YouTube Shorts Now Supports 3-Minute Horizontal Videos

YouTube Shorts used to be 60 seconds max, vertical only. Now they’ve opened it up – 3 minutes, horizontal supported.

What Changed

Horizontal videos under 3 minutes can show up in the Shorts feed now. Still gotta be short-ish but not as restrictive.

Vertical is still the main format for mobile viewing. But if you’ve got horizontal content that’s under 3 minutes, it’s now eligible for Shorts distribution.

Why This Matters

More content qualifies as a “Short” now. That means Shorts algorithm exposure for stuff that didn’t fit before.

Existing creators with horizontal clips can push them into Shorts without re-editing to vertical. Less work, more distribution.

Monetization

Same ad revenue share model they launched last year. If you’re in the Partner Program, longer Shorts earn similar rates to regular Shorts.

No separate payout structure for horizontal versus vertical as far as anyone can tell yet.

Strategy Thoughts

Don’t just dump all your old clips into Shorts hoping for magic. The algorithm still rewards engaging content. Length and format are just eligibility – the content still has to work.