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YouTube: Formats and Upload Requirements (incl. Shorts)

📺 YouTube: Formats & upload requirements (incl. Shorts)

Here you'll find the key specifications for YouTube plus practical recommendations so your videos and Shorts look clean and upload reliably.

✅ A note on currency

YouTube changes details (Shorts length, Studio options, compression) regularly. If you want to be on the safe side, quickly check:

  • Does the aspect ratio fit (videos usually 16:9, Shorts 9:16)?
  • Is the resolution high enough (at least 1080p)?
  • Is the file not too large (YouTube has high limits, but very large files get processed more heavily)?

Then you're usually on the safe side.

In short: What matters on YouTube?

YouTube is "video-player-first". For classic videos, 16:9 is the standard. Shorts are vertical (9:16) and are distributed differently.

If you want to know in general what you can upload in KNOWYOURCHAT, start here: Media uploads: Overview.

Videos (standard)

Recommendation (best case):

  • Format: 1920 × 1080 (16:9, Full HD)
  • File formats: MP4 (a very good standard), MOV, AVI, WMV, WEBM, FLV
  • Frame rate: 24, 25, 30, 48, 50, 60 fps

Other common resolutions:

  • 3840 × 2160 (4K)
  • 2560 × 1440 (2K)
  • 1280 × 720 (HD)

Limits:

  • Max. file size: 500 MB
  • Max. length: 12 hours

Practical tips:

  • 1080p is completely sufficient in many cases. 4K is worth it if you have lots of detail and the footage looks good.
  • If the video looks "softer" after upload: that's usually YouTube's processing right after upload. After HD/4K processing, it often looks better.

YouTube Shorts

Shorts are vertical short videos.

Recommendation:

  • Format: 1080 × 1920 (9:16)
  • File formats: MP4, MOV

Duration:

  • Classic: up to 60 seconds
  • New: sometimes up to 3 minutes (depending on feature rollout and upload flow)

Note on file size:

  • In practice, Shorts work more reliably when the file isn't unnecessarily large.
  • Internal guideline: max. 60 MB recommended.

Thumbnails (preview images)

Thumbnails are a main lever for clicks, especially for classic videos.

  • Format: 1280 × 720 or 1920 x 1080 (16:9)
  • Minimum width: 640 px
  • Formats: JPG, PNG, GIF (static)
  • Max. file size: 2 MB

Practical tips:

  • Large text, high contrast, one clear subject.
  • Not too much text. The thumbnail is often displayed very small.

Last updated: April 9, 2026

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