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The Ultimate Guide to YouTube Thumbnails that Get Views
Unveiling the Potential of Thumbnails in Video Marketing
The Ultimate Guide to YouTube Thumbnails that Get Views 
Richard Bennett
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
Search for any topic on YouTube and you’ll find thousands of videos. How do you decide which of them to watch? Thumbnails play a major role in what viewers decide to click on. They’re often more important than video titles.
Viewers click on thumbnails that both standout and feel relevant to their search. Your task when it comes to creating YouTube thumbnails is to make something that does both of those things while also maintaining your personal style.
- How to Make a YouTube Thumbnail
- How to Upload a YouTube Thumbnail
- YouTube Thumbnail Makers
- How to Make Thumbnails that Get Clicks (Without Clickbait!)
- Animated YouTube Thumbnails
Part 1: How to Make a YouTube Thumbnail
In order to create a custom video thumbnail, you’ll need a program to put it together in. You can use an image editing program like Photoshop if you have one, but if you don’t you can check out these free thumbnail makers.
Here are some examples of popular thumbnail styles.
1. The Classic Thumbnail (Photo or Screenshot)
A photo that shows what happens in your video – whether that means the finished ‘look’ from your makeup tutorial or you posing in front of the landmark you shot your travel vlog in front of – is a great way to let viewers know what to expect. While curiosity can be a big motive behind clicking on a video thumbnail (or anything online), when people have searched for a specific topic they want to be convinced that your video has what they’re looking for.
#1. Choose Your Photo
To start off, either choose a still frame from your video or take a photograph while you’re still set up from your video. A separate photograph is usually a better idea because your video editor might not be able to export a high-quality snapshot, and also because you’re able to choose your facial expression.
Aim to make this shot a close-up or medium close-up and make sure you’re either in the center of the screen or off to one side, as per the ‘rule of thirds’. Many cameras allow you to bring an optional grid up onto your viewfinder. This will divide your screen into three equal segments both vertically and horizontally. Try to make sure your eyes line up with the top line, and if you’re going to be off to one side then make sure you’re on one of the vertical lines. This will ensure your image is visually appealing.
If you want to add text later, it’s a good idea to be off to one side.
Including your face is important for most types of YouTube videos. People are attracted to eye contact and are more likely to click on thumbnails that feature a face. Gamers might choose to use a picture of a video game character instead and it will have the same effect.
Some situations where it isn’t essential to include your face include tech reviews, where viewers will be more interested in seeing the product, and cooking videos where people are looking to be tempted by a yummy food pic.
#2. Add Text and/or Images
This part isn’t essential – in some cases, a photo is enough – but a lot of the thumbnails for the videos ranked highest in YouTube’s search results include either a couple of words of text, a simple graphic (i.e. an emoji), or both.
In some cases you might use text to make it clear what type of video you’ve made, i.e. ‘review’ or ‘tutorial’. It’s best to keep any text you use brief, but you could get a bit more descriptive and write something like ‘fall makeup tutorial’. Three words is probably the most you can get away with. Remember that your text will be shrunk down with the rest of your image; you need to make it big enough to read easily once it’s shrunk, and that means you don’t have a ton of room for text.
You should also avoid fonts that are harder to read. Fonts with a lot of curves can be harder to read, and you want to make sure you choose a color that stands out from your background. Yellow might work against black, but it probably won’t work against the beige wall of your sunny bedroom. Sans serif fonts tend to be best.
Another tactic used in successful thumbnails is to add small graphics, like emojis or small images (i.e. pumpkins for a Halloween video), which are related to your video’s content. As with text, you don’t want to overload your thumbnail with images, but they’re a great way to add something eye-catching that’s a bit different from competing thumbnails.
2. The Emotional Laser (Background + Face Reacting)
One increasingly popular style of YouTube thumbnail is what we’re going to call the ‘Emotional Laser’. It’s bright (like, blindingly bright), it communicates a clear feeling, and it creates high expectations for how exciting the video’s content is going to be.
The three main elements of the Emotional Laser thumbnail are a background (usually bright), your face on the right wearing an over-pronounced expression, and either the thing your expression is in reaction to (i.e. food, a product, the topic of your video in text) or reinforcement of your emotion (i.e an emoji or question marks) on the left.
#1. Ham It Up (Take Your Reaction Photo)
Take a high-quality photograph of yourself conveying strong emotion. Generally, you want to look extremely excited, disgusted, angry, or shocked depending on the theme of the video.
If there’s an object you want to include in your thumbnail, like a product you’ll be talking about, then it’s a good idea to hold it for this photo. Hold it to one side of your head, turn towards it slightly (but not so much that the camera can only see the side of your face) and put on the expression that’s supposed to be a reaction to the object.
It can be a good idea to take this photo in front of a solid color so you can remove the background easily with chroma key.
#2. Choose Your Background
Your background might be scenery, a solid color, or even the room you filmed the video in. Light or bright colors are popular. Make sure there’s nothing that will distract from your expression. If your background is a room, or anything else where there could be things like pictures hanging, you may want to add a blur effect in the next step.
#3. Put It Together
In your thumbnail maker or a program like Photoshop, you’ll need to put your photo and your background together. This will work differently depending on what program you use. If your program has a chroma key tool and your reaction photo was taken against a solid color then you can make that solid color transparent.
What if I don’t have a separate background? If you don’t have a background you want to use, but you still want your reaction to stand out the same way it would if you did, then you can use your photo editor’s blur tool to turn the normal background of your photo into something you can pop-out from.
#4. Add Extras (Text, Emojis, etc.)
If instead of an object you plan to fill the other side of your thumbnail with text, question marks, emojis, or some other graphic element then now is the time to add it.
Part 2: How to Upload a YouTube Thumbnail
When you upload a new video to YouTube, you will see a Custom thumbnail option under Video thumbnails after your upload is complete.
If you want to add a custom thumbnail to a video that’s already up, that’s easy too.
- Go to your Video Manager in the Creator Studio.
- Find the video you want to change the thumbnail for and click Edit next to it.
- Click Custom thumbnail on the right of the preview screen.
- Upload your thumbnail and click Save changes.
Remember when you’re uploading custom thumbnails that you need to use a .JPG, .GIF, .BMP, or .PNG image with an aspect ratio of 16:9 and that your file size has to be under 2MB.
YouTube recommends that thumbnail images have a resolution of 1280x720px, and you cannot upload an image with a width of less than 640 pixels.
Make sure that all of your thumbnails adhere to YouTube’s Community guidelines. Anything sexually suggestive, violent, or otherwise graphic could result in your video being age-restricted.
Part 3: YouTube Thumbnail Makers
You don’t have to go out and buy a photo editor like Photoshop to make custom video thumbnails (although it’s a good thing to use if you already have it). Here are two free online programs you can use instead:
Canva is an intuitive option with templates for Thumbnails, Channel Art, and other social media graphics. There are stock photos and graphics provided, but not all of them are free (paid options cost $1 each). Canva’s templates do tend to include paid resources, so you may want to use them mostly for their layouts or as inspiration and replace everything they provide with your own images.
Generally, using Canva is as easy as dragging and dropping things where you want them. You’ll be able to set the dimensions for your project so the image you export is a perfect size. Adding text and changing the size, font, or color is easy too.
Adobe Spark also has templates for channel art, and it’s also very easy to use. The first time you use it helpful notes will pop up to guide you through the process. Using templates is especially simple because you just click on the elements in the pre-made thumbnail and replace them with your own photos/text.
You can make changes to the colors in your Spark thumbnail easily by selecting a new color scheme or filter. You can even toggle through layouts easily. When you choose a new layout, Spark will rearrange all the pieces of your current thumbnail to align with the new layout so you can quickly see what it looks like instead of having to rebuild.
Click to check more YouTube thumbnail makers
Part 4: How to Make Thumbnails That Get Clicks (Without Clickbait!)
Here are the top 10 best practices for creating effective YouTube thumbnails:
#1. Show What Your Video Is About
Being mysterious and clickbaity can get you views, if you’re already big. For small YouTubers, it pays off to be clear about your video’s topic. You want people to click who want to watch the actual content of your video. Even if you manage to get some clicks by being mysterious, you’ll probably end up with low viewer retention because people are clicking away when they realize your video isn’t what they were looking for. That will make YouTube’s algorithm rank your video lower, and then even fewer people will find it.
If your video is a product review, show the product in the thumbnail and maybe even write ‘review’ on it. If your video is a makeup tutorial, show your face with the finished makeup and maybe even include pictures of the products you used. People want to know what they’re clicking on before they click.
#2. Use a Consistent Layout
As you grow, you’ll want people to be able to see one of your thumbnails and instantly know it’s yours. Building a recognizable brand is about consistency. Try to stick with one basic layout for all of your videos. You can still customize every individual thumbnail by using different facial expressions and different graphics, but try to use similar backgrounds, fonts, and general layouts (i.e. you to the right of the thumbnails, text to the left) over and over.
#3. Use Your Face
Why should people want to watch your videos? If the answer is ‘because I can teach them to create delicious food’ or ‘because they want to learn about the latest iPhone’ then your thumbnail should include that food or that iPhone.
If part of the reason people want to watch your videos is you – your personality and your sense of humor – then you should be in your thumbnail.
Viewers who are on YouTube because they like seeing a creator’s personality like to feel the presence of that personality in the video thumbnail, and eye contact naturally draws attention and clicks.
#4. Add Small Graphics
Adding small graphics, like emojis or hearts, to your thumbnail can help you stand out in a couple different ways. First, if they’re being compared to thumbnails that are just screenshots from the video, your thumbnails will look a lot more polished. Second, they’ll add a splash of color which can draw eyes to your video in a search where other thumbnails are not using those same colors.
#5. Your Text Should Be Huge
Your thumbnail will end up being a fraction of the size it is while you’re creating it in your thumbnail maker, and that means that any text you use will end up being shrunk down. You could probably type a six-word sentence in a size 18 font and have it look fine while you’re making your thumbnail, but after you upload it there’s no way people will be able to read it at a glance.
Aim for a huge font size, and 3 words or less (so your thumbnail doesn’t end up looking crowded).
#6. Check Out The Competition
Type your video’s title or topic into the search engine on YouTube and look at the thumbnails for the videos that come up. These are your competition. You want to make a thumbnail that is similar enough to what comes up that viewers know it’s on the same topic, but different enough that it stands out.
Generally, if most of the thumbnails have the same layout, you’ll want to mimic that layout. Where you can break from the crowd is in the colors, fonts, and graphics you use.
Part 5: Animated YouTube Thumbnails
Whether or not you upload a custom thumbnail to YouTube, YouTube’s A.I will choose what it thinks are the 3 juiciest seconds of your video (you cannot choose for yourself) and play them as a GIF-like animation when people mouseover your video thumbnails.
