A YouTube Shorts template copies the structure of an existing Short, including the length and number of clips plus its text, music and effects, so you only add your own footage. To use one, open the Short in the YouTube app, tap Remix and then Use this template (or tap Use template on the Short), and add your clips.
Templates are part of YouTube's remix tools, which matters for two reasons: your own Shorts can become templates for other people by default, and anything built from someone else's Short depends on that original staying up. Here's how it all works.
How to make a Short from a template
- Sign in to the YouTube app on your phone.
- Go to the Short you want to use as a template.
- Tap Remix, then Use this template. Or tap Use template on the Short itself.
- Add your clips to the template and finish your Short.
The template gives you the timing and the number of clips, so the trick is to film or pick clips that fit each slot. Then edit as normal, as covered in how to make a YouTube Short.
Which Shorts can be used as templates
YouTube Help says eligible Shorts can be used as templates by other creators by default. A Short may be eligible if it contains, among other conditions:
- Remixable audio
- Multiple video clips
- Text segments
So if you can't see Use template on a Short you like, it may not meet those conditions, or its creator may have turned remixing off.
How to stop your Shorts being used as templates
YouTube says you can opt out by turning off Shorts remixing. In YouTube Studio:
- Sign in to YouTube Studio.
- Click Content in the left menu.
- Click the Short's title or thumbnail.
- Click Show more and scroll to Shorts remixing.
- Choose whether to allow remixing, then click Save.
You can also change the setting in bulk, or when you upload. Remixing is on by default, so if you'd rather keep your format to yourself, change it on each Short you care about.
What happens if the original Short is deleted
This is the part to understand before you rely on someone else's template. YouTube's remix rules say that if the original creator deletes their video, limits remixing, or blurs or trims it in YouTube Studio:
| Your remix uses | What happens | Can you fix it? |
|---|---|---|
| Their audio | Your Short is muted, set to Unlisted and scheduled for deletion in 30 days | Yes: YouTube emails you, so you can download it without the audio and upload again with different sound |
| Their video | Your Short is deleted | YouTube says you may not be licensed to re-upload it with that video, but views you earned still count to your lifetime views |
So if a Short matters to you, build it from your own audio and clips, and use templates for format ideas rather than for the soundtrack.
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A Shorts template is not a YouTube Create template
Don't mix these up. YouTube Create, YouTube's separate editing app, has its own templates: ready-made video structures in style categories such as cooking, travel and fashion. You pick one on the YouTube Create homepage, tap Use Template, import clips and use Slip edit to choose which part of each clip appears. Those templates don't depend on another creator's Short, so the deletion rules above don't apply in the same way.
A note on length and claims
Shorts can now run up to three minutes, but YouTube warns that a Short longer than one minute with an active Content ID claim is blocked globally. Templates that use claimed music are a common way to hit that, so keep longer Shorts to audio you have the rights to. The music rules are in can YouTube Shorts use copyrighted music.
My verdict
Templates are the fastest way to try a format that's already working: tap Use template, swap in your clips, done. Just don't build anything you care about on borrowed audio, because you lose it the moment the original creator deletes or restricts their Short. And if your own format keeps getting copied, turn off Shorts remixing in YouTube Studio. For more ideas on what makes a Short travel, see how to increase views on YouTube Shorts.
Frequently asked questions
How do I use a template on YouTube Shorts?
Open the Short in the YouTube app, tap Remix and then Use this template, or tap Use template on the Short, then add your own clips.
How do I stop people using my Short as a template?
In YouTube Studio open Content, click the Short, choose Show more, find Shorts remixing and choose not to allow remixing, then click Save.
Why can't I see Use template on a Short?
YouTube Help says a Short may be eligible as a template if it has remixable audio, multiple video clips and text segments. If those are missing, or the creator turned off remixing, the option won't show.
What happens to my Short if the template's original is deleted?
If you used their audio, your Short is muted, set to Unlisted and scheduled for deletion in 30 days. If you used their video, your Short is deleted.
