YouTube Introduces Option to Hide Shorts from Search Results

YouTube has announced a new feature that will allow users to hide Shorts from search results, making it easier to find traditional long-form videos on the platform.

In a statement released on Thursday, YouTube said it is adding a Shorts filter under the Type menu in search. The new option will enable users to remove short-form vertical videos from their search results, allowing quicker access to full-length content.

Currently, YouTube’s search results display a mix of Shorts and long-form videos. While this approach promotes short-form content, it has also frustrated users who are searching for detailed or in-depth videos but must scroll past multiple Shorts to find them.

The move comes amid growing concerns about the quality of Shorts content. A recent report by video-editing firm Kapwing revealed that more than 21 per cent of YouTube Shorts are generated using artificial intelligence. The report further noted that approximately 33 per cent of sampled Shorts were classified as low-quality or nonsensical content, which it said could negatively affect viewers’ mental or intellectual engagement.

Although YouTube has not announced an official rollout date for the new Shorts filter, language on the platform’s support page suggests the feature could be introduced soon.

In addition to the Shorts filter, YouTube is making changes to its search interface. The Sort By menu will be renamed “Prioritize,” while the View Count sorting option will be rebranded as “Popularity.” Under the new system, video rankings will no longer be based solely on view counts but will also consider other engagement signals, including watch time.

The company is also removing two search options: Upload Date, Last Hour and Sort by Rating.

According to YouTube, the changes are aimed at improving the user experience, noting that the affected features “were not working as expected and had contributed to user complaints.”

The updates reflect YouTube’s ongoing efforts to refine content discovery and address user concerns as short-form video continues to grow on the platform.