As of now, this only works in the Google Chrome desktop browser. Videos have to be at least 30 seconds long to get moving thumbnails.
Alright, now that you know everything about YouTube thumbnails, go make one! Tell us in the comments what you’re going to do to make your video thumbnails stand out.
Touch Up YouTube Videos with Effects & Elements in Filmora
As one of the most widely used video editing software in YouTube video editing, Filmora provides lots of templates and effects with an intuitive interface. Download the free trial version and get started now.
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
Search for any topic on YouTube and you’ll find thousands of videos. How do you decide which of them to watch? Thumbnails play a major role in what viewers decide to click on. They’re often more important than video titles.
Viewers click on thumbnails that both standout and feel relevant to their search. Your task when it comes to creating YouTube thumbnails is to make something that does both of those things while also maintaining your personal style.
- How to Make a YouTube Thumbnail
- How to Upload a YouTube Thumbnail
- YouTube Thumbnail Makers
- How to Make Thumbnails that Get Clicks (Without Clickbait!)
- Animated YouTube Thumbnails
Part 1: How to Make a YouTube Thumbnail
In order to create a custom video thumbnail, you’ll need a program to put it together in. You can use an image editing program like Photoshop if you have one, but if you don’t you can check out these free thumbnail makers.
Here are some examples of popular thumbnail styles.
1. The Classic Thumbnail (Photo or Screenshot)
A photo that shows what happens in your video – whether that means the finished ‘look’ from your makeup tutorial or you posing in front of the landmark you shot your travel vlog in front of – is a great way to let viewers know what to expect. While curiosity can be a big motive behind clicking on a video thumbnail (or anything online), when people have searched for a specific topic they want to be convinced that your video has what they’re looking for.
#1. Choose Your Photo
To start off, either choose a still frame from your video or take a photograph while you’re still set up from your video. A separate photograph is usually a better idea because your video editor might not be able to export a high-quality snapshot, and also because you’re able to choose your facial expression.
Aim to make this shot a close-up or medium close-up and make sure you’re either in the center of the screen or off to one side, as per the ‘rule of thirds’. Many cameras allow you to bring an optional grid up onto your viewfinder. This will divide your screen into three equal segments both vertically and horizontally. Try to make sure your eyes line up with the top line, and if you’re going to be off to one side then make sure you’re on one of the vertical lines. This will ensure your image is visually appealing.
If you want to add text later, it’s a good idea to be off to one side.
Including your face is important for most types of YouTube videos. People are attracted to eye contact and are more likely to click on thumbnails that feature a face. Gamers might choose to use a picture of a video game character instead and it will have the same effect.
Some situations where it isn’t essential to include your face include tech reviews, where viewers will be more interested in seeing the product, and cooking videos where people are looking to be tempted by a yummy food pic.
#2. Add Text and/or Images
This part isn’t essential – in some cases, a photo is enough – but a lot of the thumbnails for the videos ranked highest in YouTube’s search results include either a couple of words of text, a simple graphic (i.e. an emoji), or both.
In some cases you might use text to make it clear what type of video you’ve made, i.e. ‘review’ or ‘tutorial’. It’s best to keep any text you use brief, but you could get a bit more descriptive and write something like ‘fall makeup tutorial’. Three words is probably the most you can get away with. Remember that your text will be shrunk down with the rest of your image; you need to make it big enough to read easily once it’s shrunk, and that means you don’t have a ton of room for text.
You should also avoid fonts that are harder to read. Fonts with a lot of curves can be harder to read, and you want to make sure you choose a color that stands out from your background. Yellow might work against black, but it probably won’t work against the beige wall of your sunny bedroom. Sans serif fonts tend to be best.
Another tactic used in successful thumbnails is to add small graphics, like emojis or small images (i.e. pumpkins for a Halloween video), which are related to your video’s content. As with text, you don’t want to overload your thumbnail with images, but they’re a great way to add something eye-catching that’s a bit different from competing thumbnails.
2. The Emotional Laser (Background + Face Reacting)
One increasingly popular style of YouTube thumbnail is what we’re going to call the ‘Emotional Laser’. It’s bright (like, blindingly bright), it communicates a clear feeling, and it creates high expectations for how exciting the video’s content is going to be.
The three main elements of the Emotional Laser thumbnail are a background (usually bright), your face on the right wearing an over-pronounced expression, and either the thing your expression is in reaction to (i.e. food, a product, the topic of your video in text) or reinforcement of your emotion (i.e an emoji or question marks) on the left.
#1. Ham It Up (Take Your Reaction Photo)
Take a high-quality photograph of yourself conveying strong emotion. Generally, you want to look extremely excited, disgusted, angry, or shocked depending on the theme of the video.
If there’s an object you want to include in your thumbnail, like a product you’ll be talking about, then it’s a good idea to hold it for this photo. Hold it to one side of your head, turn towards it slightly (but not so much that the camera can only see the side of your face) and put on the expression that’s supposed to be a reaction to the object.
It can be a good idea to take this photo in front of a solid color so you can remove the background easily with chroma key.
#2. Choose Your Background
Your background might be scenery, a solid color, or even the room you filmed the video in. Light or bright colors are popular. Make sure there’s nothing that will distract from your expression. If your background is a room, or anything else where there could be things like pictures hanging, you may want to add a blur effect in the next step.
#3. Put It Together
In your thumbnail maker or a program like Photoshop, you’ll need to put your photo and your background together. This will work differently depending on what program you use. If your program has a chroma key tool and your reaction photo was taken against a solid color then you can make that solid color transparent.
What if I don’t have a separate background? If you don’t have a background you want to use, but you still want your reaction to stand out the same way it would if you did, then you can use your photo editor’s blur tool to turn the normal background of your photo into something you can pop-out from.
#4. Add Extras (Text, Emojis, etc.)
If instead of an object you plan to fill the other side of your thumbnail with text, question marks, emojis, or some other graphic element then now is the time to add it.
Part 2: How to Upload a YouTube Thumbnail
When you upload a new video to YouTube, you will see a Custom thumbnail option under Video thumbnails after your upload is complete.
If you want to add a custom thumbnail to a video that’s already up, that’s easy too.
- Go to your Video Manager in the Creator Studio.
- Find the video you want to change the thumbnail for and click Edit next to it.
- Click Custom thumbnail on the right of the preview screen.
- Upload your thumbnail and click Save changes.
Remember when you’re uploading custom thumbnails that you need to use a .JPG, .GIF, .BMP, or .PNG image with an aspect ratio of 16:9 and that your file size has to be under 2MB.
YouTube recommends that thumbnail images have a resolution of 1280x720px, and you cannot upload an image with a width of less than 640 pixels.
Make sure that all of your thumbnails adhere to YouTube’s Community guidelines. Anything sexually suggestive, violent, or otherwise graphic could result in your video being age-restricted.
Part 3: YouTube Thumbnail Makers
You don’t have to go out and buy a photo editor like Photoshop to make custom video thumbnails (although it’s a good thing to use if you already have it). Here are two free online programs you can use instead:
Canva is an intuitive option with templates for Thumbnails, Channel Art, and other social media graphics. There are stock photos and graphics provided, but not all of them are free (paid options cost $1 each). Canva’s templates do tend to include paid resources, so you may want to use them mostly for their layouts or as inspiration and replace everything they provide with your own images.
Generally, using Canva is as easy as dragging and dropping things where you want them. You’ll be able to set the dimensions for your project so the image you export is a perfect size. Adding text and changing the size, font, or color is easy too.
Adobe Spark also has templates for channel art, and it’s also very easy to use. The first time you use it helpful notes will pop up to guide you through the process. Using templates is especially simple because you just click on the elements in the pre-made thumbnail and replace them with your own photos/text.
You can make changes to the colors in your Spark thumbnail easily by selecting a new color scheme or filter. You can even toggle through layouts easily. When you choose a new layout, Spark will rearrange all the pieces of your current thumbnail to align with the new layout so you can quickly see what it looks like instead of having to rebuild.
Click to check more YouTube thumbnail makers
Part 4: How to Make Thumbnails That Get Clicks (Without Clickbait!)
Here are the top 10 best practices for creating effective YouTube thumbnails:
#1. Show What Your Video Is About
Being mysterious and clickbaity can get you views, if you’re already big. For small YouTubers, it pays off to be clear about your video’s topic. You want people to click who want to watch the actual content of your video. Even if you manage to get some clicks by being mysterious, you’ll probably end up with low viewer retention because people are clicking away when they realize your video isn’t what they were looking for. That will make YouTube’s algorithm rank your video lower, and then even fewer people will find it.
If your video is a product review, show the product in the thumbnail and maybe even write ‘review’ on it. If your video is a makeup tutorial, show your face with the finished makeup and maybe even include pictures of the products you used. People want to know what they’re clicking on before they click.
#2. Use a Consistent Layout
As you grow, you’ll want people to be able to see one of your thumbnails and instantly know it’s yours. Building a recognizable brand is about consistency. Try to stick with one basic layout for all of your videos. You can still customize every individual thumbnail by using different facial expressions and different graphics, but try to use similar backgrounds, fonts, and general layouts (i.e. you to the right of the thumbnails, text to the left) over and over.
#3. Use Your Face
Why should people want to watch your videos? If the answer is ‘because I can teach them to create delicious food’ or ‘because they want to learn about the latest iPhone’ then your thumbnail should include that food or that iPhone.
If part of the reason people want to watch your videos is you – your personality and your sense of humor – then you should be in your thumbnail.
Viewers who are on YouTube because they like seeing a creator’s personality like to feel the presence of that personality in the video thumbnail, and eye contact naturally draws attention and clicks.
#4. Add Small Graphics
Adding small graphics, like emojis or hearts, to your thumbnail can help you stand out in a couple different ways. First, if they’re being compared to thumbnails that are just screenshots from the video, your thumbnails will look a lot more polished. Second, they’ll add a splash of color which can draw eyes to your video in a search where other thumbnails are not using those same colors.
#5. Your Text Should Be Huge
Your thumbnail will end up being a fraction of the size it is while you’re creating it in your thumbnail maker, and that means that any text you use will end up being shrunk down. You could probably type a six-word sentence in a size 18 font and have it look fine while you’re making your thumbnail, but after you upload it there’s no way people will be able to read it at a glance.
Aim for a huge font size, and 3 words or less (so your thumbnail doesn’t end up looking crowded).
#6. Check Out The Competition
Type your video’s title or topic into the search engine on YouTube and look at the thumbnails for the videos that come up. These are your competition. You want to make a thumbnail that is similar enough to what comes up that viewers know it’s on the same topic, but different enough that it stands out.
Generally, if most of the thumbnails have the same layout, you’ll want to mimic that layout. Where you can break from the crowd is in the colors, fonts, and graphics you use.
