How to Find Background Music in YouTube Shorts

The right song can transform a good YouTube Short into a great one, but finding the perfect track often feels like half the battle. When sound is such a big part of what makes short-form video work, you can't afford to treat it as an afterthought. This guide cuts through the noise and shows you every reliable method for finding and adding background music to your YouTube Shorts, from the easy in-app library to advanced sourcing for custom audio.

The Official Method: Using the YouTube Shorts Audio Library

Let's start with the simplest, safest, and most effective way to add music: using the library built directly into the YouTube app. When you use audio from this library, you never have to worry about copyright claims or your video being muted. YouTube has already handled the licensing, so you can focus on creating.

Plus, using sounds directly from the Shorts library is the best way to participate in trending challenges and memes, which is a massive driver of discovery on the platform. If a sound is trending, using it makes your Short more likely to be seen by people interested in that trend.

Step-by-Step: Adding Music While Creating a Short

The process is incredibly straightforward once you know where to look. Here’s how to do it when you're recording or uploading a new Short:

1. Open the Shorts Camera: Tap the + icon at the bottom of the YouTube app and select "Create a Short."
2. Find the "Add sound" Button: At the very top of the screen, you'll see a button labeled "Add sound." Tap it to open the audio library. If you've already recorded or imported clips, it might appear as a music note icon in the editing toolbar at the bottom of the screen.
3. Browse the Audio Library: You're now inside YouTube's massive collection of licensed music. It can feel a bit overwhelming, but it's organized to help you find what you need.
   • For You: This is a personalized feed of recommended sounds based on your viewing history and what’s popular. It's often the best place to start.
   • Search Bar: If you have a specific song, artist, or vibe in mind (e.g., "lo-fi beats," "80s synth," or "Doja Cat"), use the search bar at the top.
   • Playlists and Sections: Scroll down to see curated playlists and charts like Top sounds, Afrobeats Essentials, or MoodBooster. These categories are fantastic for discovering something new that fits your video’s mood.
4. Preview and Select a Sound: Tap the play icon next to any track to hear a preview. When you find the one you want, simply tap the track title or the blue arrow icon on the right to add it to your video.
5. Adjust and Sync Your Audio: Once a sound is added, you aren't stuck with the default starting point. Tap the "Adjust" button (it usually looks like a soundwave icon). Here, you can drag the waveform left or right to choose the exact 15- or 60-second clip of the song you want to use. This is perfect for aligning your video clips with a specific beat drop, chorus, or instrumental part of a song.

Finding Inspiration: How to Discover Trending Sounds

The best Shorts often start with the sound. If you plan your content around a trending audio clip, you tap into a conversation that's already happening on the platform. But you don't have to stumble upon these sounds by accident. You can actively look for them.

1. Scrolling Your Shorts Feed (The Classic Method)

This is the most organic way to find what's resonating with audiences right now. As you scroll through your Shorts feed, pay close attention to the audio.

• Listen for Repetition: Are you hearing the same song or sound bite over and over? That's a trend.
• Spot the Sound: When you find a Short with music you love, look at the bottom left of the screen. You'll see the song title or audio source scrolling next to a music note icon.
• Tap the Sound to Investigate: Tapping that sound title takes you to the official audio page for that track. This page is a goldmine. You can see how many other Shorts have used the sound, which gives you an idea of its popularity. From this page, you have two powerful options:
  • Bookmark Icon: Tap the bookmark (or 'favorite') icon at the top to save the sound. The next time you create a Short and open the audio library, you’ll find it waiting for you in the "Favorited" tab.
  • "Use this Sound" Button: Ready to jump on the trend immediately? Just tap the big red "Use this sound" button at the bottom of the page, and it will take you directly to the Shorts camera with that audio already loaded.

2. The "Remix" Feature for Instant Sound Sourcing

YouTube's "Remix" feature is a massively underrated tool for creators. It allows you to use the audio from almost any public video on YouTube - including long-form uploads - in your own Short. Foraging for unique audio clips? This is where you can find something no one else is using.

How to Use the Remix Feature:

1. Find a YouTube video (Short or long-form) with audio you want to use. It could be someone talking, a clip from a podcast, a unique sound effect, or background music.
2. Below the video player, look for the "Remix" button (it's often next to "Share" and "Download").
3. From the Remix menu, tap "Sound."
4. YouTube will automatically process the audio and open the Shorts editor with a clip from that audio ready for you to use. You can then adjust the clip just like you would any song from the audio library.

This is fantastic for voiceovers, commentary, or using instrumental beds from creator-friendly music channels. Keep in mind that not all videos will have the Remix feature enabled, as the original creator can turn it off.

