Platform specs
YouTube Shorts size and resolution: 1080x1920 explained
By the KeyMo team · Updated
For a YouTube Short, export vertical 9:16 at 1080x1920. YouTube Help states a 1080p maximum, a square or vertical shape and a limit of 3 minutes. It prints no vertical pixel size, so 1080x1920 is the vertical form of the 1080p figure, and it prints no Shorts-specific file-size limit.
Size, ratio, length and file size at a glance
Every row below comes from YouTube Help pages read on 11 October 2026. Where YouTube gives a general upload rule rather than a Shorts rule, the table says so.
| Question | What YouTube states | Our reading |
|---|---|---|
| Resolution | Short videos can be uploaded at a maximum of 1080p | 1080x1920 for vertical |
| Shape | A file uploaded as a Short needs a square or vertical aspect ratio | 9:16 is the usual vertical choice, though YouTube does not print the ratio |
| Length | Up to 3 minutes; uploads on or after 15 October 2024 that are square or vertical and within 3 minutes are classed as Shorts | Earlier uploads stay long-form |
| File size | No Shorts-specific limit found. The general upload limit is 256 GB or 12 hours, whichever is less | A Short of up to 3 minutes sits far below it |
| Formats | MP4 recommended, with H.264 video and AAC-LC or Opus audio at 48 kHz | General upload advice, not written for Shorts |
Recommended resolution and ratio
YouTube's resolution table lists 1080p as 1920x1080, but only for the default 16:9 shape. Turn that frame on its side and you get 1080x1920, which is why that number appears everywhere for Shorts. It is arithmetic on YouTube's figure, not a size YouTube prints for vertical video.
A 16:9 file is the wrong shape. YouTube says a wider ratio such as 16:9 keeps a video from being classified as a Short, so a landscape podcast clip must be reframed to vertical or square first. A 4K export gains nothing the pages promise, since the Shorts ceiling is 1080p. For minimums, bitrates and the 4K question see Shorts resolution on YouTube, and for crop arithmetic see YouTube Shorts aspect ratio.
Length limits
The Shorts camera records one or more clips that add up to three minutes, and the same three minutes is the upload line for a vertical or square file. A limit is not a target. For choosing the right length for a podcast moment, read how long YouTube Shorts should be, and for the limit itself see YouTube Shorts length.
File size
YouTube's help gives one file-size figure, a general maximum of 256 GB or 12 hours, whichever is less. It is not written for Shorts and we found no smaller Shorts cap. As a size estimate, YouTube's recommended 1080p bitrate is 8 Mbps at up to 30 fps. That is about 1 MB per second of video before audio, so a 60-second clip lands near 60 MB and a 3-minute one near 180 MB. This is our arithmetic on the recommended bitrate, not a YouTube figure. The file size calculator does the sum for other settings.
Where the safe zone fits
A full 1080x1920 frame is not all visible. The Shorts player draws its own title, buttons and captions over the picture, so keep faces and burned-in captions away from the edges. The exact margins are covered on the YouTube Shorts safe zone page, and the safe zone checker lets you test a frame.
What KeyMo exports
Every KeyMo clip is vertical 9:16 at 1080x1920, 30 fps, in H.264 and AAC, with no watermark on any plan. That matches the 1080p ceiling and the shape YouTube requires, and Auto length picks 15 to 90 seconds, well inside 3 minutes. KeyMo does not export 4K.
Sources: Get started creating YouTube Shorts - YouTube Help (checked 11 October 2026); Create YouTube Shorts - YouTube Help (checked 11 October 2026); Understand three-minute YouTube Shorts - YouTube Help (checked 11 October 2026); Video resolution & aspect ratios - Computer - YouTube Help (checked 11 October 2026); Upload videos longer than 15 minutes - YouTube Help (checked 11 October 2026); YouTube recommended upload encoding settings - YouTube Help (checked 11 October 2026).