Part 5: Animated YouTube Thumbnails
Whether or not you upload a custom thumbnail to YouTube, YouTube’s A.I will choose what it thinks are the 3 juiciest seconds of your video (you cannot choose for yourself) and play them as a GIF-like animation when people mouseover your video thumbnails.
As of now, this only works in the Google Chrome desktop browser. Videos have to be at least 30 seconds long to get moving thumbnails.
Alright, now that you know everything about YouTube thumbnails, go make one! Tell us in the comments what you’re going to do to make your video thumbnails stand out.
Touch Up YouTube Videos with Effects & Elements in Filmora
As one of the most widely used video editing software in YouTube video editing, Filmora provides lots of templates and effects with an intuitive interface. Download the free trial version and get started now.
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
Search for any topic on YouTube and you’ll find thousands of videos. How do you decide which of them to watch? Thumbnails play a major role in what viewers decide to click on. They’re often more important than video titles.
Viewers click on thumbnails that both standout and feel relevant to their search. Your task when it comes to creating YouTube thumbnails is to make something that does both of those things while also maintaining your personal style.
- How to Make a YouTube Thumbnail
- How to Upload a YouTube Thumbnail
- YouTube Thumbnail Makers
- How to Make Thumbnails that Get Clicks (Without Clickbait!)
- Animated YouTube Thumbnails
Part 1: How to Make a YouTube Thumbnail
In order to create a custom video thumbnail, you’ll need a program to put it together in. You can use an image editing program like Photoshop if you have one, but if you don’t you can check out these free thumbnail makers.
Here are some examples of popular thumbnail styles.
1. The Classic Thumbnail (Photo or Screenshot)
A photo that shows what happens in your video – whether that means the finished ‘look’ from your makeup tutorial or you posing in front of the landmark you shot your travel vlog in front of – is a great way to let viewers know what to expect. While curiosity can be a big motive behind clicking on a video thumbnail (or anything online), when people have searched for a specific topic they want to be convinced that your video has what they’re looking for.
#1. Choose Your Photo
To start off, either choose a still frame from your video or take a photograph while you’re still set up from your video. A separate photograph is usually a better idea because your video editor might not be able to export a high-quality snapshot, and also because you’re able to choose your facial expression.
Aim to make this shot a close-up or medium close-up and make sure you’re either in the center of the screen or off to one side, as per the ‘rule of thirds’. Many cameras allow you to bring an optional grid up onto your viewfinder. This will divide your screen into three equal segments both vertically and horizontally. Try to make sure your eyes line up with the top line, and if you’re going to be off to one side then make sure you’re on one of the vertical lines. This will ensure your image is visually appealing.
If you want to add text later, it’s a good idea to be off to one side.
Including your face is important for most types of YouTube videos. People are attracted to eye contact and are more likely to click on thumbnails that feature a face. Gamers might choose to use a picture of a video game character instead and it will have the same effect.
Some situations where it isn’t essential to include your face include tech reviews, where viewers will be more interested in seeing the product, and cooking videos where people are looking to be tempted by a yummy food pic.
#2. Add Text and/or Images
This part isn’t essential – in some cases, a photo is enough – but a lot of the thumbnails for the videos ranked highest in YouTube’s search results include either a couple of words of text, a simple graphic (i.e. an emoji), or both.
In some cases you might use text to make it clear what type of video you’ve made, i.e. ‘review’ or ‘tutorial’. It’s best to keep any text you use brief, but you could get a bit more descriptive and write something like ‘fall makeup tutorial’. Three words is probably the most you can get away with. Remember that your text will be shrunk down with the rest of your image; you need to make it big enough to read easily once it’s shrunk, and that means you don’t have a ton of room for text.
You should also avoid fonts that are harder to read. Fonts with a lot of curves can be harder to read, and you want to make sure you choose a color that stands out from your background. Yellow might work against black, but it probably won’t work against the beige wall of your sunny bedroom. Sans serif fonts tend to be best.
Another tactic used in successful thumbnails is to add small graphics, like emojis or small images (i.e. pumpkins for a Halloween video), which are related to your video’s content. As with text, you don’t want to overload your thumbnail with images, but they’re a great way to add something eye-catching that’s a bit different from competing thumbnails.
2. The Emotional Laser (Background + Face Reacting)
One increasingly popular style of YouTube thumbnail is what we’re going to call the ‘Emotional Laser’. It’s bright (like, blindingly bright), it communicates a clear feeling, and it creates high expectations for how exciting the video’s content is going to be.
The three main elements of the Emotional Laser thumbnail are a background (usually bright), your face on the right wearing an over-pronounced expression, and either the thing your expression is in reaction to (i.e. food, a product, the topic of your video in text) or reinforcement of your emotion (i.e an emoji or question marks) on the left.
#1. Ham It Up (Take Your Reaction Photo)
Take a high-quality photograph of yourself conveying strong emotion. Generally, you want to look extremely excited, disgusted, angry, or shocked depending on the theme of the video.
If there’s an object you want to include in your thumbnail, like a product you’ll be talking about, then it’s a good idea to hold it for this photo. Hold it to one side of your head, turn towards it slightly (but not so much that the camera can only see the side of your face) and put on the expression that’s supposed to be a reaction to the object.
It can be a good idea to take this photo in front of a solid color so you can remove the background easily with chroma key.
#2. Choose Your Background
Your background might be scenery, a solid color, or even the room you filmed the video in. Light or bright colors are popular. Make sure there’s nothing that will distract from your expression. If your background is a room, or anything else where there could be things like pictures hanging, you may want to add a blur effect in the next step.
#3. Put It Together
In your thumbnail maker or a program like Photoshop, you’ll need to put your photo and your background together. This will work differently depending on what program you use. If your program has a chroma key tool and your reaction photo was taken against a solid color then you can make that solid color transparent.
What if I don’t have a separate background? If you don’t have a background you want to use, but you still want your reaction to stand out the same way it would if you did, then you can use your photo editor’s blur tool to turn the normal background of your photo into something you can pop-out from.
#4. Add Extras (Text, Emojis, etc.)
If instead of an object you plan to fill the other side of your thumbnail with text, question marks, emojis, or some other graphic element then now is the time to add it.
Part 2: How to Upload a YouTube Thumbnail
When you upload a new video to YouTube, you will see a Custom thumbnail option under Video thumbnails after your upload is complete.
If you want to add a custom thumbnail to a video that’s already up, that’s easy too.
- Go to your Video Manager in the Creator Studio.
- Find the video you want to change the thumbnail for and click Edit next to it.
- Click Custom thumbnail on the right of the preview screen.
- Upload your thumbnail and click Save changes.
Remember when you’re uploading custom thumbnails that you need to use a .JPG, .GIF, .BMP, or .PNG image with an aspect ratio of 16:9 and that your file size has to be under 2MB.
YouTube recommends that thumbnail images have a resolution of 1280x720px, and you cannot upload an image with a width of less than 640 pixels.
Make sure that all of your thumbnails adhere to YouTube’s Community guidelines. Anything sexually suggestive, violent, or otherwise graphic could result in your video being age-restricted.
Part 3: YouTube Thumbnail Makers
You don’t have to go out and buy a photo editor like Photoshop to make custom video thumbnails (although it’s a good thing to use if you already have it). Here are two free online programs you can use instead:
Canva is an intuitive option with templates for Thumbnails, Channel Art, and other social media graphics. There are stock photos and graphics provided, but not all of them are free (paid options cost $1 each). Canva’s templates do tend to include paid resources, so you may want to use them mostly for their layouts or as inspiration and replace everything they provide with your own images.
Generally, using Canva is as easy as dragging and dropping things where you want them. You’ll be able to set the dimensions for your project so the image you export is a perfect size. Adding text and changing the size, font, or color is easy too.
Adobe Spark also has templates for channel art, and it’s also very easy to use. The first time you use it helpful notes will pop up to guide you through the process. Using templates is especially simple because you just click on the elements in the pre-made thumbnail and replace them with your own photos/text.
You can make changes to the colors in your Spark thumbnail easily by selecting a new color scheme or filter. You can even toggle through layouts easily. When you choose a new layout, Spark will rearrange all the pieces of your current thumbnail to align with the new layout so you can quickly see what it looks like instead of having to rebuild.
Click to check more YouTube thumbnail makers
Part 4: How to Make Thumbnails That Get Clicks (Without Clickbait!)
Here are the top 10 best practices for creating effective YouTube thumbnails:
#1. Show What Your Video Is About
Being mysterious and clickbaity can get you views, if you’re already big. For small YouTubers, it pays off to be clear about your video’s topic. You want people to click who want to watch the actual content of your video. Even if you manage to get some clicks by being mysterious, you’ll probably end up with low viewer retention because people are clicking away when they realize your video isn’t what they were looking for. That will make YouTube’s algorithm rank your video lower, and then even fewer people will find it.
If your video is a product review, show the product in the thumbnail and maybe even write ‘review’ on it. If your video is a makeup tutorial, show your face with the finished makeup and maybe even include pictures of the products you used. People want to know what they’re clicking on before they click.
#2. Use a Consistent Layout
As you grow, you’ll want people to be able to see one of your thumbnails and instantly know it’s yours. Building a recognizable brand is about consistency. Try to stick with one basic layout for all of your videos. You can still customize every individual thumbnail by using different facial expressions and different graphics, but try to use similar backgrounds, fonts, and general layouts (i.e. you to the right of the thumbnails, text to the left) over and over.
#3. Use Your Face
Why should people want to watch your videos? If the answer is ‘because I can teach them to create delicious food’ or ‘because they want to learn about the latest iPhone’ then your thumbnail should include that food or that iPhone.
If part of the reason people want to watch your videos is you – your personality and your sense of humor – then you should be in your thumbnail.
Viewers who are on YouTube because they like seeing a creator’s personality like to feel the presence of that personality in the video thumbnail, and eye contact naturally draws attention and clicks.
#4. Add Small Graphics
Adding small graphics, like emojis or hearts, to your thumbnail can help you stand out in a couple different ways. First, if they’re being compared to thumbnails that are just screenshots from the video, your thumbnails will look a lot more polished. Second, they’ll add a splash of color which can draw eyes to your video in a search where other thumbnails are not using those same colors.
#5. Your Text Should Be Huge
Your thumbnail will end up being a fraction of the size it is while you’re creating it in your thumbnail maker, and that means that any text you use will end up being shrunk down. You could probably type a six-word sentence in a size 18 font and have it look fine while you’re making your thumbnail, but after you upload it there’s no way people will be able to read it at a glance.
Aim for a huge font size, and 3 words or less (so your thumbnail doesn’t end up looking crowded).
#6. Check Out The Competition
Type your video’s title or topic into the search engine on YouTube and look at the thumbnails for the videos that come up. These are your competition. You want to make a thumbnail that is similar enough to what comes up that viewers know it’s on the same topic, but different enough that it stands out.
