Why is my YouTube Short the wrong shape? Causes & fixes
YouTube’s current Shorts rules cover square or vertical videos up to three minutes. A landscape upload is not made eligible by appearing on a phone. If you need a vertical version, preview a crop and check its duration as well.
Check these first
- Is the frame square or vertical?
- Is the duration within the current Shorts limit?
Likely causes
- Source isn't 9:16
When a video in a different shape is placed into a 9:16 frame, the player may crop, pad or scale it. Preview the exact placement; the editing target is not a universal acceptance rule.
Fix it
- Crop to 9:16 before uploading
The linked crop tool center-crops files up to 100 MB; check the generated copy before using it. Use your editor for an adjustable crop or padded canvas, and keep the original.
Crop video
Platform reference and evidence
These reference values have partial source coverage. Ratios and dimensions are editing guidance; account and upload-surface limits can differ. Approximate or unknown values do not certify eligibility.
- Platform
- YouTube Shorts
- Editing ratio
- 9:16 or 1:1
- Max length
- up to 3 minutes
- Max file size
- 256 GB overall upload cap; Shorts duration rules still apply
Duration and size: reference and limitations. Approximate values still need confirmation in your composer.
Format reference scope: YouTube video uploads; Shorts also requires an eligible shape and duration. Source checked 2026-09-12; this does not verify every reference field. YouTube supported file formats
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