Shorts
01 Definition
Shorts meaning: YouTube's short vertical videos shown in a dedicated feed and app tab.
Shorts are YouTube's short-form vertical videos, capped at three minutes. They appear in a swipeable Shorts feed and can help channels reach new viewers. Shorts have their own view counting and monetization rules that differ from standard long-form YouTube videos.
Also called
Why it matters
How Shorts fits the work
Shorts give YouTube channels a discovery surface separate from long videos, letting creators reach browsers who might never search for their main content.
In context
The channel's 45 second Short earned 200,000 views in a week, far more than its latest 12 minute tutorial reached in a month.
Practical note
A Short view counts differently from a long-form view, and Shorts ad revenue uses a shared pool. Do not compare Shorts and long-form earnings directly.