You’ve probably seen the numbers. A random video of a guy peeling an orange gets 40 million views while your edited masterpiece sits at a depressing zero. It’s frustrating. Honestly, figuring out how to upload YT shorts shouldn't feel like cracking an Enigma code, but YouTube’s mobile-first interface and the way it handles desktop uploads makes things weirdly complicated for beginners.
Most people think you just hit a button and hope for the best.
That is a mistake.
If you want to actually get into the "Shorts Feed"—that magical place where the algorithm pushes your content to strangers—you have to follow a specific set of technical rules that YouTube doesn't always make obvious. We’re talking about aspect ratios, metadata, and the specific way the "Shorts shelf" recognizes a video as a Short rather than a standard long-form video.
The Technical Specs You Can't Ignore
Before you even think about the upload button, your file has to be right. YouTube is incredibly picky about this. If your video is 61 seconds long, it’s not a Short. It’s just a very short, very poorly performing regular video. To qualify for the Shorts player, your video must be under 60 seconds and have a vertical aspect ratio.
Ideally, you want a 9:16 ratio. Think $1080 \times 1920$ pixels.
I’ve seen creators try to upload square videos ($1080 \times 1080$). While YouTube technically accepts these as Shorts, they look terrible on modern smartphones. You end up with those awkward black bars at the top and bottom. It kills your "swipe-away" rate. If people see black bars, they perceive the quality as lower and swipe to the next video before you’ve even said a word.
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How to Upload YT Shorts via Mobile (The Fastest Way)
The YouTube mobile app is the "native" way to do this. Open the app. Tap that plus icon in the bottom center. You’ll see an option that says "Create a Short."
Here is where it gets interesting.
You have two choices: record directly in the app or upload a pre-edited file from your gallery. If you record in-app, you can use YouTube’s music library, which is huge. But there's a catch. If you use their music, your Short is capped at 15 seconds by default unless you manually toggle it to 60 seconds at the top right of the screen. I can't tell you how many people I’ve talked to who accidentally cut their own videos off because they forgot to tap that "15" and change it to "60."
Once you've selected your clip, you get to the editing screen. You can add text overlays here. Do it. Text helps with retention, especially for people watching with the sound off in a doctor’s waiting room or on the bus. But keep the text in the "safe zone." If you put text too high, the "Subscriptions" header covers it. If you put it too low, your caption and the channel name will bury it. Keep your important visuals in the middle 60% of the screen.
Uploading From a Desktop (The Pro Method)
A lot of professional creators edit in Adobe Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve and prefer the desktop. You can absolutely do this. Just go to YouTube Studio on your computer and hit "Upload" like you’re posting a regular video.
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YouTube’s system automatically detects the vertical dimensions and the length. If it’s under a minute and vertical, it will be categorized as a Short automatically.
There’s a long-standing myth that you must put #Shorts in the title. Honestly? YouTube says it helps, but their AI is smart enough to recognize the format without it. That said, I still do it. It’s like a "just in case" insurance policy for the algorithm. Put it at the end of the title or in the description.
One thing desktop users miss out on is the "Thumbnail" selection for Shorts. Currently, you can only pick a specific frame as your thumbnail through the mobile app during the upload process. On desktop, YouTube just grabs a random frame. Since the thumbnail is what people see on your channel page (even if they don't see it in the Shorts feed), this actually matters for your overall brand aesthetic.
Why Your "View Count" Might Be Stuck at Zero
It happens. You learn how to upload YT shorts, you post, and then... nothing. For three hours, you have 2 views. Both are from your mom.
Shorts don't behave like regular videos. Regular videos rely on "Search and Suggest." Shorts rely on the "Seed Audience." YouTube will show your Short to a small group of people. If they watch at least 70-80% of it, YouTube shows it to a bigger group. If they swipe away immediately? The video dies.
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This is why the first three seconds are everything.
Don't start with "Hey guys, welcome back to my channel." Nobody cares. Start with the "payoff" or a massive question. If you’re showing a cooking hack, show the finished, delicious meal in the first frame. Then show how to make it. You have to stop the thumb from swiping.
The Sound Trap: Copyright and Reach
Using trending sounds is a double-edged sword. On one hand, tapping into a trending audio can skyrocket your reach because people click on the sound to see more videos using it. On the other hand, if you’re a business or a brand, using copyrighted music can sometimes lead to monetization issues or your video being muted in certain territories.
If you're looking for long-term growth, original audio is often better. If you say something funny or insightful, and other people start using your audio for their Shorts, that’s when you truly go viral. That’s the "organic loop" that the biggest creators like MrBeast or Ryan Trahan leverage.
Scheduling and Frequency
How often should you post? Some experts say three times a day. That's a recipe for burnout. Quality still matters more than quantity, even in the fast-paced world of short-form content. However, consistency is key because the Shorts algorithm loves data. The more you post, the more the AI understands who your audience is.
Don't delete and re-upload.
People do this thinking they can "reset" the algorithm. It rarely works and can actually flag your account as spammy. If a video flops, leave it. Analyze the "Audience Retention" graph in your analytics. Look for the exact second where the line drops off. Did you stop talking? Was the transition too slow? Use that data for the next one.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Upload
- Check your frame rate. 30fps or 60fps is standard. Avoid weird cinematic 24fps for Shorts; it can look choppy on some mobile displays.
- Verify the length. Aim for 58 seconds rather than exactly 60. Sometimes YouTube adds a millisecond during processing, and a 60.1-second video will be treated as a regular video, ruining your reach.
- Optimize the caption. Use the "Closed Captions" feature in the app or hard-code them in your editor. People watch these in silence more often than you'd think.
- Pin a comment. As soon as you upload, comment on your own video with a "Call to Action" or a link to a related long-form video. This helps drive traffic to your main channel.
- Use the "Related Video" feature. Inside YouTube Studio on desktop, you can now link a Short to one of your long-form videos. This is a massive update. It creates a small "Play" button on the Short that leads viewers directly to your longer content.
The landscape changes fast. What worked six months ago—like overusing #Shorts in the description—isn't as effective now. Focus on the "hook" and the technical vertical constraints, and you'll find the process of how to upload YT shorts becomes second nature.