3. Explore YouTube Music Charts and Playlists

Want a more bird's-eye view of what’s big? Head over to YouTube Music. While you can't import a song directly from the YouTube Music app into a Short, you can use it as a powerful research tool.

• Check out the YouTube Charts. They have dedicated charts for "Top Songs" and "Trending" music videos globally and by country. This tells you what the general population is listening to right now, a good indicator of what might become the next big sound on Shorts.
• Browse Official Playlists on the YouTube Music channel. Playlists like "Viral Hits" are specifically curated to track songs that are blowing up on social media, giving you a head start for spotting the next big thing.

Find a song you like? Note the title and artist, then switch back to the Shorts creator and search for it in the Audio Library. More often than not, it'll be there.

Going Custom: Using Original or Royalty-Free Music

Sometimes the perfect sound isn't in YouTube's library. You might have an original track, a song from an indie artist you have permission from, or a piece of royalty-free music you want to use. This method gives you complete creative control, but it also comes with a big responsibility: copyright.

Understanding the Copyright Risks

Before you upload anything with external music, you need to understand the rules. If you use a copyrighted song from your favorite artist without a license - even just a 15-second clip - you are breaking the law. It’s that simple. Pretending you didn't know or writing "I don't own the rights to this music" in your description provides zero legal protection.

The consequences can include:

• Your Short’s audio being muted.
• Your video being blocked or taken down completely.
• Any ad revenue your video might generate being given to the copyright holder.
• Receiving a copyright strike on your channel (three strikes can lead to channel termination).

The only way to avoid this is to use music you have an explicit license to use on YouTube.

Where to Find Safe, Royalty-Free Music

Luckily, there are plenty of places to get licensed music.

• The YouTube Audio Library (in YouTube Studio): Don't confuse this with the Shorts audio library. This is a massive resource found in your channel's YouTube Studio dashboard (on a desktop). It’s filled with thousands of high-quality instrumental tracks and sound effects that are 100% free to use in any of your YouTube videos, including Shorts that you edit externally.
• Subscription Services (Epidemic Sound, Artlist, Soundstripe): For serious creators, these services are invaluable. You pay a monthly or annual fee for unlimited access to a massive catalog of professional music. The licensing is clear and covers your use on social media platforms, so you never have to worry about copyright claims.
• Creative Commons and Public Domain: Sites like Free Music Archive source music with Creative Commons licenses. This can be a great option, but you must read the license terms carefully. Some require you to give credit (attribution) to the artist in your description, while others may not permit commercial use.

How to Add Your Own Audio to a Short

Once you have a licensed audio file, the workflow is different. You can't add it through the Shorts camera.

1. Download the audio file from your chosen source (e.g., Epidemic Sound).
2. Open a third-party video editor on your phone (like CapCut, InShot, Videoleap) or on a computer (like Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve).
3. Import both your video clips and your audio file into the editing software.
4. Edit your video and sound together. This is where you can trim your clips, align them to the beat of the music, and perfect your transitions.
5. Export the finished video as one file (typically an .mp4).
6. Upload the final video to YouTube. In the YouTube app, tap `+` >, `Create a Short` and choose your pre-edited video from your camera roll. Since the audio is already baked into the video file, you will not select anything from the `Add sound` button.

Pro Tips for Choosing the Right Music

Just finding music isn't enough, you have to pick the right music. Here are a few final pointers to guide you.

Match the Vibe, Don’t Force a Trend

The music needs to complement the mood of your video. A sad, slow song over a high-energy workout clip just won’t work. Before jumping on a trending sound, ask yourself if it genuinely fits the content you're making.

Pay Attention to the Beat and Pacing

The best Shorts use the music's rhythm to their advantage. Try timing your video cuts, text reveals, or on-screen actions to the beat of the song. This simple editing trick, known as "beat matching," makes a video feel incredibly polished and satisfying to watch.

Use Sounds Strategically for Memes

Some sounds aren't just background music, they're the setup or punchline for a joke. Before using a popular meme sound, watch how others are using it to understand the context. Joining the conversation is powerful, but only if you get the reference.

Final Thoughts

Finding the right music for your YouTube Shorts comes down to a few key approaches. Using the built-in library is always the fastest and safest for tapping into trends, while proactively exploring other Shorts and charts will give you an endless stream of inspiration. For totally original projects, using properly licensed external music can set your content apart.

With so much to think about - from finding the perfect sound to shooting the videos and engaging with your audience - keeping your content organized can feel like a full-time job. We built Postbase because we get that chaos. As creators ourselves, we know how powerful it is to see everything planned out visually. Using our calendar to schedule content across YouTube Shorts, Reels, and TikTok helps us see our entire strategy at a glance, so we can focus more of our energy on creating rather than just managing.