Generally, if most of the thumbnails have the same layout, you’ll want to mimic that layout. Where you can break from the crowd is in the colors, fonts, and graphics you use.
Part 5: Animated YouTube Thumbnails
Whether or not you upload a custom thumbnail to YouTube, YouTube’s A.I will choose what it thinks are the 3 juiciest seconds of your video (you cannot choose for yourself) and play them as a GIF-like animation when people mouseover your video thumbnails.
As of now, this only works in the Google Chrome desktop browser. Videos have to be at least 30 seconds long to get moving thumbnails.
Alright, now that you know everything about YouTube thumbnails, go make one! Tell us in the comments what you’re going to do to make your video thumbnails stand out.
Touch Up YouTube Videos with Effects & Elements in Filmora
As one of the most widely used video editing software in YouTube video editing, Filmora provides lots of templates and effects with an intuitive interface. Download the free trial version and get started now.
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
Search for any topic on YouTube and you’ll find thousands of videos. How do you decide which of them to watch? Thumbnails play a major role in what viewers decide to click on. They’re often more important than video titles.
Viewers click on thumbnails that both standout and feel relevant to their search. Your task when it comes to creating YouTube thumbnails is to make something that does both of those things while also maintaining your personal style.
- How to Make a YouTube Thumbnail
- How to Upload a YouTube Thumbnail
- YouTube Thumbnail Makers
- How to Make Thumbnails that Get Clicks (Without Clickbait!)
- Animated YouTube Thumbnails
Part 1: How to Make a YouTube Thumbnail
In order to create a custom video thumbnail, you’ll need a program to put it together in. You can use an image editing program like Photoshop if you have one, but if you don’t you can check out these free thumbnail makers.
Here are some examples of popular thumbnail styles.
1. The Classic Thumbnail (Photo or Screenshot)
A photo that shows what happens in your video – whether that means the finished ‘look’ from your makeup tutorial or you posing in front of the landmark you shot your travel vlog in front of – is a great way to let viewers know what to expect. While curiosity can be a big motive behind clicking on a video thumbnail (or anything online), when people have searched for a specific topic they want to be convinced that your video has what they’re looking for.
#1. Choose Your Photo
To start off, either choose a still frame from your video or take a photograph while you’re still set up from your video. A separate photograph is usually a better idea because your video editor might not be able to export a high-quality snapshot, and also because you’re able to choose your facial expression.
Aim to make this shot a close-up or medium close-up and make sure you’re either in the center of the screen or off to one side, as per the ‘rule of thirds’. Many cameras allow you to bring an optional grid up onto your viewfinder. This will divide your screen into three equal segments both vertically and horizontally. Try to make sure your eyes line up with the top line, and if you’re going to be off to one side then make sure you’re on one of the vertical lines. This will ensure your image is visually appealing.
If you want to add text later, it’s a good idea to be off to one side.
Including your face is important for most types of YouTube videos. People are attracted to eye contact and are more likely to click on thumbnails that feature a face. Gamers might choose to use a picture of a video game character instead and it will have the same effect.
Some situations where it isn’t essential to include your face include tech reviews, where viewers will be more interested in seeing the product, and cooking videos where people are looking to be tempted by a yummy food pic.
#2. Add Text and/or Images
This part isn’t essential – in some cases, a photo is enough – but a lot of the thumbnails for the videos ranked highest in YouTube’s search results include either a couple of words of text, a simple graphic (i.e. an emoji), or both.
In some cases you might use text to make it clear what type of video you’ve made, i.e. ‘review’ or ‘tutorial’. It’s best to keep any text you use brief, but you could get a bit more descriptive and write something like ‘fall makeup tutorial’. Three words is probably the most you can get away with. Remember that your text will be shrunk down with the rest of your image; you need to make it big enough to read easily once it’s shrunk, and that means you don’t have a ton of room for text.
You should also avoid fonts that are harder to read. Fonts with a lot of curves can be harder to read, and you want to make sure you choose a color that stands out from your background. Yellow might work against black, but it probably won’t work against the beige wall of your sunny bedroom. Sans serif fonts tend to be best.
Another tactic used in successful thumbnails is to add small graphics, like emojis or small images (i.e. pumpkins for a Halloween video), which are related to your video’s content. As with text, you don’t want to overload your thumbnail with images, but they’re a great way to add something eye-catching that’s a bit different from competing thumbnails.
2. The Emotional Laser (Background + Face Reacting)
One increasingly popular style of YouTube thumbnail is what we’re going to call the ‘Emotional Laser’. It’s bright (like, blindingly bright), it communicates a clear feeling, and it creates high expectations for how exciting the video’s content is going to be.
The three main elements of the Emotional Laser thumbnail are a background (usually bright), your face on the right wearing an over-pronounced expression, and either the thing your expression is in reaction to (i.e. food, a product, the topic of your video in text) or reinforcement of your emotion (i.e an emoji or question marks) on the left.
#1. Ham It Up (Take Your Reaction Photo)
Take a high-quality photograph of yourself conveying strong emotion. Generally, you want to look extremely excited, disgusted, angry, or shocked depending on the theme of the video.
If there’s an object you want to include in your thumbnail, like a product you’ll be talking about, then it’s a good idea to hold it for this photo. Hold it to one side of your head, turn towards it slightly (but not so much that the camera can only see the side of your face) and put on the expression that’s supposed to be a reaction to the object.
It can be a good idea to take this photo in front of a solid color so you can remove the background easily with chroma key.
#2. Choose Your Background
Your background might be scenery, a solid color, or even the room you filmed the video in. Light or bright colors are popular. Make sure there’s nothing that will distract from your expression. If your background is a room, or anything else where there could be things like pictures hanging, you may want to add a blur effect in the next step.
#3. Put It Together
In your thumbnail maker or a program like Photoshop, you’ll need to put your photo and your background together. This will work differently depending on what program you use. If your program has a chroma key tool and your reaction photo was taken against a solid color then you can make that solid color transparent.
What if I don’t have a separate background? If you don’t have a background you want to use, but you still want your reaction to stand out the same way it would if you did, then you can use your photo editor’s blur tool to turn the normal background of your photo into something you can pop-out from.
#4. Add Extras (Text, Emojis, etc.)
If instead of an object you plan to fill the other side of your thumbnail with text, question marks, emojis, or some other graphic element then now is the time to add it.
Part 2: How to Upload a YouTube Thumbnail
When you upload a new video to YouTube, you will see a Custom thumbnail option under Video thumbnails after your upload is complete.
If you want to add a custom thumbnail to a video that’s already up, that’s easy too.
- Go to your Video Manager in the Creator Studio.
- Find the video you want to change the thumbnail for and click Edit next to it.
- Click Custom thumbnail on the right of the preview screen.
- Upload your thumbnail and click Save changes.
Remember when you’re uploading custom thumbnails that you need to use a .JPG, .GIF, .BMP, or .PNG image with an aspect ratio of 16:9 and that your file size has to be under 2MB.
YouTube recommends that thumbnail images have a resolution of 1280x720px, and you cannot upload an image with a width of less than 640 pixels.
Make sure that all of your thumbnails adhere to YouTube’s Community guidelines. Anything sexually suggestive, violent, or otherwise graphic could result in your video being age-restricted.
Part 3: YouTube Thumbnail Makers
You don’t have to go out and buy a photo editor like Photoshop to make custom video thumbnails (although it’s a good thing to use if you already have it). Here are two free online programs you can use instead:
Canva is an intuitive option with templates for Thumbnails, Channel Art, and other social media graphics. There are stock photos and graphics provided, but not all of them are free (paid options cost $1 each). Canva’s templates do tend to include paid resources, so you may want to use them mostly for their layouts or as inspiration and replace everything they provide with your own images.
Generally, using Canva is as easy as dragging and dropping things where you want them. You’ll be able to set the dimensions for your project so the image you export is a perfect size. Adding text and changing the size, font, or color is easy too.
Adobe Spark also has templates for channel art, and it’s also very easy to use. The first time you use it helpful notes will pop up to guide you through the process. Using templates is especially simple because you just click on the elements in the pre-made thumbnail and replace them with your own photos/text.
You can make changes to the colors in your Spark thumbnail easily by selecting a new color scheme or filter. You can even toggle through layouts easily. When you choose a new layout, Spark will rearrange all the pieces of your current thumbnail to align with the new layout so you can quickly see what it looks like instead of having to rebuild.
Click to check more YouTube thumbnail makers
Part 4: How to Make Thumbnails That Get Clicks (Without Clickbait!)
Here are the top 10 best practices for creating effective YouTube thumbnails:
#1. Show What Your Video Is About
Being mysterious and clickbaity can get you views, if you’re already big. For small YouTubers, it pays off to be clear about your video’s topic. You want people to click who want to watch the actual content of your video. Even if you manage to get some clicks by being mysterious, you’ll probably end up with low viewer retention because people are clicking away when they realize your video isn’t what they were looking for. That will make YouTube’s algorithm rank your video lower, and then even fewer people will find it.
If your video is a product review, show the product in the thumbnail and maybe even write ‘review’ on it. If your video is a makeup tutorial, show your face with the finished makeup and maybe even include pictures of the products you used. People want to know what they’re clicking on before they click.
#2. Use a Consistent Layout
As you grow, you’ll want people to be able to see one of your thumbnails and instantly know it’s yours. Building a recognizable brand is about consistency. Try to stick with one basic layout for all of your videos. You can still customize every individual thumbnail by using different facial expressions and different graphics, but try to use similar backgrounds, fonts, and general layouts (i.e. you to the right of the thumbnails, text to the left) over and over.
#3. Use Your Face
Why should people want to watch your videos? If the answer is ‘because I can teach them to create delicious food’ or ‘because they want to learn about the latest iPhone’ then your thumbnail should include that food or that iPhone.
If part of the reason people want to watch your videos is you – your personality and your sense of humor – then you should be in your thumbnail.
Viewers who are on YouTube because they like seeing a creator’s personality like to feel the presence of that personality in the video thumbnail, and eye contact naturally draws attention and clicks.
#4. Add Small Graphics
Adding small graphics, like emojis or hearts, to your thumbnail can help you stand out in a couple different ways. First, if they’re being compared to thumbnails that are just screenshots from the video, your thumbnails will look a lot more polished. Second, they’ll add a splash of color which can draw eyes to your video in a search where other thumbnails are not using those same colors.
#5. Your Text Should Be Huge
Your thumbnail will end up being a fraction of the size it is while you’re creating it in your thumbnail maker, and that means that any text you use will end up being shrunk down. You could probably type a six-word sentence in a size 18 font and have it look fine while you’re making your thumbnail, but after you upload it there’s no way people will be able to read it at a glance.
