YouTube now lets Shorts run up to 3 minutes. That doesn't mean you should use them. We looked at 48,804 Shorts published in the last 90 days by English-language channels with 1,000 to 200,000 subscribers in Returbe's index, and grouped them by length.
Short answer: under 30 seconds wins, by a lot. Past 30 seconds, median views drop by more than half.
Shorts length vs views
| Length | Shorts | Median views | Outliers (3x+) | Outliers (10x+) | Over 100k views | Over 1M views |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 s or less | 5,622 | 29.7k | 18.0% | 6.4% | 19.6% | 263 |
| 11–20 s | 10,502 | 28.9k | 16.6% | 6.8% | 22.8% | 696 |
| 21–30 s | 8,115 | 25.0k | 16.6% | 6.4% | 23.8% | 586 |
| 31–45 s | 8,152 | 10.4k | 12.4% | 4.1% | 18.2% | 383 |
| 46–60 s | 5,689 | 6.1k | 11.3% | 4.7% | 15.8% | 284 |
| 61–90 s | 5,796 | 4.5k | 10.7% | 3.7% | 13.6% | 185 |
| 91–180 s | 4,928 | 6.9k | 15.1% | 5.8% | 19.2% | 282 |
An outlier is a Short with 3x (or 10x) the usual views of its channel. It's the best way to compare channels of different sizes: see what an outlier video is.
What the data says
- The sweet spot is 11 to 30 seconds. That range produced 1,282 of the 2,679 million-view Shorts in our sample, almost half, with under 40% of the Shorts.
- 10 seconds or less has the best outlier rate (18%). Loops, reactions and one-gag Shorts get replayed, and replays count.
- 31 to 90 seconds is the dead zone. Too long for a quick hit, too short to tell a real story. Median views fall to 4,500–10,000.
- 91 to 180 seconds bounces back a little (15% outliers). These are the Shorts that need the time: transformations, processes, stories with a payoff.
Real viral Shorts under 20 seconds
- Retrolix1 (82k subscribers), "3D Printed Long Reach Light Switch Arm": 6 seconds, 61.5M views, 1,135x its normal.
- Micro EMoto (24.9k subscribers), "Beginners be like:": 6 seconds, 37.5M views, 1,795x.
- ash (80.6k subscribers), "She's NEVER walking in again 💀": 10 seconds, 93M views.
- Fur Keeps (85.6k subscribers), "My bunny used to chew cables": 16 seconds, 41.4M views, 2,166x.
- Natasha Smith Personal Trainer (13.8k subscribers), "Can we pass the glute test?": 19 seconds, 41.6M views, 1,484x.
One idea, one visual, no setup. Each of them is understood in the first second and over before the viewer thinks of swiping.
Find the Shorts formats exploding in your niche
Filter Returbe's Top Videos on Shorts, small channels and the last 30 days to see which formats work right now.
When a long Short (1 to 3 minutes) works
Long Shorts that broke out all have a reason to last:
- A process to the end. Torque Garage (154k subscribers), a tire retreading Short: 3 minutes, 37M views.
- A transformation. Volcanic Buildx (65k subscribers), "He Was Living in an Abandoned Animal Shed… So I Built Him a Real Home": 81 seconds, 18.7M views.
- A story with a payoff. Yellow Block (74.1k subscribers), "I Got Trapped in a Netherite Prison": 92 seconds, 24.2M views.
- Satisfying work. John Horse And Farm (48.3k subscribers), a farrier hoof-care Short: 108 seconds, 19M views.
If your idea doesn't have a "how does it end?" question, cut it under 30 seconds.
How to pick the right length for your Short
- Write the idea in one sentence. If it fits, aim for 8 to 20 seconds.
- Cut everything before the payoff starts. No intro, no "wait for it", no logo.
- Go long only for a process, a transformation or a story, and show the end result (or tease it) in the first 2 seconds.
- Test both. Post the same idea at 15 and 40 seconds a week apart and compare against your channel's median, not your best Short.
The niche matters as much as the length: see the best YouTube Shorts niches and the Shorts titles that get the most views.
Methodology
Returbe's index on October 31, 2026: Shorts published between 90 and 3 days ago by English-language channels with 1,000 to 200,000 subscribers, excluding livestreams and made-for-kids videos. Length is the duration reported by YouTube. Outlier = views divided by the channel's median views. Examples were checked by hand; Shorts that looked sponsored were left out.
FAQ
What is the best length for a YouTube Short?
Under 30 seconds. In our data of nearly 49,000 Shorts from small English channels, Shorts of 30 seconds or less had median views of 25,000 to 30,000, against 6,000 for 46 to 60 seconds and 4,500 for 61 to 90 seconds.
Are 3-minute YouTube Shorts worth it?
Only for stories that need the time. Shorts of 91 to 180 seconds did better than 46 to 90 seconds in our data (6,900 median views, 15% outliers), but still far below Shorts under 30 seconds. Use the extra length for transformations, processes and stories, not to stretch a simple idea.
Why do shorter Shorts get more views?
The Shorts feed rewards watch-through and replays. A 10-second Short is much easier to watch to the end, and replays push its average view duration above 100%. Long Shorts lose viewers in the middle, so the feed shows them to fewer people.
Is a 15-second Short better than a 60-second Short?
On average, yes. Shorts of 11 to 20 seconds had a median of 28,900 views and produced the most million-view Shorts in our sample (696), about 5 times more median views than 46 to 60 seconds.
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