How to Upload YouTube Shorts on Desktop

Uploading YouTube Shorts directly from your desktop is a complete game-changer for your content workflow, making the whole process faster and more streamlined. Forget fumbling with your phone - this guide will walk you through exactly how to upload Shorts from your computer, cover the technical requirements, and share a few pro tips to make your videos stand out.

Why You Should Upload YouTube Shorts from Your Desktop

While YouTube Shorts started as a mobile-first feature, bringing your workflow to a desktop or laptop offers some serious advantages. For creators and social media managers who value efficiency, uploading from a computer isn't just a preference, it’s a strategic move.

Here’s why it makes sense:

• Streamlined Editing Workflow: Most high-quality video editing happens on a computer using software like Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, or DaVinci Resolve. When you edit on your desktop, you can directly export the final video and upload it to YouTube without the extra step of transferring the file to your phone. This completely removes a friction point and lets you move from a final cut to a live post in minutes.
• Better Asset Management: Your desktop is your command center. It holds your brand assets, video files, thumbnail graphics, and notes. Keeping your entire upload process there just makes sense. You can easily find files, copy-paste perfectly crafted descriptions, and grab brand graphics without Airdropping or emailing files to yourself.
• Bulk Uploading and Scheduling: If you're creating multiple Shorts at once (a practice known as batching), the desktop is your best friend. You can upload several videos in one go and schedule them to be published over the coming days or weeks. This keeps your channel active and frees you from the daily pressure of having to create and post something new.
• Easier to Write Titles and Descriptions: Let’s be honest - typing out thoughtful titles, detailed descriptions, and a list of relevant hashtags is a whole lot easier and faster with a physical keyboard. You can focus on getting the keywords right and structuring your description for maximum impact, something that’s much harder to do on a tiny mobile screen.

Ultimately, a desktop-based workflow gives you more control and makes content creation feel less chaotic and much more organized.

The Golden Rules: Technical Requirements for YouTube Shorts

Before you hit the upload button, you have to make sure your video file actually qualifies as a Short. YouTube actively looks for two key technical specifications to distinguish a Short from a regular long-form video. If your video doesn't meet these requirements, it will be published as a standard video, missing out on the massive discovery potential of the Shorts feed.

Here are the two non-negotiable rules:

1. Video Length: 60 Seconds or Less

Your video must be no longer than 60 seconds. Even one-tenth of a second over, like 60.1 seconds, will disqualify it from being a Short. When exporting from your editing software, double-check that your video’s duration is a clean 1:00 or less. For best results, aim for a length around 59 seconds to be safe.

PRO TIP: Aim for a shorter loop. While you have 60 seconds, many of the most successful Shorts are 15-30 seconds long. They get to the point fast and loop seamlessly, encouraging repeat views and boosting watch time.

2. Aspect Ratio: Vertical is King

YouTube Shorts are designed for vertical viewing on mobile phones. To qualify, your video needs to be in a vertical or square aspect ratio.

• The ideal aspect ratio is 9:16. This is the standard vertical video dimension (1080 pixels wide by 1920 pixels tall). It fills the entire mobile screen and provides the most immersive viewing experience.
• A square aspect ratio (1:1) also works. In this case, your video would be something like 1080x1080 pixels wide. If uploaded this way, YouTube will display it as a Short, but it will have black bars at the top and bottom to fill the rest of the vertical screen.

A video in a standard horizontal format (16:9) will not be classified as a Short, regardless of its length.

Your Step-by-Step Guide to Uploading a YouTube Short on Desktop

Ready to go? The process itself is surprisingly straightforward and uses the same uploader as regular videos. Here’s exactly what to do.

Step 1: Go to YouTube Studio

Log in to your YouTube account. In the top right corner, click on your profile picture and select "YouTube Studio" from the dropdown menu.

Step 2: Start the Upload Process

Once you’re in your Studio dashboard, look for the "Create" button in the top right corner (it looks like a camera with a plus sign). Click it, and then select "Upload videos" from the menu.

Step 3: Select Your Video File

An upload window will pop up. You can either drag and drop your video file directly into this window or click "SELECT FILES" to browse for it on your computer. Make sure you choose the vertical video file that is 60 seconds or less.

