YouTube Shorts dimensions
| Format | Pixels | Ratio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vertical Short | 1080 × 1920 | 9:16 | Fills the phone screen |
| Square Short | 1080 × 1080 | 1:1 | Still a Short; bars above and below |
| Shorts thumbnail | 2160 × 3840 | 9:16 | Added in YouTube Studio on a computer |
| Horizontal video | 1920 × 1080 | 16:9 | Not a Short, whatever its length |
YouTube Help lists 1080p as the highest resolution for Shorts, so a 1080 × 1920 file is all you need. Rules checked in October 2026.
What makes a video a Short
YouTube decides from two things: the shape and the length. A video with a square or vertical aspect ratio that runs 3 minutes or less is a Short. The 3-minute limit applies to videos uploaded on or after October 15, 2024. Before that the cut-off was 60 seconds, so older vertical videos between one and three minutes stay regular videos.
Music deserves a warning. YouTube blocks any Short longer than one minute that has an active copyright claim, everywhere in the world, until the claim is resolved. Shorts under a minute aren't affected. If you use a track you don't own, keep the Short under 60 seconds or use music from YouTube's own library.
The Shorts safe zone
The player draws its controls on top of your video. Going by YouTube's mobile layout in October 2026, roughly, in 1080 × 1920 pixels:
- Top, about 120 px: search and menu icons.
- Right edge, about 150 px wide, from row 960 to 1580: like, dislike, comment, share and remix.
- Bottom, about 340 px: channel avatar and name, the Subscribe button, the title and the sound.
That leaves the area from about row 120 to row 1580, left of about 920 px, clear for captions and faces. The apps move things around now and then, so the tool draws these areas as approximate guides rather than hard limits.
One frame for Shorts, TikTok and Reels
All three use the same 1080 × 1920 frame, but each covers a different part of it. TikTok covers about 130 px at the top, 360 px at the bottom and a column on the right from row 800 down. Instagram Stories and Reels cover about 250 px at the top and 340 px at the bottom. If one clip goes everywhere, put text between rows 250 and 1560 and left of about 920 px; that band is clear on all three.
Images for Shorts
CropDen works on still images, not video. For a Short, that means title cards, overlays, photos for a photo Short, end cards and the thumbnail. Reframe the video itself in your editor at 1080 × 1920; bring the images here so they match.
To turn a horizontal photo into a vertical one without losing the edges, use Fit whole image with a blur fill. The photo stays whole in the middle and a blurred copy fills the space above and below, which looks far better than black bars.
How to resize an image for YouTube Shorts
- Drop your image above or paste it with Cmd/Ctrl+V.
- The vertical Short preset opens with the player overlays drawn on it.
- Drag and zoom. Keep text clear of the hatched areas, or choose Fit whole image for a wide picture.
- Download the 1080 × 1920 file and add it in your editor or the YouTube app. Nothing is uploaded to CropDen.
Why your Short doesn't look right
- It was posted as a regular video. It was horizontal, or longer than 3 minutes. Shorts must be square or vertical and 3 minutes or less.
- Black bars at the top and bottom. The frame isn't 9:16, for example a 4:5 or square image. Crop it to 9:16 or use Fit whole image with a blur fill.
- Captions hidden under the buttons. Text sits in the bottom 340 px or along the right edge. Move it up and in.
- It's blocked worldwide. It's over one minute and has a copyright claim. Remove the claimed music or trim it under 60 seconds.
Shorts thumbnails
A custom Shorts thumbnail is 2160 × 3840 px (9:16), added in YouTube Studio on a computer with a verified account. The title sits over its lower part on the Shorts shelf. The preset is on this page; regular video thumbnails are on the YouTube thumbnail size page. For other vertical crops, the 16:9 cropper switches to 9:16, and every platform is on the social media image sizes cheat sheet.
