How to Change the Audio Track in YouTube Shorts

Posted a YouTube Short with the perfect visuals but the wrong audio? It’s a common frustration that can turn a potential hit into a missed opportunity. Getting the music or sound just right is one of the most important parts of a successful Short, and fortunately, fixing it is straightforward. This guide will walk you through exactly how to change the audio on your YouTube Shorts, both before you post and what to do if you’ve already hit publish.

Why the Right Audio Is Non-Negotiable for Shorts

In the fast-paced world of short-form video, sound is more than just background noise, it's a core part of the experience. The right audio track can grab attention, set the mood, and make your content instantly more shareable. Trending sounds are often boosted by the YouTube algorithm, giving your content an instant discoverability bump. Whether it's a popular song, a relatable voiceover, or a viral meme sound, the audio you choose can be the difference between a few dozen views and a few hundred thousand.

Changing the Audio in the YouTube App (Before You Publish)

The easiest and most effective time to perfect your audio is during the creation process, right within the YouTube app. This method gives you complete access to YouTube’s massive library of licensed, trending music and sounds.

Here’s your step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Create a New Short

Open your YouTube app and tap the + icon at the bottom center of the screen. From the menu that appears, select Create a Short.

Step 2: Record or Upload Your Video Clip

You can either record a new clip directly in the app by pressing and holding the red record button, or you can upload a pre-recorded video from your phone’s gallery by tapping the small square icon in the bottom-left corner.

Step 3: Access the Sound Library

Once your clip is recorded or uploaded, tap the checkmark button to proceed to the editing screen. Here, you'll see a series of icons at the top or bottom of your screen. Tap on the Sound icon (it often looks like a musical note). This is your gateway to the entire YouTube Shorts audio library.

• Inside, you’ll find sections like Recommended and Top sounds, which are great for quickly finding what’s currently trending.
• You can also use the search bar at the top to look for a specific artist, song title, or genre.

Step 4: Select and Adjust Your Chosen Sound

Tap a song to preview it. Once you find one you like, tap the blue arrow button to add it to your video. Now you have a few essential adjustments you can make:

• Adjust the snippet: After you add the sound, tap the “Adjust” button. You’ll see a waveform of the song. You can drag this waveform left or right to pick the exact 15- to 60-second segment you want to use. This is perfect for timing a lyric or beat drop with your video.
• Adjust the volume: This is a crucial step! Tap the “Volume” button. You’ll see two sliders: "Original sound" and the sound you just added. If you want the music to be the main audio, slide “Original sound” down to 0%. If you're doing a voiceover on top of music, you might lower the music volume and keep your original audio higher. Experiment to find the perfect mix.

Step 5: Finalize and Upload

Once your audio is perfectly synced and balanced, tap “Done.” Now you can add captions, filters, and any other final touches. Write your description, add your hashtags, and tap Upload Short to share it with the world.

The Big Question: Can You Change Audio After a Short is Live?

Let's clear this up right away: No, you cannot directly swap out the audio track on a YouTube Short that has already been published. Once a Short is uploaded, the video file and its associated audio track are locked in. This is partly due to technical reasons and partly due to the music licensing agreements YouTube has in place - the license is tied to that specific upload.

Don't worry, though. While you can't edit the original file, you have two main workarounds to fix a Short with the wrong sound. One is an official but very limited method, and the other is the strategy most creators use.

The Official (and Flawed) Workaround: Using the YouTube Studio Editor

YouTube has a video editor within the desktop version of YouTube Studio that allows you to add or replace audio. However, this tool was primarily designed for long-form videos, and using it on a Short comes with some serious compromises.

