YouTube Shorts are short-form videos that are up to 60 seconds long. They allow creators to express themselves and engage with their audience in a fun, short video format. Since launching in 2020, YouTube Shorts have become hugely popular among both creators and viewers on the platform.
Unlike traditional YouTube videos, YouTube Shorts have some unique features:
- TikTok-style Video Editing: YouTube provides powerful editing tools to allow multi-clip videos, adding music, text, etc to make short videos.
- Emphasis on Music & Creativity: YouTube partners with record labels to provide a huge library of songs to encourage creativity in storytelling through music.
- Simple Shooting & Editing: Shorts has built-in filters, effects, etc to easily edit and touch up videos before sharing.
- Intuitive Vertical Feed: Shorts uses a TikTok-style vertical feed that is optimized for mobile browsing.
- Seamless Integration: Users can reference other YouTube videos in Shorts, or turn Shorts into longer videos.
YouTube is heavily promoting Shorts to compete with TikTok and other short video apps. As Shorts gain popularity, it is becoming an important way for YouTube to attract new users and creators.
But many YouTube content creators have experienced problems getting their Shorts videos to appear properly on the platform. Despite uploading vertical videos that follow the length and specifications guidelines, some users find their Shorts are not showing up at all. Their freshly posted Shorts are not visible on their channel or within the Shorts feed, essentially disappearing after being published. Without being discoverable and accessible to viewers, these YouTube Shorts cannot gain any traction. This is an alarming issue for creators seeking to utilize the popular new short-form video feature from YouTube.
Troubleshooting is required to diagnose why properly formatted and posted Shorts are not showing for some users. Until the problems are fixed, these creators are unable to take advantage of the key benefits of Shorts, such as tapping into the built-in mobile audience and going viral more easily compared to long-form content.
Common Reasons Why YouTube Shorts Are Not Showing
There are a couple of main reasons why YouTube Shorts may sometimes not show up on the platform:
Incorrect Region Setting on YouTube Account
YouTube Shorts are currently in the process of rolling out globally. As of now, Shorts are officially available in over 100 countries, but not worldwide yet. Therefore, creators can only upload and view Shorts properly if their YouTube account region is set to a supported country.
To check your region setting, go to the account settings on the YouTube desktop or in the YouTube mobile app. Under “Account Information” you will see the “Country/Region” setting. This must be set to a Shorts-enabled country like the USA, Japan, Brazil, etc. If it is incorrectly set, you will encounter issues with Shorts not appearing.
Shorts Content Violates Community Guidelines
Like all YouTube videos, Shorts must follow the platform’s strict community guidelines and rules. These forbid inappropriate content like nudity, violence, hate speech, harassment, dangerous challenges, and more. If your Shorts break any of these rules, YouTube will restrict them from being publicly visible to protect the community.
Carefully go through the YouTube community guidelines and ensure your Shorts do not contain any violations. This includes both visuals and audio. Follow all content policies to avoid issues.
Incorrect Video Size or Bitrate for Shorts
YouTube recommends Shorts videos follow these technical specifications:
- Length: 15-60 seconds
- Dimensions: Vertical 9:16 aspect ratio
- Resolution: 1080×1920 pixels or higher
- Frame Rate: 60fps
- Bitrate: 4-6mbps
If your Shorts do not match these parameters, YouTube may not process or display them properly. For example, horizontal video, low resolutions, or high bitrates can cause issues.
Carefully check your video specs in your editing software and ensure they align with what YouTube suggests for Shorts. Meeting the optimal standards for size, resolution, framerate, etc will help your Shorts appear correctly.
Too Few Shorts Uploads
To gain traction with Shorts, you need to post them consistently and increase your volume over time. YouTube’s algorithm recommends Shorts content that is uploaded regularly.
If you only post 1 Short per week, it will be harder to gain viewership compared to posting daily or multiple times per day. Aim to increase your Shorts output to at least 3-5 per week.
The more quality Shorts you upload frequently, the faster YouTube will pick up your content and share it. Having too few uploads can prevent your Shorts from being seen widely.
How to Fix YouTube Shorts Not Showing
Use a VPN to Access an Alternate Region
If your country or region is not yet supported by YouTube Shorts, you can use a VPN service to access Shorts’ capabilities. Connect to a VPN server located in a Shorts-enabled country like the United States, Japan, India, etc.
