Guide
Resize a video for YouTube Shorts: vertical or square
Drop a video above, keep 9:16 and choose Crop or Pad. You get an MP4 in a shape YouTube counts as a Short.
In short
- A YouTube Short has to be square or vertical, and vertical 9:16 is already set here.
- YouTube does not count a 16:9 video as a Short, so it is not offered here.
- A Short can run up to 3 minutes if uploaded on or after 15 October 2024.
- Crop fills the screen and cuts the sides off. Pad keeps the picture and adds bars.
- Nothing is uploaded. The tool runs in this browser tab, so your video stays with you.
Shorts resizer
Runs in your browser · files never leave this page
Drop a video here
or
Shape
How to fit it
Your file never leaves this page. The engine downloads once, the work happens in this tab, and there is no upload, no account and no storage. Close the tab and the file is gone unless you downloaded it.
More free tools: Video compressor · Video resizer · Video to MP4 · Video to MP3 · Video clipper · all tools
What YouTube asks for
From YouTube's help page on Shorts, read in September 2026.
- YouTube counts an upload as a Short only if it is square or vertical and 3 minutes or shorter.
- A landscape 16:9 video is not a Short, which is why 16:9 is not offered on this page.
YouTube Shorts specs
| Spec | YouTube asks for |
|---|---|
| Shape | Square or vertical |
| Length | Up to 3 minutes |
| Applies to | Shorts uploaded on or after 15 October 2024 |
Spec: Shape
- YouTube asks for
- Square or vertical
Spec: Length
- YouTube asks for
- Up to 3 minutes
Spec: Applies to
- YouTube asks for
- Shorts uploaded on or after 15 October 2024
Crop or pad?
Crop fills the new shape and cuts the edges off. Pad keeps the whole picture and adds bars.
- Crop is the better choice when the person or the product sits in the middle of the frame.
- Pad is the better choice when nothing may be cut, such as text, a logo or a wide product shot.
- You pick black or white bars for padding.
- The preview shows the crop window and how much of the picture you keep.
- If your video is longer than 3 minutes, trim it first with the free video clipper.
What a crop keeps
Crop sizes from a 1080p clip. The crop is taken from the centre and never blown up.
| Shape | From a landscape clip (1920 × 1080) | From a vertical phone clip (1080 × 1920) |
|---|---|---|
| 9:16 | 606 × 1080, keeps 32% | 1080 × 1920, keeps 100% |
| 1:1 | 1080 × 1080, keeps 56% | 1080 × 1080, keeps 56% |
Shape: 9:16
- From a landscape clip (1920 × 1080)
- 606 × 1080, keeps 32%
- From a vertical phone clip (1080 × 1920)
- 1080 × 1920, keeps 100%
Shape: 1:1
- From a landscape clip (1920 × 1080)
- 1080 × 1080, keeps 56%
- From a vertical phone clip (1080 × 1920)
- 1080 × 1080, keeps 56%
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
How to resize a video for Shorts
Five steps, all in this tab.
Resize a video for YouTube Shorts
Drop your video
In the box at the top
Keep 9:16
Or pick another shape
Choose Crop or Pad
Check the preview
Press Resize
Written once as an MP4
Download and post
Saved to your device
Limits of a browser tool
Everything runs on your own device, so your device sets the limits.
- File size: up to 500 MB runs comfortably. Bigger files may run out of memory.
- Speed: the engine uses one processor core, so a long re-encode takes minutes.
- First run: the engine downloads once, about 32 MB. After that it starts fast.
- Phones: it works, but a laptop is faster and has more memory.
Questions people ask
- What aspect ratio is a YouTube Short?
- Square or vertical, per YouTube's help page. 9:16 fills the phone screen, and 1:1 counts too.
- How long can a YouTube Short be?
- Up to 3 minutes for Shorts uploaded on or after 15 October 2024, per YouTube's help page.
- Can I turn a landscape YouTube video into a Short?
- Yes. Crop it to 9:16 to fill the screen, or Pad it to keep the whole picture with bars. Trim it to 3 minutes or less first.
- Why is there no 16:9 option?
- A 16:9 video is not a Short. This page only offers the shapes YouTube counts as Shorts. For any other shape, use the free video resizer.
- Is my video uploaded anywhere?
- No. The tool runs inside this browser tab, so your video never leaves your device. Only the engine itself is downloaded, about 32 MB, once per visit.
Need the finished video, not just a resized file? Cutroom turns one clip of you talking into a captioned 9:16 video. Your first video is free.