Shorts Feed
The YouTube Shorts Feed is YouTube's continuous vertical viewing experience for discovering and watching short-form videos.
In the Shorts player, viewers can swipe or scroll from one item to the next, pause, like, comment, share, subscribe, remix, open sound pages, and provide recommendation feedback.
What Does the Shorts Feed Look Like?
The feed presents one video prominently at a time in a vertical player. Viewers move forward or backward through the stream by swiping, scrolling, or using device controls.
YouTube describes it as a never-ending stream of videos. Each Short is currently three minutes or less.
How Do Viewers Enter the Shorts Feed?
- Tap the Shorts tab in the YouTube mobile app.
- Select Shorts from YouTube's desktop navigation.
- Open a Short from a Home shelf.
- Select a Short from YouTube Search.
- Open a Short from a channel page.
- Follow a shared Shorts link.
- Open a sound or remix-related experience.
After a Short opens in the player, the viewer can continue to other Shorts without returning to the original discovery surface.
Shorts Feed vs. Shorts Shelf
| Feature | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Shorts shelf | A row or collection of Short thumbnails on Home, Search, or another YouTube surface |
| Shorts Feed | The full-screen vertical player where viewers continuously watch and swipe |
A shelf can be the entry point. The feed is the viewing experience after the viewer selects a Short.
Shorts Feed vs. Shorts Tab
The Shorts tab is a navigation button that opens the Shorts experience. The feed is the stream of content displayed within that experience.
Creators often use the terms casually as synonyms, but the distinction is useful when discussing navigation and Analytics.
Shorts Feed vs. Watch Page
| Experience | Typical Viewer Action | Monetization Model |
|---|---|---|
| Shorts Feed | Swipe through a continuous vertical stream | Pooled ads shown between Shorts and eligible Premium viewing |
| Watch Page | Select and watch a specific long-form or live video | Ads before, during, after, or around eligible content and Premium allocation |
The associated agreements and revenue-sharing calculations are different.
What Content Appears in the Feed?
The feed primarily contains eligible Shorts. YouTube also says viewers may encounter eligible live streams while browsing Shorts in supported app experiences.
Shorts can include:
- Original recorded clips
- Edited vertical or square uploads
- Remixes
- Templates
- Green-screen creations
- Music-based videos
- Short educational, entertainment, news, and commentary content
What Qualifies as a Short?
YouTube's current creation tools support Shorts up to three minutes long. Shorts are designed as short-form vertical content, and current upload classification depends on factors including duration, aspect ratio, upload date, and format.
Creators should follow the latest YouTube eligibility guidance rather than relying on the older rule that every Short must be 60 seconds or less.
How Are Shorts Recommended?
YouTube's recommendation systems personalize content for each viewer. Signals can include:
- Watch history
- Search history
- Subscriptions
- Likes and dislikes
- Not interested feedback
- Don't recommend channel feedback
- Satisfaction surveys
- How similar viewers respond
YouTube does not publish one fixed Shorts Feed algorithm or an exact formula creators can reproduce.
What Happens When a Short Starts?
Shorts normally begin playing within the vertical player. Since March 31, 2025, a legitimate Shorts view can count when playback starts or replays, with no minimum watch-time requirement.
The viewer can then:
- Stay and continue watching
- Swipe away
- Pause
- Replay or let the Short loop
- Like, comment, share, or subscribe
- Open the audio page
- Use available remix tools
Shorts Feed vs. Vertical Live Feed
Vertical live streams can appear in a swipeable mobile live experience and may be encountered while browsing Shorts. However, a live stream is not automatically a Short.
The two formats differ in:
- Live versus prerecorded playback
- Concurrent-viewer reporting
- Chat and live fan-funding features
- Replay and archive behavior
- Eligibility and distribution rules
Where Can Shorts Appear Outside the Feed?
- YouTube Search
- Channel pages
- Home and Browse surfaces
- Subscriptions
- Playlists
- Suggested video contexts
- External websites and apps
- Messages and direct links
The Shorts Feed is a major discovery surface, but it is not the only place viewers can find a Short.
Feed Exposure Metrics
| Metric | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Shown in feed | How many times the Short appeared in the Shorts Feed |
| Stayed to watch | The percentage of times viewers remained past the initial seconds |
| Engaged views | How many viewers stayed past the initial seconds, excluding loops |
| Shorts Views | Legitimate starts and replays under the current view-count system |
Shorts Feed and Impressions
The feed is not primarily measured through the standard thumbnail impressions funnel. Use Shown in feed and the viewer-choice report to evaluate feed presentation.
A Short can also receive registered thumbnail impressions on eligible surfaces such as Search, Home, channel pages, or playlists outside the full-screen vertical experience.
Shorts Feed Ads
Shorts Feed Ads appear between organic Shorts. Revenue is pooled monthly, adjusted for music licensing, allocated by eligible engaged-view share within each country, and then paid at the applicable creator share.
The ad is not attached exclusively to the Short shown immediately before or after it.
Viewer Controls and Feedback
Viewers can shape recommendations by:
- Liking or disliking
- Selecting Not interested
- Selecting Don't recommend channel
- Subscribing
- Searching and watching related content
- Managing watch and search history
These controls help personalize future feed content.
Can Creators Force a Short Into the Feed?
No title, hashtag, upload time, or setting guarantees feed distribution.
Creators should avoid claims that:
- #Shorts guarantees inclusion.
- A specific upload time forces a test.
- Deleting and re-uploading resets distribution.
- Every Short receives a fixed initial audience.
- One retention percentage guarantees virality.
How to Create for the Feed
- Make the first frame understandable.
- Use mobile-readable text.
- Deliver clear audio immediately.
- Match the opening to the actual payoff.
- Frame important content away from interface buttons and captions.
- Use a length appropriate to the idea.
- Design loops only when they improve the experience.
- Review the video on a phone before publishing.
Common Shorts-Feed Mistakes
- Calling a Shorts shelf the feed.
- Assuming all Shorts views come from the feed.
- Using the old 60-second definition universally.
- Treating live vertical streams as ordinary Shorts.
- Assuming #Shorts forces distribution.
- Using standard thumbnail CTR as the only feed metric.
- Believing every viewer sees the same sequence.
- Confusing ads between Shorts with ads assigned to one Short.
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What is the Shorts Feed?
It is YouTube's continuous vertical player for discovering and watching short-form videos.
How long can a Short be?
YouTube's current Shorts experience supports Shorts up to three minutes long.
Are all Shorts watched in the feed?
No. Shorts can also be found through Search, Channel Pages, Browse, playlists, External sources, and direct links.
Can a creator guarantee feed distribution?
No. YouTube does not provide a setting or published formula that guarantees placement.