Aim for a huge font size, and 3 words or less (so your thumbnail doesn’t end up looking crowded).
#6. Check Out The Competition
Type your video’s title or topic into the search engine on YouTube and look at the thumbnails for the videos that come up. These are your competition. You want to make a thumbnail that is similar enough to what comes up that viewers know it’s on the same topic, but different enough that it stands out.
Generally, if most of the thumbnails have the same layout, you’ll want to mimic that layout. Where you can break from the crowd is in the colors, fonts, and graphics you use.
Part 5: Animated YouTube Thumbnails
Whether or not you upload a custom thumbnail to YouTube, YouTube’s A.I will choose what it thinks are the 3 juiciest seconds of your video (you cannot choose for yourself) and play them as a GIF-like animation when people mouseover your video thumbnails.
As of now, this only works in the Google Chrome desktop browser. Videos have to be at least 30 seconds long to get moving thumbnails.
Alright, now that you know everything about YouTube thumbnails, go make one! Tell us in the comments what you’re going to do to make your video thumbnails stand out.
Touch Up YouTube Videos with Effects & Elements in Filmora
As one of the most widely used video editing software in YouTube video editing, Filmora provides lots of templates and effects with an intuitive interface. Download the free trial version and get started now.
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Cured: Non-Appearance of Tiny Vid Content
How to Fix the YouTube Shorts Not Showing Up Issue?
Liza Brown
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
Well, a YouTube Shorts is said to be YouTube’s short-form answer to TikTok. You can quickly scroll via algorithmically-driven feed, discover other similar short videos, and subscribe to your favorite creators.
Here, creators can record, share, and edit short-form video content that’s 60 seconds or less and vertically oriented. And, unlike Instagram stories, YouTube Shorts won’t disappear but will remain on your channel. So, that’s the brief intro of YouTube Shorts which we think everyone is aware of after YouTube has announced its YouTube Shorts availability globally.
However, certain factors are still there, raising the issue or concern of YouTube Shorts not showing. Thus, if you can’t find the YouTube Shorts option or videos, or YouTube Shorts disappeared, find a solution in this post.
Part 1: Why Do YouTube Shorts Not Showing Up?
There could be multiple reasons why YouTube Shorts not showing on your phone, the channel’s home page etc.
Besides, many scenarios arise with this issue, namely the YouTube Shorts option not showing up, the YouTube Shorts button missing, and YouTube Shorts videos not showing correctly.
And, there are valid reasons as well as to why these situations are happening to you. So, let’s discuss each of them separately in brief, along with the solutions in the next section.
- YouTube Shorts are not showing on the channel’s homepage
The standard and the most common reason why YouTube Shorts are not showing on the channel’s homepage is that you have not updated the YouTube app.
- YouTube Shorts option not showing up
This may be happening either because you’ve not updated the app or your internet connection is pretty slow to show you the option. There could be another reason as you may not have cleared the YouTube mobile app’s cache and data.
- YouTube Shorts button missing
Again, you may not have updated the YouTube app, or your internet connection is slow is the most common reason here. Moreover, the button of YouTube Shorts stays hidden behind the +icon.
- YouTube Shorts videos not showing correctly
The most valid reason for YouTube Shorts not showing correctly or YouTube Shorts disappearing is that you have a poor internet connection. Plus, we’ve discussed proper steps below if you’ve missed something while uploading the YouTube Shorts triggering this scenario.
Before we move on to fixing YouTube Shorts not showing the issue, here’s a quick note on which videos qualify as YouTube Shorts. Shorts are different from YouTube stories. Unlike YouTube stories, it gets displayed in your regular channel feed along with your other YouTube videos.
And, you must note that a YouTube Shorts video consists of two criteria as follows.
- The video has to be vertical (portrait-style)
- The video must be 60 seconds or less
Part 2: How to Fix YouTube Shorts Not Showing Up?
Here’s the section covering fixes on YouTube Shorts not showing. Please give it a read and resolve your issue happily!
Fix 1: Update the YouTube App
As we’ve already discussed above, check if your YouTube mobile app has the latest version. The newest version of the YouTube mobile app (Version: 16.17.36) has a dedicated Shorts button at the bottom. And, it replaces the Trending button from the YouTube app.
Moreover, the option to upload Shorts is now hidden behind the + icon. Tap on the + icon and hit the Create a Short option.
Fix 2: Check If Shorts Is Available in Your Country
Now, YouTube Shorts is available globally, but there was a phase when YouTube Shorts was a beta feature. It was only available in India and the US, which could be why you could not view Shorts in the YouTube app.
Fix 3: YouTube Shorts Is Mobile-only
As of now, YouTube Shorts is only available on a smartphone because it’s still in beta version. However, you can create Shorts via smartphone and the camera option in YouTube mobile app. Hence, there’s no point in searching for Shorts on your computer.
You can upload Shorts videos from your laptop. The entire process is similar to uploading a regular video. However, you have to mention #Shorts in the title and description to differentiate it as a Shorts video.
Common Fixes to YouTube Shorts Not Working
- Update the YouTube App to the latest version.
- Clear the YouTube mobile app’s data and cache.
- Check if your internet is connected or your internet connection is strong.
- Restart your smartphone and try again.
- The YouTube server can be down, busy, or under maintenance. Wait for a while and try again.
The fixes above are also applicable if the YouTube Shorts are not showing on iPhone as well.
Or, you can try the VPN solution before contacting the YouTube team.
If Videos Are Not Visible under YouTube Shorts
Solution 1: Ensure that you’ve added #shorts in the title and description. Those who have YouTube Shorts, they can make shorts videos via the Shorts camera. Those who can’t access this camera can also upload their current vertical videos that are less than 60 seconds after adding the hashtag #Shorts in the title or description.
All in all, you must include #shorts to let the YouTube algorithm figure out the video is created for Shorts, and the issue of YouTube Shorts not showing up will also be resolved.
Solution 2: Sometimes, you may not find YouTube Shorts videos if they’re precisely 60 seconds in duration because YouTube sometimes adds 1-2 seconds to a Shorts video for some reason. So, be alert here and ensure your Shorts video is around 58 seconds or less.
Solution 3: If your YouTube Shorts is not getting views, you need to wait more here because it takes a while for YouTube to index a Shorts video and suggest them to people. So, it’s the task of the algorithm that varies from person to person. Some Shorts videos take several days while others take weeks.
If YouTube Shorts Videos Are Not Showing up Correctly
Once uploaded, the YouTube Shorts will be displayed in a vertical thumbnail on YouTube and other regular content already there in your account. Or, it’s your choice to create a new channel for the YouTube shorts videos. If the YouTube shorts not showing correctly, you can try as follows:
Step 1. Go to your channel and select the “customize channel” option.
Step 2. Hop on to the Featured section, and choose the add section.
Step 3. You’ll see shorts videos under the “videos” section. Click that, and the videos you have which are tagged in with #shorts in the title or description will automatically display here.
Bonus Tip: How to Easily Create Vertical Videos for YouTube Shorts on PC
The YouTube Shorts app is pretty convenient to use nowadays. However, it doesn’t allow you to fine-edit the videos if you’ve explored the app or specifically when you want your videos to look more professional. The app doesn’t even have many filtering options, such as Effects, Elements, etc., to make your videos more interactive.
With that said, you can always use an efficient third-party program like Wondershare Filmora to create professional-looking YouTube Shorts videos to engage your viewers highly. Even no famous YouTuber uploads their videos directly from the app without using any third-party tool.
We recommend Wondershare Filmora because it is a production and post-production app available for Windows and Mac computers. It gives tough competition to some globally renowned tools like Final Cut Pro X, Adobe Premiere Pro, etc., because of its simplicity. Furthermore, Filmora has its inbuilt screen, voice recording features, and webcam that can be useful to create game walkthroughs, interactive videos, and voiceovers as needed.
Moreover, a YouTube Shorts video can be made through Wondershare Filmora using the below-mentioned guide.
Note: We are assuming that you have already recorded a vertical video using your smartphone and that it has been transferred to your PC.
So, the signature feature to create YouTube Shorts videos on Wondershare Filmora is Auto Reframe.
Powered by AI technology, Auto Reframe automatically identifies the focal point of your video and crops it while always maintaining it within the frame. This way, the main object or action in your video never goes out of vision.
You can choose an aspect ratio that best fits YouTube Shorts which is 9:16.
How to Use Auto Reframe in Filmora?
Step 1. Open Filmora and Select Auto Reframe
You can choose among three ways to open the Auto Reframe feature in Filmora.
* **Way 1:** Once you open Filmora, the main interface will display the **Auto Reframe** tab on the right-hand panel. Click it to open directly 
- Way 2: Import media as File > Import Media Files and select the file. After you import the media, right-click and choose the Auto Reframe.
- Way 3: Lastly, you can choose the Tools option on the top menu bar and hit the Auto Reframe.
Step 2. Adjust the Aspect Ratio and Motion Speed
A separate dialog box will display once you have selected the Auto Reframe option. Now, click on Import Media and choose a single video to import. You can change the imported video by hitting the Replace File at the top menu.
There are multiple aspect ratio templates available such as square (1:1), vertical (9:16), standard (4:3), widescreen (16:9), and cinema (21:9). As you are making YouTube Shorts, so you need to select 9:16.
You can adjust the speed of your video in multiple options: keep it at Auto or make it Slow or Fast as per your requirements.
Step 3. Analyze, and Auto Reframe the Video
Once you finish the above adjustments, hit the Analysis tab. Filmora will take a few seconds to finish analyzing your video project.
Then the video will be automatically and quickly reframed to your specified speed and aspect ratio. You can modify these aspect ratios and speed options by hitting the Restart option as well.
Step 4. Preview the Reframed Video and Check
Lastly, you can preview your final video. If the video needs more work, you can also play and pause it at the point you want to adjust the frame. You can use Next Edit Point, Undo, Redo, and Previous Edit Point at the bottom panel.
Step 5. Export the Reframed Video
Finally, after all the final adjustments, you can hit the Export tab, name your file and choose the destination folder.
Part 3: FAQs about YouTube Shorts
1. Where to download the YouTube Shorts app?
The YouTube Shorts app is currently available in the YouTube app that your iOS or Android smartphone has. To access it, sign in to your Google account, tap the + button at the bottom, and select the Create a Short option in the popup box that shows off.
2. What’s the YouTube Shorts video duration?
A YouTube Shorts video can be of only up to 60 seconds.
3. Can I Upload Shorts Video on Computer?
Yes. You can upload a Short video by following the traditional method.
- Click the Create camera icon on your PC.
- Click on Upload Videos.
- Locate the file on the PC you want to upload, and you are all done.
However, the option best works in smartphones, and still, if you are uploading through a laptop or PC, make sure to add #shorts in the title or description of the uploaded video.
