YouTube is adding a filter that will allow users to prevent Shorts from showing up in search results. The option, located in the Type menu, enables viewers to focus on traditional horizontal videos when they want depth or step-by-step guides without having to trawl through a vertical video wall.
What’s New With YouTube Search and Filtering Updates
The new Short-exclusion filter is listed with other Types and takes effect immediately on the results page. Instead of a mix of 25-second vertical clips and several-minute long-form videos, searches can be fine-tuned to favor longer-form content for queries like “how to calibrate a TV,” “best mirrorless cameras,” or “SQL window functions.”
YouTube is also revamping its sorting tags. Sort By changes to “Prioritize” and, for example, the good old “View Count” sort is being referred to as “Popularity.” But, significantly, Popularity will take into account more than just raw views—it will be informed by signals like watch time and engagement. Two of them are getting the chop: Upload Date — Last Hour and Sort by Rating. According to YouTube, the changes fix some features that “weren’t working as expected” and had led to user complaints.
Why This Matters for TV Viewers and Search Intent
Intent matters in search. If someone’s troubleshooting a camera lens error, or comparing CPUs, short looping clips often aren’t even the right format. By giving users the option to cut out Shorts, YouTube is acknowledging that long-form videos are still the backbone for how-tos, reviews, and deep dives.
The update also comes amid increasing concerns about the quality of Shorts. A recent analysis by the video-editing company Kapwing found that more than 21 percent of Shorts examined were AI-generated, and about 33 percent were “nonsensical” or low quality. Though Shorts is, like, really popular (YouTube says the videos get more than 2 billion views a month from logged-in users), having the option to hide them during search gives viewers a helpful shortcut to find signal over noise when the occasion calls for substance.
What This Means for Creators and Discovery on YouTube
For creators, Shorts will not go away — they will continue to take over the Shorts feed and recommendations system where it makes sense. But search-driven discovery may shift. If there are even more users not watching Shorts for how-to and product queries, creators highly dependent on search should potentially take into account complementary long-form uploads that reach cutting-edge audiences. Think two-fisting strategies: a quick Short for reach and an 8–12-minute explainer for search.
The new Popularity sort might also recalibrate the incentives. If watch time and engagement are more important than raw views, then creators that keep the viewers watching should do well. That reflects YouTube’s larger shift to maximize for satisfaction rather than clicks, something executives have stressed on earnings calls again and again.
How to Use the New Filter to Exclude Shorts in Search
After it becomes available, perform a search and click on Filters. At Type, choose to Exclude Shorts. Combine it with the Prioritize settings such as Relevance or the supercharged Popularity to focus responses better. On mobile, it appears in the familiar Filters sheet; on desktop, it lives in the filter bar above results. Support guidance from YouTube indicates a rollout soon, so keep an eye out for the app update.
One Step Closer to Cleaner, Intent-Driven Results
The search on YouTube has gradually fused formats to mirror the way people now watch. But one size doesn’t fit all questions. By allowing users to swipe away Shorts and by renaming and refining sorting, YouTube is closing the loop on search intent versus result quality. For viewers, that should translate into less idling when they require depth. For creators, it’s a prompt to match form and function, with long-form remaining the anchor for search-driven discovery.
