How to Make a YouTube Short: 3 Ways on Phone or PC

To make a YouTube Short, open the YouTube app, tap Create, select Short, record your clip, add music or text, then tap Next and Upload Short. Any video you upload that is square or vertical and no longer than 3 minutes is also treated as a Short, so you can edit on a computer and upload the finished file through YouTube Studio.

This guide covers how to make YouTube Shorts all three ways, the official rules behind them, and the limit each route has; I tested each method while writing it. If you have read that Shorts stop at 60 seconds, that rule changed in October 2024; everything below was checked against YouTube's Help Center on October 27, 2026.

A YouTube Short is any video that is square or vertical and up to 3 minutes long, a rule YouTube applies to uploads made on or after October 15, 2024. Before that date the cap was 60 seconds, which is why older tutorials still quote it.

I pick the method based on the footage I already have, because each route has a different length limit and starting point.

• Recording something quick on your phone: use the Shorts camera in the YouTube app (Method 1).
• Wanting subtitles, a timeline, royalty-free music, or a mix of vertical and horizontal clips, on phone or computer: edit online, then upload (Method 2).
• Cutting a highlight from a public video you already uploaded: use Edit into a Short (Method 3), which takes up to 60 seconds of the original.

The quickest way to make a Short is the Shorts camera inside the YouTube mobile app, which records, edits, and publishes in one place. When I just want something posted fast, this is the route I use. The steps follow YouTube's own instructions.

I found the Shorts camera best for quick edits inside the app. For subtitles generated from speech, a multi-track timeline, or footage you already filmed, Method 2 gives you more control.

If you would rather edit before you post, build the Short in an online editor and upload the finished file; YouTube treats any square or vertical upload of 3 minutes or less as a Short. MyEdit's video tools run in your browser on a computer or phone, and they work with vertical clips straight from your camera as well as horizontal footage.

Editing first gives you things the Shorts camera doesn't: subtitles generated from speech, a multi-track timeline, and royalty-free music, which matters more once a Short runs past 1 minute and copyright claims start blocking it. Disclosure: MyEdit is our own product, and the same workflow works in any editor that exports vertical video.

Here is what Free Online Video Editor brings to a Short:

The free plan allows one export per day, so I finish all my edits before exporting; a Creator plan or higher removes that cap.

Video Auto Reframe, which you need only for horizontal clips, runs on credits (free users get one free reframe on a video under 10 minutes once their balance is zero), processes one video at a time, and doesn't run in Safari.

If you have already published a long-form video, you can cut a Short from it without uploading anything new, and the Short links back to the original video.

You can select at most 60 seconds of the original, and music from YouTube's Audio Library can't be added to these Shorts. Private videos, unlisted videos, and videos with third-party copyright claims don't show the option. For a cut longer than 60 seconds, edit your original file with Method 2.

If Edit into a Short is missing on one of your public videos, open YouTube Studio, go to Content, open the video, click Show more, and check Allow people to sample this content under Shorts remixing.

Two more MyEdit tools fix common problems in phone and camera footage before you upload: missing or poor sound, and soft or dim picture. Both run in the browser, so they slot in before or after the editor.

Video Sound Generator analyzes your footage and generates background sound that fits the scene, such as nature, city, or ambient noise. It suits silent clips, stock footage, and AI-generated video, and MyEdit states the generated audio is original and can be used commercially.

It accepts MP4 or MOV files up to 200 MB and runs on credits, including the free daily credits.

AI Video Enhancer sharpens soft footage, corrects lighting, and reduces noise in one pass. YouTube Help lists 1080p as the maximum upload resolution for Shorts, so the 4K upscale adds nothing to a Short. I save the enhancer for clips below 1080p or footage shot in dim light.

It takes MP4 or MOV clips up to 3 minutes and 1.8 GB, and the credit cost rises with clip length and the number of enhancements you turn on.

Before I publish, I check the length, framing, sound, and title, because these decide whether YouTube treats the upload as a Short and whether it stays up.

• Length: count the final runtime, not the raw footage; anything over 3 minutes becomes a regular video.
• Framing: the Shorts player lays the title, channel name, and buttons over the bottom and right edge, so I keep faces and on-screen text near the center.
• Music: in a 3-minute Short, most Shorts Audio Library songs can run up to 90 seconds, while some are capped at 60 or 30 seconds.
• Copyright: a Short longer than 1 minute with an active copyright claim is blocked, so clear any track you added in another editor.
• Hashtags: YouTube's help pages define Shorts by length and shape only and don't list a #Shorts hashtag as a requirement.
• Feedback: the Get feedback button on the details screen analyzes your hook and pacing before you post.