4. What’s the YouTube Shorts size limitation?
YouTube hasn’t provided any information related to this as of now. However, you can rest assured that a 60 seconds long video file wouldn’t be too large for YouTube to handle.
5. How many subs do you need to access Shorts?
YouTube Shorts is available for everyone no matter how many subscribers the YouTube channel has.
6. Can you make money on Shorts?
Short-form video creators do not share revenue from advertisements played in the Shorts player right now. Instead, start the YouTube Shorts Fund, a $100M fund for creators that helps build the future of short-form video on YouTube.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you have resolved the concern of YouTube Shorts not showing. You can access your total dose of entertainment by getting the YouTube Shorts through our editing tips mentioned in the last section.
However, we’ve mainly defined the editing part of Wondershare Filmora except creating YouTube Shorts through its Auto Reframe feature. But, as you go through Filmora, you will find that editing is not a cumbersome task to follow over this platform. It’s the easiest!
Liza Brown
Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Liza Brown
Liza Brown
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
Well, a YouTube Shorts is said to be YouTube’s short-form answer to TikTok. You can quickly scroll via algorithmically-driven feed, discover other similar short videos, and subscribe to your favorite creators.
Here, creators can record, share, and edit short-form video content that’s 60 seconds or less and vertically oriented. And, unlike Instagram stories, YouTube Shorts won’t disappear but will remain on your channel. So, that’s the brief intro of YouTube Shorts which we think everyone is aware of after YouTube has announced its YouTube Shorts availability globally.
However, certain factors are still there, raising the issue or concern of YouTube Shorts not showing. Thus, if you can’t find the YouTube Shorts option or videos, or YouTube Shorts disappeared, find a solution in this post.
Part 1: Why Do YouTube Shorts Not Showing Up?
There could be multiple reasons why YouTube Shorts not showing on your phone, the channel’s home page etc.
Besides, many scenarios arise with this issue, namely the YouTube Shorts option not showing up, the YouTube Shorts button missing, and YouTube Shorts videos not showing correctly.
And, there are valid reasons as well as to why these situations are happening to you. So, let’s discuss each of them separately in brief, along with the solutions in the next section.
- YouTube Shorts are not showing on the channel’s homepage
The standard and the most common reason why YouTube Shorts are not showing on the channel’s homepage is that you have not updated the YouTube app.
- YouTube Shorts option not showing up
This may be happening either because you’ve not updated the app or your internet connection is pretty slow to show you the option. There could be another reason as you may not have cleared the YouTube mobile app’s cache and data.
- YouTube Shorts button missing
Again, you may not have updated the YouTube app, or your internet connection is slow is the most common reason here. Moreover, the button of YouTube Shorts stays hidden behind the +icon.
- YouTube Shorts videos not showing correctly
The most valid reason for YouTube Shorts not showing correctly or YouTube Shorts disappearing is that you have a poor internet connection. Plus, we’ve discussed proper steps below if you’ve missed something while uploading the YouTube Shorts triggering this scenario.
Before we move on to fixing YouTube Shorts not showing the issue, here’s a quick note on which videos qualify as YouTube Shorts. Shorts are different from YouTube stories. Unlike YouTube stories, it gets displayed in your regular channel feed along with your other YouTube videos.
And, you must note that a YouTube Shorts video consists of two criteria as follows.
- The video has to be vertical (portrait-style)
- The video must be 60 seconds or less
Part 2: How to Fix YouTube Shorts Not Showing Up?
Here’s the section covering fixes on YouTube Shorts not showing. Please give it a read and resolve your issue happily!
Fix 1: Update the YouTube App
As we’ve already discussed above, check if your YouTube mobile app has the latest version. The newest version of the YouTube mobile app (Version: 16.17.36) has a dedicated Shorts button at the bottom. And, it replaces the Trending button from the YouTube app.
Moreover, the option to upload Shorts is now hidden behind the + icon. Tap on the + icon and hit the Create a Short option.
Fix 2: Check If Shorts Is Available in Your Country
Now, YouTube Shorts is available globally, but there was a phase when YouTube Shorts was a beta feature. It was only available in India and the US, which could be why you could not view Shorts in the YouTube app.
Fix 3: YouTube Shorts Is Mobile-only
As of now, YouTube Shorts is only available on a smartphone because it’s still in beta version. However, you can create Shorts via smartphone and the camera option in YouTube mobile app. Hence, there’s no point in searching for Shorts on your computer.
You can upload Shorts videos from your laptop. The entire process is similar to uploading a regular video. However, you have to mention #Shorts in the title and description to differentiate it as a Shorts video.
Common Fixes to YouTube Shorts Not Working
- Update the YouTube App to the latest version.
- Clear the YouTube mobile app’s data and cache.
- Check if your internet is connected or your internet connection is strong.
- Restart your smartphone and try again.
- The YouTube server can be down, busy, or under maintenance. Wait for a while and try again.
The fixes above are also applicable if the YouTube Shorts are not showing on iPhone as well.
Or, you can try the VPN solution before contacting the YouTube team.
If Videos Are Not Visible under YouTube Shorts
Solution 1: Ensure that you’ve added #shorts in the title and description. Those who have YouTube Shorts, they can make shorts videos via the Shorts camera. Those who can’t access this camera can also upload their current vertical videos that are less than 60 seconds after adding the hashtag #Shorts in the title or description.
All in all, you must include #shorts to let the YouTube algorithm figure out the video is created for Shorts, and the issue of YouTube Shorts not showing up will also be resolved.
Solution 2: Sometimes, you may not find YouTube Shorts videos if they’re precisely 60 seconds in duration because YouTube sometimes adds 1-2 seconds to a Shorts video for some reason. So, be alert here and ensure your Shorts video is around 58 seconds or less.
Solution 3: If your YouTube Shorts is not getting views, you need to wait more here because it takes a while for YouTube to index a Shorts video and suggest them to people. So, it’s the task of the algorithm that varies from person to person. Some Shorts videos take several days while others take weeks.
If YouTube Shorts Videos Are Not Showing up Correctly
Once uploaded, the YouTube Shorts will be displayed in a vertical thumbnail on YouTube and other regular content already there in your account. Or, it’s your choice to create a new channel for the YouTube shorts videos. If the YouTube shorts not showing correctly, you can try as follows:
Step 1. Go to your channel and select the “customize channel” option.
Step 2. Hop on to the Featured section, and choose the add section.
Step 3. You’ll see shorts videos under the “videos” section. Click that, and the videos you have which are tagged in with #shorts in the title or description will automatically display here.
Bonus Tip: How to Easily Create Vertical Videos for YouTube Shorts on PC
The YouTube Shorts app is pretty convenient to use nowadays. However, it doesn’t allow you to fine-edit the videos if you’ve explored the app or specifically when you want your videos to look more professional. The app doesn’t even have many filtering options, such as Effects, Elements, etc., to make your videos more interactive.
With that said, you can always use an efficient third-party program like Wondershare Filmora to create professional-looking YouTube Shorts videos to engage your viewers highly. Even no famous YouTuber uploads their videos directly from the app without using any third-party tool.
We recommend Wondershare Filmora because it is a production and post-production app available for Windows and Mac computers. It gives tough competition to some globally renowned tools like Final Cut Pro X, Adobe Premiere Pro, etc., because of its simplicity. Furthermore, Filmora has its inbuilt screen, voice recording features, and webcam that can be useful to create game walkthroughs, interactive videos, and voiceovers as needed.
Moreover, a YouTube Shorts video can be made through Wondershare Filmora using the below-mentioned guide.
Note: We are assuming that you have already recorded a vertical video using your smartphone and that it has been transferred to your PC.
So, the signature feature to create YouTube Shorts videos on Wondershare Filmora is Auto Reframe.
Powered by AI technology, Auto Reframe automatically identifies the focal point of your video and crops it while always maintaining it within the frame. This way, the main object or action in your video never goes out of vision.
You can choose an aspect ratio that best fits YouTube Shorts which is 9:16.
How to Use Auto Reframe in Filmora?
Step 1. Open Filmora and Select Auto Reframe
You can choose among three ways to open the Auto Reframe feature in Filmora.
* **Way 1:** Once you open Filmora, the main interface will display the **Auto Reframe** tab on the right-hand panel. Click it to open directly 
- Way 2: Import media as File > Import Media Files and select the file. After you import the media, right-click and choose the Auto Reframe.
- Way 3: Lastly, you can choose the Tools option on the top menu bar and hit the Auto Reframe.
Step 2. Adjust the Aspect Ratio and Motion Speed
A separate dialog box will display once you have selected the Auto Reframe option. Now, click on Import Media and choose a single video to import. You can change the imported video by hitting the Replace File at the top menu.
There are multiple aspect ratio templates available such as square (1:1), vertical (9:16), standard (4:3), widescreen (16:9), and cinema (21:9). As you are making YouTube Shorts, so you need to select 9:16.
You can adjust the speed of your video in multiple options: keep it at Auto or make it Slow or Fast as per your requirements.
Step 3. Analyze, and Auto Reframe the Video
Once you finish the above adjustments, hit the Analysis tab. Filmora will take a few seconds to finish analyzing your video project.
Then the video will be automatically and quickly reframed to your specified speed and aspect ratio. You can modify these aspect ratios and speed options by hitting the Restart option as well.
Step 4. Preview the Reframed Video and Check
Lastly, you can preview your final video. If the video needs more work, you can also play and pause it at the point you want to adjust the frame. You can use Next Edit Point, Undo, Redo, and Previous Edit Point at the bottom panel.
Step 5. Export the Reframed Video
Finally, after all the final adjustments, you can hit the Export tab, name your file and choose the destination folder.
Part 3: FAQs about YouTube Shorts
1. Where to download the YouTube Shorts app?
The YouTube Shorts app is currently available in the YouTube app that your iOS or Android smartphone has. To access it, sign in to your Google account, tap the + button at the bottom, and select the Create a Short option in the popup box that shows off.
2. What’s the YouTube Shorts video duration?
A YouTube Shorts video can be of only up to 60 seconds.
3. Can I Upload Shorts Video on Computer?
Yes. You can upload a Short video by following the traditional method.
- Click the Create camera icon on your PC.
- Click on Upload Videos.
- Locate the file on the PC you want to upload, and you are all done.
However, the option best works in smartphones, and still, if you are uploading through a laptop or PC, make sure to add #shorts in the title or description of the uploaded video.
4. What’s the YouTube Shorts size limitation?
YouTube hasn’t provided any information related to this as of now. However, you can rest assured that a 60 seconds long video file wouldn’t be too large for YouTube to handle.
5. How many subs do you need to access Shorts?
YouTube Shorts is available for everyone no matter how many subscribers the YouTube channel has.