A Quick Reality Check: What This Method Actually Does

Before you run to your computer, understand the limitations of using the YouTube Studio editor for a Short:

• Limited Music Library: You won’t find the trendy, popular songs from the Shorts mobile app. Instead, you get access to the YouTube Audio Library, which is filled with royalty-free production music and sound effects. It’s useful for background music but not for jumping on trends.
• Original Audio is Erased: This process doesn't let you mix audio. It completely removes the original sound from your video and replaces it with the new track.
• Risk of Losing "Shorts" status: In some cases, editing a Short in this way can cause YouTube to re-process it as a standard vertical video, which means it might stop being promoted on the Shorts shelf. This is a huge risk to your video’s potential reach.

Because of these downsides, this method is rarely recommended. But if you must use it, here's how.

Step-by-Step: How to Use the Desktop Editor

1. Navigate to studio.youtube.com on a desktop computer.
2. Click Content from the menu on the left.
3. Find the Short you want to edit, hover over it, and click the Details (pencil) icon.
4. From the next menu on the left, click Editor.
5. In the editor timeline, look for the audio row (it has a music note icon) and click + ADD A TRACK.
6. This will open the YouTube Audio Library. Browse or search for music, then click Add to drop it into your video timeline.
7. The new audio track appears as a blue bar. You can drag its ends to trim it to the length of your video.
8. When you’re finished, click Save. YouTube will take some time to process the changes.

The Smarter and Safer Fix: The Re-Upload Strategy

This is the method used by virtually every experienced creator and social media manager because it’s simple, safe, and gives you the best results. It involves deleting the original Short and re-uploading it with the correct audio.

This approach protects your video’s status as a Short, gives you full access to the trending audio library again, and lets you learn from your first attempt (maybe you thought of a better caption or a few more hashtags to add!).

Step-by-Step: The Re-Upload Process

1. Don’t Panic: It happens to everyone. The sooner you catch it, the better.
2. Save Your Analytics (Optional): If the Short has already gathered some views and likes, take a quick screenshot of the analytics so you have a record of its initial performance.
3. Download The Original Video (If Needed): If you no longer have the original video file on your phone, you can download it from YouTube Studio. Go to the "Content" page, click the three-dot menu next to the video, and select “Download.” Note: Sound you added in the YouTube app won't be on this download - just the video, which is exactly what you need.
4. Delete the Original Short: To avoid having duplicate content on your channel, you must delete the first version. From the "Content" page in Studio, check the box next to the troublesome Short, click “More actions,” and select “Delete forever.” Confirm the deletion.
5. Re-upload with the Right Sound: Now, go back to your phone, open the YouTube app, and follow the steps from the first section of this guide to upload the video again, this time choosing the perfect audio track and making sure the volume levels are just right.

Tips for Picking the Perfect Audio Every Time

To avoid having to re-upload in the future, keep these tips in mind when creating your Shorts:

• Watch for Trends: Spend 10 minutes a day scrolling the Shorts feed. If you hear a sound pop up two or three times, it’s likely trending. Tap the sound to see how many Shorts have been made with it.
• Match the Vibe: Don't just pick a sound because it’s popular. Ask yourself if it genuinely fits the mood and message of your video. An upbeat pop song won’t work on a serious or sentimental clip.
• Prioritize Audio to Maximize Length: When you select a sound before recording, YouTube lets you record for the full length of the audio clip (often up to 60 seconds). If you add sound after recording a clip over 15 seconds, YouTube may restrict the music to just 15 seconds.
• Creative Use of Original Audio: Sometimes, the most powerful sound is your own voice or the natural, ambient noise of your scene. Use the volume mixer to keep your original audio in the spotlight and use music as a subtle, supporting element.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, selecting the audio for your YouTube Short before you publish is the simplest path to success. If you make a mistake, don't rely on the clunky desktop editor. The most effective solution is to quickly delete the video and re-upload it with the sound you intended. This preserves the quality and potential reach of your content.

Getting your Shorts right the first time saves you a ton of headaches, which is why planning your content is so important. We designed Postbase with a visual calendar that helps you map out your video ideas, captions, and even audio choices in advance. When you can see your entire YouTube Shorts strategy laid out clearly, you’re less likely to make last-minute mistakes and can be confident that every post goes live looking - and sounding - exactly as planned.