YouTube Shorts video codec and container support
YouTube Shorts recommends H.264 in MP4 for upload. 9 of the 48 codec and container combinations checked here appear in YouTube Shorts's published upload documentation. Anything else is not documented: it may still upload, but converting to a documented combination is the safe choice.
Safe default export: MP4, H264 video, AAC audio at 8,000 kbps. Open the YouTube Shorts export preset.
Documented combinations
| Codec and container | Status | What the source says |
|---|---|---|
| H.264 / AVC in MP4 | Recommended | MP4 + H.264 + AAC is the safe default YouTube upload. |
| AAC in MP4 | Recommended | AAC is the standard YouTube audio codec. |
| Opus in WebM | Recommended | Opus is the default audio codec inside WebM. |
| H.264 / AVC in MOV (QuickTime) | Accepted | MOV is on YouTube's accepted upload list. |
| H.265 / HEVC in MP4 | Accepted | YouTube lists HEVC (H.265) among supported upload formats. |
| H.265 / HEVC in MOV (QuickTime) | Accepted | YouTube lists HEVC (H.265) among supported upload formats. |
| VP9 in WebM | Accepted | WebM (VP8 or VP9 video) is on YouTube's supported formats list. |
| VP8 in WebM | Accepted | VP8 inside WebM is supported. |
| AAC in MOV (QuickTime) | Accepted | AAC inside MOV works for YouTube. |
Quick answers
Does YouTube Shorts support H.264 (AVC)?
Yes: YouTube Shorts documents H.264 (AVC) in MP4 (recommended), MOV (accepted).
Does YouTube Shorts support H.265 (HEVC)?
Yes: YouTube Shorts documents H.265 (HEVC) in MP4 (accepted), MOV (accepted). H.264 in MP4 is the documented safe choice.
Does YouTube Shorts support AV1?
YouTube Shorts's published upload documentation does not list AV1 in any container checked here. It may still upload; H.264 in MP4 is the documented safe choice.
Does YouTube Shorts support VP9?
Yes: YouTube Shorts documents VP9 in WebM (accepted). H.264 in MP4 is the documented safe choice.
Does YouTube Shorts support VP8?
Yes: YouTube Shorts documents VP8 in WebM (accepted). H.264 in MP4 is the documented safe choice.
Does YouTube Shorts support MPEG-4 Part 2?
YouTube Shorts's published upload documentation does not list MPEG-4 Part 2 in any container checked here. It may still upload; H.264 in MP4 is the documented safe choice.
Does YouTube Shorts support ProRes?
YouTube Shorts's published upload documentation does not list ProRes in any container checked here. It may still upload; H.264 in MP4 is the documented safe choice.
Every combination checked
Recommended: 3 · Accepted: 6 · Not documented: 23 · Non-standard mux: 16
| Codec | MP4 | MOV | WebM | MKV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H.264 / AVC | Recommended | Accepted | Non-standard mux | Not documented |
| H.265 / HEVC | Accepted | Accepted | Non-standard mux | Not documented |
| AV1 | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| VP9 | Not documented | Non-standard mux | Accepted | Not documented |
| VP8 | Non-standard mux | Non-standard mux | Accepted | Not documented |
| MPEG-4 Part 2 | Not documented | Not documented | Non-standard mux | Not documented |
| ProRes | Not documented | Not documented | Non-standard mux | Not documented |
| Codec | MP4 | MOV | WebM | MKV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AAC | Recommended | Accepted | Non-standard mux | Not documented |
| MP3 | Not documented | Not documented | Non-standard mux | Not documented |
| Opus | Non-standard mux | Non-standard mux | Recommended | Not documented |
| FLAC | Non-standard mux | Non-standard mux | Non-standard mux | Not documented |
| PCM (uncompressed) | Non-standard mux | Not documented | Non-standard mux | Not documented |
- Recommended
- the platform names this as a recommended upload
- Accepted
- listed as accepted, not the default
- Not documented
- not in the platform's published list; it may still upload, but convert to be safe
- Non-standard mux
- this codec is not normally carried in this container; files like this are rare
Sources
- YouTube Supported File Formats: native upload; Shorts has additional shape + duration rules. Checked 2026-09-18.
Verdicts come from the published lists above. Where a list is silent, this page says “Not documented” rather than guessing.