How to Make YouTube Shorts Play Continuously

Wish your YouTube Shorts would just keep playing, one after another, without you having to swipe every 60 seconds? Whether you're a viewer trying to enjoy a seamless stream of content or a creator looking to increase watch time, that constant interaction with the Shorts feed can be a challenge. This guide walks you through the simple, effective methods to make Shorts play continuously, giving you more control over your viewing experience and content strategy.

Understanding the "Autoplay" Dilemma on YouTube Shorts

The YouTube Shorts feed is designed for active discovery. The entire interface, from the vertical swipe to the in-your-face algorithm, is built to encourage users to constantly seek out the next piece of content. This is great for an endless scroll, but not so much for a lean-back, passive viewing experience. Unlike standard long-form YouTube videos, where a prominent "Autoplay" toggle lets you automatically watch the next recommended video, the Shorts player doesn't have a built-in feature for continuous play within the main feed.

This presents a bit of a problem for two groups:

• For viewers, it means you can't just put on a series of Shorts and let them play in the background, on your TV, or while you're multitasking. The feed demands your attention.
• For creators, it means session duration is often cut short. Once a viewer swipes away, the algorithm decides what they see next, which might not be another one of your videos. Keeping viewers engaged with your content for longer is a major goal, and the standard Shorts feed works against that.

Fortunately, there are clever workarounds that leverage other YouTube features to create the exact continuous loop you're looking for.

Method 1: The Playlist Hack (for Viewers and Creators)

The most powerful and versatile method for getting Shorts to play continuously is to use YouTube’s playlist feature. When you add a Short to a standard playlist and play it from there, you bypass the Shorts player entirely. Instead, the video loads in the standard YouTube desktop or mobile player, which comes equipped with the crucial "Loop" and "Play All" functions that are missing from the Shorts shelf.

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Create a Continuous Shorts Playlist

This process is simple and gives you total control over what plays next. You can build playlists of your favorite creator's content, mix and match different Shorts, or organize them by theme.

1. Find a Short you want to add. While watching a Short, locate the row of icons on the right-hand side (Like, Dislike, Comment, etc.).
2. Tap "Save". This button, typically near the bottom of the icons, brings up the playlist menu. It might be located under the three-dot menu (...) on some devices.
3. Create a new playlist. You'll see an option to "Create a new playlist" at the top of the menu. Tap it.
4. Name your playlist. Give it a memorable name like "Shorts Loop," "Late Night Binge," or "Marketing Quick Tips." Choose the privacy setting (Public, Unlisted, or Private) that suits your needs.
5. Keep adding Shorts. As you discover more Shorts you want in your bingeable collection, just tap the "Save" button again and add them to your newly created playlist.

How to Watch Your Playlist on a Continuous Loop

Once your playlist is built, watching it is easy.

1. Navigate to your Library. On the YouTube app or website, find your "Library" tab.
2. Select your Shorts playlist. Scroll down to the "Playlists" section and tap the one you just created.
3. Play the playlist. Tap "Play All" or select the first video in the sequence to begin.
4. Activate Loop mode. This is the key step. Once the video starts playing in the standard player, look for the player controls. You'll see a Loop icon (two arrows chasing each other in a rectangle). Tap this icon to activate it.

Now, YouTube will play every Short in your playlist in order. When it reaches the end, it will automatically loop back to the beginning and start over again, playing indefinitely until you turn it off. This is perfect for putting content on a TV during a party, listening to music clips while you work, or just enjoying an uninterrupted flow of curated content.

Method 2: The Desktop "Watch as Video" Trick

If you're on a desktop computer and just want to loop a single Short over and over again, there's an even faster method that involves a simple URL trick. This is ideal if you've found a Short with a great audio track you want to listen to repeatedly or need to study a quick tutorial clip without it stopping.

When you're viewing a Short on your desktop browser, take a look at the URL in the address bar. It will typically be structured like this:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VIDEO_ID

To break it out of the Shorts player, all you have to do is manually change the word shorts to watch. So, the URL becomes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID

Hit Enter, and the page will reload. The same exact video will now appear in YouTube's standard video player interface. From here, you can simply right-click on the video and select the "Loop" option from the context menu. The Short will now play on repeat forever until you turn it off or close the tab.

Why Creating Continuous Play Experiences Matters for YouTube Creators

While these looping methods are great for viewers, they represent a significant strategic opportunity for creators trying to build their brand and grow their channel. By taking an active role in guiding your audience's viewing path, you can dramatically improve your channel's performance.

Boost Watch Time and Session Duration

Watch time - the total accumulated time people spend watching your videos - is a primary ranking factor for the YouTube algorithm. When a viewer watches a playlist of your Shorts, every single second of that viewing time contributes to your channel's total. Instead of a viewer watching one 45-second Short and swiping away, you can get them to watch five, ten, or even twenty of your Shorts back-to-back.

This creates a long session duration, sending a powerful signal to YouTube that viewers find your content highly engaging. In turn, the algorithm is more likely to recommend your Shorts and long-form videos to new audiences, creating a spiral of positive growth.

Curate a Seamless Brand Experience

The Shorts feed is chaotic and random by design. Playlists allow you to bring order to that chaos. By grouping your Shorts into thematic playlists, you can create a guided, binge-worthy experience for your audience. This helps establish your expertise and shows new viewers the depth of value you provide.

Consider these examples:

• A financial advisor could have playlists titled "Investing 101," "Saving for Retirement," and "Quick Tax Tips."
• A fitness channel could organize Shorts into "5-Minute Workouts," "Healthy Meal Prep," and "Stretching Exercises."
• A digital marketer could create playlists for "TikTok Ad Tricks," "Instagram Growth Hacks," and "Writing Better Captions."

These organized collections turn your channel from a random assortment of short clips into a valuable, structured resource, encouraging viewers to subscribe and keep coming back for more.

Strategically Funnel Your Audience

Playlists of your best Shorts can serve as an introductory funnel for new viewers. Think of it as a highlight reel for your channel. It's much easier to convince someone to watch a "best of" Shorts playlist than a 25-minute video. If they like what they see in your curated playlist, they are far more likely to check out your longer content. You can promote these playlists in your video descriptions, on your community tab, and at the end of your long-form videos to keep viewers locked into your channel's ecosystem.

Final Thoughts

Getting YouTube Shorts to play continuously boils down to moving them out of the restrictive Shorts feed and into the more flexible standard player using playlists or a simple URL change. These methods empower viewers to create the hands-off experience they want and provide creators with a powerful tool to increase watch time, deepen engagement, and strategically guide their audience.

Effectively managing these content strategies, especially when you're creating videos for multiple platforms, is where having the right workflow becomes so important. At Postbase, we built our platform for the reality of modern creators who live and breathe short-form video. Because our tools are designed video-first, we simplify the process of scheduling your Shorts, planning them on a visual calendar alongside your Reels and TikToks, and tracking analytics all in one place. It helps you focus on creating great content and curating playlists instead of getting bogged down by the technology.