2 | Daniel LaBelle | 38.7 million | Short, 37 seconds |
| 9 | Katana Vs Bullet | MrBeast | 38.6 million | Short, 40 seconds |
| 10 | The Rock Vs MrBeast | MrBeast | 36.5 million | Short, 54 seconds |
| 11 | Shape of You | Ed Sheeran | 36.0 million | Music video |
| 12 | OMG Best Teacher | dednahype | 34.4 million | Short, 52 seconds |
See You Again and Baby Shark Dance are separated by fewer than 50,000 likes, so those two can swap places from one week to the next. MrBeast has four of the 12, more than any other channel.
Why Shorts collect likes so much faster
Put two of these side by side and the pattern is obvious. The Baguette Short has 1.83 billion views and 58.8 million likes, roughly one like for every 31 views. Despacito has 9.16 billion views and 56.8 million likes, roughly one like for every 161 views.
So a Short gets a like about five times as often per view. That's down to how Shorts are watched: the like button sits right on the screen while the video loops, and a viewer who enjoyed 47 seconds can tap it without stopping. On a four-minute music video, most people never scroll to the button at all.
It's also why this list is changing faster than the most viewed list. Music videos built their totals over a decade. A good Short can collect tens of millions of likes in its first year.
The most liked music video on YouTube
Count only music videos and the answer is still Despacito, with 56.8 million likes. See You Again is next at 47.1 million, then BTS's Dynamite at 39.7 million and Ed Sheeran's Shape of You at 36.0 million. Dynamite is the youngest of the four, uploaded in August 2020, so it's collected its likes in far less time than the others.
Videos you'd expect to see, and why they're missing
Some huge videos don't show a like count at all. The ChuChu TV phonics song, one of the most viewed videos on YouTube with 7.14 billion views, displays no like figure on its page, so it can't be ranked here. Likes are a public counter only when the video shows one.
Dislikes are a different story again: YouTube made dislike counts private across the site in November 2021. I've explained what that means in my page on how to see dislikes on YouTube.
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How to see a video's like count
- Open the video on YouTube.
- On a computer, look at the thumbs-up button under the video: the number beside it shows the likes.
- On a Short, the count sits under the thumbs-up icon on the right of the screen.
- If there's no number, the video isn't showing its like count publicly.
What creators can learn from it
Likes tell YouTube that viewers enjoyed what they saw, and Shorts make that tap effortless. If your long videos get views but few likes, a short, punchy cut of the best moment gives the same audience an easy way to react. Your channel's Shorts analytics will show you which ones people liked rather than just scrolled past.
My verdict
MrBeast's Baguette Short is the most liked video on YouTube, and Shorts now hold seven of the top 12 places. Despacito is still the most liked music video and the most liked video that isn't a Short. With See You Again and Baby Shark almost level, check the counters on the day if you need the exact order.
For the rest of the series, see the YouTube Help: 30 Guides to Channels, Subscribers, Monetisation, Thumbnails and Fixes.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most liked video on YouTube?
Would You Fly To Paris For A Baguette?, a MrBeast Short with 58.8 million likes on YouTube's counter as of October 2026.
Is Despacito still the most liked video on YouTube?
No. Despacito is second with 56.8 million likes. It's still the most liked music video and the most liked video that isn't a Short.
What is the most liked YouTube Short?
MrBeast's Would You Fly To Paris For A Baguette?, with 58.8 million likes as of October 2026.
Why do Shorts get so many likes?
The like button stays on screen while a Short loops, so viewers tap it without stopping. The top Short gets about one like per 31 views, against about one per 161 for Despacito.