6. Can you make money on Shorts?
Short-form video creators do not share revenue from advertisements played in the Shorts player right now. Instead, start the YouTube Shorts Fund, a $100M fund for creators that helps build the future of short-form video on YouTube.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you have resolved the concern of YouTube Shorts not showing. You can access your total dose of entertainment by getting the YouTube Shorts through our editing tips mentioned in the last section.
However, we’ve mainly defined the editing part of Wondershare Filmora except creating YouTube Shorts through its Auto Reframe feature. But, as you go through Filmora, you will find that editing is not a cumbersome task to follow over this platform. It’s the easiest!
Liza Brown
Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Liza Brown
Liza Brown
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
Well, a YouTube Shorts is said to be YouTube’s short-form answer to TikTok. You can quickly scroll via algorithmically-driven feed, discover other similar short videos, and subscribe to your favorite creators.
Here, creators can record, share, and edit short-form video content that’s 60 seconds or less and vertically oriented. And, unlike Instagram stories, YouTube Shorts won’t disappear but will remain on your channel. So, that’s the brief intro of YouTube Shorts which we think everyone is aware of after YouTube has announced its YouTube Shorts availability globally.
However, certain factors are still there, raising the issue or concern of YouTube Shorts not showing. Thus, if you can’t find the YouTube Shorts option or videos, or YouTube Shorts disappeared, find a solution in this post.
Part 1: Why Do YouTube Shorts Not Showing Up?
There could be multiple reasons why YouTube Shorts not showing on your phone, the channel’s home page etc.
Besides, many scenarios arise with this issue, namely the YouTube Shorts option not showing up, the YouTube Shorts button missing, and YouTube Shorts videos not showing correctly.
And, there are valid reasons as well as to why these situations are happening to you. So, let’s discuss each of them separately in brief, along with the solutions in the next section.
- YouTube Shorts are not showing on the channel’s homepage
The standard and the most common reason why YouTube Shorts are not showing on the channel’s homepage is that you have not updated the YouTube app.
- YouTube Shorts option not showing up
This may be happening either because you’ve not updated the app or your internet connection is pretty slow to show you the option. There could be another reason as you may not have cleared the YouTube mobile app’s cache and data.
- YouTube Shorts button missing
Again, you may not have updated the YouTube app, or your internet connection is slow is the most common reason here. Moreover, the button of YouTube Shorts stays hidden behind the +icon.
- YouTube Shorts videos not showing correctly
The most valid reason for YouTube Shorts not showing correctly or YouTube Shorts disappearing is that you have a poor internet connection. Plus, we’ve discussed proper steps below if you’ve missed something while uploading the YouTube Shorts triggering this scenario.
Before we move on to fixing YouTube Shorts not showing the issue, here’s a quick note on which videos qualify as YouTube Shorts. Shorts are different from YouTube stories. Unlike YouTube stories, it gets displayed in your regular channel feed along with your other YouTube videos.
And, you must note that a YouTube Shorts video consists of two criteria as follows.
- The video has to be vertical (portrait-style)
- The video must be 60 seconds or less
Part 2: How to Fix YouTube Shorts Not Showing Up?
Here’s the section covering fixes on YouTube Shorts not showing. Please give it a read and resolve your issue happily!
Fix 1: Update the YouTube App
As we’ve already discussed above, check if your YouTube mobile app has the latest version. The newest version of the YouTube mobile app (Version: 16.17.36) has a dedicated Shorts button at the bottom. And, it replaces the Trending button from the YouTube app.
Moreover, the option to upload Shorts is now hidden behind the + icon. Tap on the + icon and hit the Create a Short option.
Fix 2: Check If Shorts Is Available in Your Country
Now, YouTube Shorts is available globally, but there was a phase when YouTube Shorts was a beta feature. It was only available in India and the US, which could be why you could not view Shorts in the YouTube app.
Fix 3: YouTube Shorts Is Mobile-only
As of now, YouTube Shorts is only available on a smartphone because it’s still in beta version. However, you can create Shorts via smartphone and the camera option in YouTube mobile app. Hence, there’s no point in searching for Shorts on your computer.
You can upload Shorts videos from your laptop. The entire process is similar to uploading a regular video. However, you have to mention #Shorts in the title and description to differentiate it as a Shorts video.
Common Fixes to YouTube Shorts Not Working
- Update the YouTube App to the latest version.
- Clear the YouTube mobile app’s data and cache.
- Check if your internet is connected or your internet connection is strong.
- Restart your smartphone and try again.
- The YouTube server can be down, busy, or under maintenance. Wait for a while and try again.
The fixes above are also applicable if the YouTube Shorts are not showing on iPhone as well.
Or, you can try the VPN solution before contacting the YouTube team.
If Videos Are Not Visible under YouTube Shorts
Solution 1: Ensure that you’ve added #shorts in the title and description. Those who have YouTube Shorts, they can make shorts videos via the Shorts camera. Those who can’t access this camera can also upload their current vertical videos that are less than 60 seconds after adding the hashtag #Shorts in the title or description.
All in all, you must include #shorts to let the YouTube algorithm figure out the video is created for Shorts, and the issue of YouTube Shorts not showing up will also be resolved.
Solution 2: Sometimes, you may not find YouTube Shorts videos if they’re precisely 60 seconds in duration because YouTube sometimes adds 1-2 seconds to a Shorts video for some reason. So, be alert here and ensure your Shorts video is around 58 seconds or less.
Solution 3: If your YouTube Shorts is not getting views, you need to wait more here because it takes a while for YouTube to index a Shorts video and suggest them to people. So, it’s the task of the algorithm that varies from person to person. Some Shorts videos take several days while others take weeks.
If YouTube Shorts Videos Are Not Showing up Correctly
Once uploaded, the YouTube Shorts will be displayed in a vertical thumbnail on YouTube and other regular content already there in your account. Or, it’s your choice to create a new channel for the YouTube shorts videos. If the YouTube shorts not showing correctly, you can try as follows:
Step 1. Go to your channel and select the “customize channel” option.
Step 2. Hop on to the Featured section, and choose the add section.
Step 3. You’ll see shorts videos under the “videos” section. Click that, and the videos you have which are tagged in with #shorts in the title or description will automatically display here.
Bonus Tip: How to Easily Create Vertical Videos for YouTube Shorts on PC
The YouTube Shorts app is pretty convenient to use nowadays. However, it doesn’t allow you to fine-edit the videos if you’ve explored the app or specifically when you want your videos to look more professional. The app doesn’t even have many filtering options, such as Effects, Elements, etc., to make your videos more interactive.
With that said, you can always use an efficient third-party program like Wondershare Filmora to create professional-looking YouTube Shorts videos to engage your viewers highly. Even no famous YouTuber uploads their videos directly from the app without using any third-party tool.
We recommend Wondershare Filmora because it is a production and post-production app available for Windows and Mac computers. It gives tough competition to some globally renowned tools like Final Cut Pro X, Adobe Premiere Pro, etc., because of its simplicity. Furthermore, Filmora has its inbuilt screen, voice recording features, and webcam that can be useful to create game walkthroughs, interactive videos, and voiceovers as needed.
Moreover, a YouTube Shorts video can be made through Wondershare Filmora using the below-mentioned guide.
Note: We are assuming that you have already recorded a vertical video using your smartphone and that it has been transferred to your PC.
So, the signature feature to create YouTube Shorts videos on Wondershare Filmora is Auto Reframe.
Powered by AI technology, Auto Reframe automatically identifies the focal point of your video and crops it while always maintaining it within the frame. This way, the main object or action in your video never goes out of vision.
You can choose an aspect ratio that best fits YouTube Shorts which is 9:16.
How to Use Auto Reframe in Filmora?
Step 1. Open Filmora and Select Auto Reframe
You can choose among three ways to open the Auto Reframe feature in Filmora.
* **Way 1:** Once you open Filmora, the main interface will display the **Auto Reframe** tab on the right-hand panel. Click it to open directly 
- Way 2: Import media as File > Import Media Files and select the file. After you import the media, right-click and choose the Auto Reframe.
- Way 3: Lastly, you can choose the Tools option on the top menu bar and hit the Auto Reframe.
Step 2. Adjust the Aspect Ratio and Motion Speed
A separate dialog box will display once you have selected the Auto Reframe option. Now, click on Import Media and choose a single video to import. You can change the imported video by hitting the Replace File at the top menu.
There are multiple aspect ratio templates available such as square (1:1), vertical (9:16), standard (4:3), widescreen (16:9), and cinema (21:9). As you are making YouTube Shorts, so you need to select 9:16.
You can adjust the speed of your video in multiple options: keep it at Auto or make it Slow or Fast as per your requirements.
Step 3. Analyze, and Auto Reframe the Video
Once you finish the above adjustments, hit the Analysis tab. Filmora will take a few seconds to finish analyzing your video project.
Then the video will be automatically and quickly reframed to your specified speed and aspect ratio. You can modify these aspect ratios and speed options by hitting the Restart option as well.
Step 4. Preview the Reframed Video and Check
Lastly, you can preview your final video. If the video needs more work, you can also play and pause it at the point you want to adjust the frame. You can use Next Edit Point, Undo, Redo, and Previous Edit Point at the bottom panel.
Step 5. Export the Reframed Video
Finally, after all the final adjustments, you can hit the Export tab, name your file and choose the destination folder.
Part 3: FAQs about YouTube Shorts
1. Where to download the YouTube Shorts app?
The YouTube Shorts app is currently available in the YouTube app that your iOS or Android smartphone has. To access it, sign in to your Google account, tap the + button at the bottom, and select the Create a Short option in the popup box that shows off.
2. What’s the YouTube Shorts video duration?
A YouTube Shorts video can be of only up to 60 seconds.
3. Can I Upload Shorts Video on Computer?
Yes. You can upload a Short video by following the traditional method.
- Click the Create camera icon on your PC.
- Click on Upload Videos.
- Locate the file on the PC you want to upload, and you are all done.
However, the option best works in smartphones, and still, if you are uploading through a laptop or PC, make sure to add #shorts in the title or description of the uploaded video.
4. What’s the YouTube Shorts size limitation?
YouTube hasn’t provided any information related to this as of now. However, you can rest assured that a 60 seconds long video file wouldn’t be too large for YouTube to handle.
5. How many subs do you need to access Shorts?
YouTube Shorts is available for everyone no matter how many subscribers the YouTube channel has.
6. Can you make money on Shorts?
Short-form video creators do not share revenue from advertisements played in the Shorts player right now. Instead, start the YouTube Shorts Fund, a $100M fund for creators that helps build the future of short-form video on YouTube.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you have resolved the concern of YouTube Shorts not showing. You can access your total dose of entertainment by getting the YouTube Shorts through our editing tips mentioned in the last section.
However, we’ve mainly defined the editing part of Wondershare Filmora except creating YouTube Shorts through its Auto Reframe feature. But, as you go through Filmora, you will find that editing is not a cumbersome task to follow over this platform. It’s the easiest!