By routing your internet traffic through another region’s server, you can trick YouTube into thinking you are accessing it from a supported country. This allows you to upload, view and engage with Shorts that may not be available in your current location.
Choose a reliable VPN provider that offers servers in Shorts rolled-out countries. Connect to the VPN app/service before logging into your YouTube account. Test accessing and posting Shorts to see if the VPN resolves any regional restrictions.
Using a VPN can provide a handy workaround if Shorts are restricted in your country. Just ensure the VPN service is trustworthy before routing your connection through it.
Check YouTube Account Region Settings
As mentioned before, double-check your YouTube account’s Country/Region setting to ensure it is set to a Shorts-supported country. This is the most common fix for Shorts not appearing.
Ensure Shorts Content Follows Guidelines
Carefully review your Shorts and edit or remove any portions that may violate YouTube’s community guidelines. Common violations are inappropriate visuals, audio, nudity, dangerous acts, etc. Meeting the guidelines is key.
Adjust Shorts Video Parameters to Recommended Settings
YouTube recommends Shorts be in 9:16 vertical size, with a resolution of 1080×1920 pixels or higher. The frame rate should be 60fps. Bitrate can be 4-6mbps for optimal quality. Using the recommended parameters will ensure your Shorts process and appear correctly.
Increase the Number of Shorts Uploads
Consistently uploading a high volume of Shorts helps YouTube’s algorithm recommend your content and grow your audience. Aim to gradually increase your weekly Shorts uploads. More quality Shorts will make them appear more frequently.
Update YouTube App
Ensure you are using the latest version of the YouTube app. Outdated versions may not support Shorts properly. Update the app or clear data/cache if issues persist.
Restart Your Phone
For mobile users, try restarting your Android or iOS device if you are having issues with YouTube Shorts. Close all apps, power off your phone completely, and turn it back on after 30 seconds.
Restarting will clear out any faulty app data or cached files that may be causing Shorts to not load or display correctly in the YouTube app. Often a simple phone restart can refresh the mobile apps and fix Shorts problems.
Clear the App Cache and Data
In the YouTube app settings on your mobile device, locate the app storage options. Clear the cache and app data for the YouTube app by tapping on “Clear Cache” and “Clear Data”.
This will wipe old temporary files and refresh the app. After clearing the cache/data, open YouTube again and check if Shorts are now appearing properly. Clearing out old temporary data can free up any glitches.
Both restarting your mobile device and clearing the YouTube app’s cache/data can help resolve Shorts not showing up correctly in the mobile app. Try these basic troubleshooting steps to refresh the app.
Contact YouTube Support
If you cannot resolve the Shorts not showing the issue, reach out to YouTube’s official support channels online for further help troubleshooting.
Conclusion
In summary, there are a variety of troubleshooting steps content creators can take to resolve issues with YouTube Shorts not appearing properly. The goal is to ensure your Shorts content and channel are optimized to take advantage of this popular new short-form video feature.
First, double-check that your YouTube account is set to a Shorts-supported country/region and that your individual Shorts videos meet the recommended specifications for vertical size, length, resolution, and frame rate. Carefully review the content and follows community guidelines. If your region is not supported, using a reliable VPN can provide access to Shorts.
On the channel management side, aim to increase your volume of Shorts uploads over time. The more consistent and frequently you can publish quality Shorts, the more YouTube’s algorithm will share your content and grow your audience. If managing issues on mobile, restarting your device and clearing the YouTube app’s cache/data can often fix glitches.
While frustrating at first, Shorts not appearing is usually resolvable with a few simple troubleshooting steps. By honing your channel strategy and optimizing shorts based on YouTube’s best practices, you can gain traction in this popular new format. Tap into the rising demand for vertical short-form video by taking advantage of YouTube’s massive built-in audience. Just a few tweaks and persistence with uploading are required to get your Shorts seen by more viewers.
In the competitive world of content creation, learning formats like Shorts are key to expanding your audience. With the right approach, diligence, and optimization, YouTube Shorts can help take your channel to the next level. Be thorough in troubleshooting errors, keep persevering despite initial setbacks, and let the strength of your compelling content shine through. The opportunities to engage more viewers await as you master YouTube’s latest feature for the future of online video.