Step 4: Craft Your Title and Description

As your video uploads, you'll be taken to the "Details" screen. This is where you add the metadata for your Short.

• Title: Create a short, punchy title that sparks curiosity. Keep it under 60 characters if you can, as longer titles get cut off in the Shorts feed.
• Description: While most Shorts viewers won't click to see the description, it's still picked up by YouTube's search algorithm. Write a sentence or two with relevant keywords.

Should you add #Shorts? YouTube’s system is smart enough now to automatically identify a Short based on its length and aspect ratio. However, adding #Shorts (capitalization doesn't matter) to either your title or description is still highly recommended. It acts as a clear signal to both the algorithm and users that your video is intended for the Shorts experience, potentially helping with its initial distribution.

Step 5: Fill Out Additional Details

Scroll down the page. Here are a few other settings to configure:

• Audience: You must always declare if your content is "Made for Kids." Be honest here to comply with YouTube's policies.
• Thumbnail: You can upload a custom thumbnail. While it won't be shown in the Shorts feed (which picks a random frame from the video), your custom thumbnail will appear if your video shows up in YouTube search, on your channel page, or in the suggestions sidebar. It's good practice to create one.
• Tags: Similar to thumbnails, tags are more for general YouTube search than for the Shorts feed. Add a few highly relevant keywords here to give your video a better chance of being discovered outside the feed.

Step 6: Set Your Video's Visibility and Publish

After the details page, click "Next" through "Video Elements" (like End Screens, which aren't available for Shorts) page until you get to the "Visibility" tab. Here, you have three main options:

• Private: Only you and people you invite can view the video.
• Unlisted: Anyone with the video link can view it, but it won’t appear publicly on your channel or in search results.
• Public: The video will be visible to everyone immediately.

There's also a fourth, powerful option on this screen: Schedule. Select this option to pick a future date and time for your short to go live. This unlocks the powerful content batching workflows discussed earlier, allowing you to queue up weeks of shorts.

Once you've made your choice, click "Publish" or "Schedule," and you're done! YouTube will process your upload, and as long as it meets the format and length requirements, it will be added to the Shorts shelf.

Advanced Tips & Common Mistakes to Avoid

Just uploading the video is one thing, but making sure it performs well requires a little more strategy. Here are a few things to keep in mind.

Do: Design for a Quick Hook and a Loop

The first 1-3 seconds are your entire sales pitch. Start with immediate action, a question, or a provocative statement. Shorts that perform well often lead right back into the beginning, creating an endless loop that encourages viewers to watch multiple times. This dramatically increases your total watch time.

Don't: Upload with Watermarks From Other Platforms

Avoid uploading videos with prominent watermarks from platforms like TikTok or Instagram Reels. While YouTube hasn't explicitly said it penalizes these videos, it has confirmed it prioritizes original content. Taking the extra minute to export a clean version of your video without a watermark is always the better move.

Do: Use on-screen text

Most Shorts will be viewed with the sound off. Make your content accessible and immediately understandable with clear, bold text captions or headlines. It helps grab attention and deliver your core message without needing audio.

Don’t: Forget About Your Channel Page

Your goal with Shorts isn't just to get views, it's to get subscribers. A viewer who enjoys your Short will often click through to your channel page. Make sure it's optimized with a clear banner, a compelling channel trailer, and well-organized playlists showcasing your best long-form content, leading to a much more attractive profile to any would-be subscriber.

Final Thoughts

Moving your YouTube Shorts workflow from your phone to your desktop unlocks a ton of efficiency and gives you far more creative control over how to build your content library. By sticking to the correct video specifications and taking a few moments to optimize your titles and descriptions, you can create a consistent stream of content that fuels your channel’s growth.

Streamlining by uploading from a desktop is a great step. However, when you're ready to schedule posts and manage not just your YouTube content, but your entire social media presence from a single hub, you may notice the weaknesses of older, clunky social media tools. We recognized that legacy tools were built for a different era, forcing you to use workarounds for vertical video or causing frustratingly random publishing failures. That’s why Postbase was designed from day one to handle the next generation of social content intuitively. Our modern, simple workflow makes complicated scheduling patterns a breeze, all within an intuitive visual calendar where you can see all your posts in one place. Your scheduled content should feel organized and publishing from your desktop should be easy - every single time. Postbase delivers on that promise.