Liza Brown
Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Liza Brown
Liza Brown
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
Well, a YouTube Shorts is said to be YouTube’s short-form answer to TikTok. You can quickly scroll via algorithmically-driven feed, discover other similar short videos, and subscribe to your favorite creators.
Here, creators can record, share, and edit short-form video content that’s 60 seconds or less and vertically oriented. And, unlike Instagram stories, YouTube Shorts won’t disappear but will remain on your channel. So, that’s the brief intro of YouTube Shorts which we think everyone is aware of after YouTube has announced its YouTube Shorts availability globally.
However, certain factors are still there, raising the issue or concern of YouTube Shorts not showing. Thus, if you can’t find the YouTube Shorts option or videos, or YouTube Shorts disappeared, find a solution in this post.
Part 1: Why Do YouTube Shorts Not Showing Up?
There could be multiple reasons why YouTube Shorts not showing on your phone, the channel’s home page etc.
Besides, many scenarios arise with this issue, namely the YouTube Shorts option not showing up, the YouTube Shorts button missing, and YouTube Shorts videos not showing correctly.
And, there are valid reasons as well as to why these situations are happening to you. So, let’s discuss each of them separately in brief, along with the solutions in the next section.
- YouTube Shorts are not showing on the channel’s homepage
The standard and the most common reason why YouTube Shorts are not showing on the channel’s homepage is that you have not updated the YouTube app.
- YouTube Shorts option not showing up
This may be happening either because you’ve not updated the app or your internet connection is pretty slow to show you the option. There could be another reason as you may not have cleared the YouTube mobile app’s cache and data.
- YouTube Shorts button missing
Again, you may not have updated the YouTube app, or your internet connection is slow is the most common reason here. Moreover, the button of YouTube Shorts stays hidden behind the +icon.
- YouTube Shorts videos not showing correctly
The most valid reason for YouTube Shorts not showing correctly or YouTube Shorts disappearing is that you have a poor internet connection. Plus, we’ve discussed proper steps below if you’ve missed something while uploading the YouTube Shorts triggering this scenario.
Before we move on to fixing YouTube Shorts not showing the issue, here’s a quick note on which videos qualify as YouTube Shorts. Shorts are different from YouTube stories. Unlike YouTube stories, it gets displayed in your regular channel feed along with your other YouTube videos.
And, you must note that a YouTube Shorts video consists of two criteria as follows.
- The video has to be vertical (portrait-style)
- The video must be 60 seconds or less
Part 2: How to Fix YouTube Shorts Not Showing Up?
Here’s the section covering fixes on YouTube Shorts not showing. Please give it a read and resolve your issue happily!
Fix 1: Update the YouTube App
As we’ve already discussed above, check if your YouTube mobile app has the latest version. The newest version of the YouTube mobile app (Version: 16.17.36) has a dedicated Shorts button at the bottom. And, it replaces the Trending button from the YouTube app.
Moreover, the option to upload Shorts is now hidden behind the + icon. Tap on the + icon and hit the Create a Short option.
Fix 2: Check If Shorts Is Available in Your Country
Now, YouTube Shorts is available globally, but there was a phase when YouTube Shorts was a beta feature. It was only available in India and the US, which could be why you could not view Shorts in the YouTube app.
Fix 3: YouTube Shorts Is Mobile-only
As of now, YouTube Shorts is only available on a smartphone because it’s still in beta version. However, you can create Shorts via smartphone and the camera option in YouTube mobile app. Hence, there’s no point in searching for Shorts on your computer.
You can upload Shorts videos from your laptop. The entire process is similar to uploading a regular video. However, you have to mention #Shorts in the title and description to differentiate it as a Shorts video.
Common Fixes to YouTube Shorts Not Working
- Update the YouTube App to the latest version.
- Clear the YouTube mobile app’s data and cache.
- Check if your internet is connected or your internet connection is strong.
- Restart your smartphone and try again.
- The YouTube server can be down, busy, or under maintenance. Wait for a while and try again.
The fixes above are also applicable if the YouTube Shorts are not showing on iPhone as well.
Or, you can try the VPN solution before contacting the YouTube team.
If Videos Are Not Visible under YouTube Shorts
Solution 1: Ensure that you’ve added #shorts in the title and description. Those who have YouTube Shorts, they can make shorts videos via the Shorts camera. Those who can’t access this camera can also upload their current vertical videos that are less than 60 seconds after adding the hashtag #Shorts in the title or description.
All in all, you must include #shorts to let the YouTube algorithm figure out the video is created for Shorts, and the issue of YouTube Shorts not showing up will also be resolved.
Solution 2: Sometimes, you may not find YouTube Shorts videos if they’re precisely 60 seconds in duration because YouTube sometimes adds 1-2 seconds to a Shorts video for some reason. So, be alert here and ensure your Shorts video is around 58 seconds or less.
Solution 3: If your YouTube Shorts is not getting views, you need to wait more here because it takes a while for YouTube to index a Shorts video and suggest them to people. So, it’s the task of the algorithm that varies from person to person. Some Shorts videos take several days while others take weeks.
If YouTube Shorts Videos Are Not Showing up Correctly
Once uploaded, the YouTube Shorts will be displayed in a vertical thumbnail on YouTube and other regular content already there in your account. Or, it’s your choice to create a new channel for the YouTube shorts videos. If the YouTube shorts not showing correctly, you can try as follows:
Step 1. Go to your channel and select the “customize channel” option.
Step 2. Hop on to the Featured section, and choose the add section.
Step 3. You’ll see shorts videos under the “videos” section. Click that, and the videos you have which are tagged in with #shorts in the title or description will automatically display here.
Bonus Tip: How to Easily Create Vertical Videos for YouTube Shorts on PC
The YouTube Shorts app is pretty convenient to use nowadays. However, it doesn’t allow you to fine-edit the videos if you’ve explored the app or specifically when you want your videos to look more professional. The app doesn’t even have many filtering options, such as Effects, Elements, etc., to make your videos more interactive.
With that said, you can always use an efficient third-party program like Wondershare Filmora to create professional-looking YouTube Shorts videos to engage your viewers highly. Even no famous YouTuber uploads their videos directly from the app without using any third-party tool.
We recommend Wondershare Filmora because it is a production and post-production app available for Windows and Mac computers. It gives tough competition to some globally renowned tools like Final Cut Pro X, Adobe Premiere Pro, etc., because of its simplicity. Furthermore, Filmora has its inbuilt screen, voice recording features, and webcam that can be useful to create game walkthroughs, interactive videos, and voiceovers as needed.
Moreover, a YouTube Shorts video can be made through Wondershare Filmora using the below-mentioned guide.
Note: We are assuming that you have already recorded a vertical video using your smartphone and that it has been transferred to your PC.
So, the signature feature to create YouTube Shorts videos on Wondershare Filmora is Auto Reframe.
Powered by AI technology, Auto Reframe automatically identifies the focal point of your video and crops it while always maintaining it within the frame. This way, the main object or action in your video never goes out of vision.
You can choose an aspect ratio that best fits YouTube Shorts which is 9:16.
How to Use Auto Reframe in Filmora?
Step 1. Open Filmora and Select Auto Reframe
You can choose among three ways to open the Auto Reframe feature in Filmora.
* **Way 1:** Once you open Filmora, the main interface will display the **Auto Reframe** tab on the right-hand panel. Click it to open directly 
- Way 2: Import media as File > Import Media Files and select the file. After you import the media, right-click and choose the Auto Reframe.
- Way 3: Lastly, you can choose the Tools option on the top menu bar and hit the Auto Reframe.
Step 2. Adjust the Aspect Ratio and Motion Speed
A separate dialog box will display once you have selected the Auto Reframe option. Now, click on Import Media and choose a single video to import. You can change the imported video by hitting the Replace File at the top menu.
There are multiple aspect ratio templates available such as square (1:1), vertical (9:16), standard (4:3), widescreen (16:9), and cinema (21:9). As you are making YouTube Shorts, so you need to select 9:16.
You can adjust the speed of your video in multiple options: keep it at Auto or make it Slow or Fast as per your requirements.
Step 3. Analyze, and Auto Reframe the Video
Once you finish the above adjustments, hit the Analysis tab. Filmora will take a few seconds to finish analyzing your video project.
Then the video will be automatically and quickly reframed to your specified speed and aspect ratio. You can modify these aspect ratios and speed options by hitting the Restart option as well.
Step 4. Preview the Reframed Video and Check
Lastly, you can preview your final video. If the video needs more work, you can also play and pause it at the point you want to adjust the frame. You can use Next Edit Point, Undo, Redo, and Previous Edit Point at the bottom panel.
Step 5. Export the Reframed Video
Finally, after all the final adjustments, you can hit the Export tab, name your file and choose the destination folder.
Part 3: FAQs about YouTube Shorts
1. Where to download the YouTube Shorts app?
The YouTube Shorts app is currently available in the YouTube app that your iOS or Android smartphone has. To access it, sign in to your Google account, tap the + button at the bottom, and select the Create a Short option in the popup box that shows off.
2. What’s the YouTube Shorts video duration?
A YouTube Shorts video can be of only up to 60 seconds.
3. Can I Upload Shorts Video on Computer?
Yes. You can upload a Short video by following the traditional method.
- Click the Create camera icon on your PC.
- Click on Upload Videos.
- Locate the file on the PC you want to upload, and you are all done.
However, the option best works in smartphones, and still, if you are uploading through a laptop or PC, make sure to add #shorts in the title or description of the uploaded video.
4. What’s the YouTube Shorts size limitation?
YouTube hasn’t provided any information related to this as of now. However, you can rest assured that a 60 seconds long video file wouldn’t be too large for YouTube to handle.
5. How many subs do you need to access Shorts?
YouTube Shorts is available for everyone no matter how many subscribers the YouTube channel has.
6. Can you make money on Shorts?
Short-form video creators do not share revenue from advertisements played in the Shorts player right now. Instead, start the YouTube Shorts Fund, a $100M fund for creators that helps build the future of short-form video on YouTube.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you have resolved the concern of YouTube Shorts not showing. You can access your total dose of entertainment by getting the YouTube Shorts through our editing tips mentioned in the last section.
However, we’ve mainly defined the editing part of Wondershare Filmora except creating YouTube Shorts through its Auto Reframe feature. But, as you go through Filmora, you will find that editing is not a cumbersome task to follow over this platform. It’s the easiest!
Liza Brown
Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Liza Brown
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- Title: The Ultimate Guide to YouTube Thumbnails that Get Views
- Author: Brian
- Created at : 2024-06-26 00:20:52
- Updated at : 2024-06-27 00:20:52
- Link: https://youtube-video-recordings.techidaily.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-youtube-thumbnails-that-get-views/
- License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
