YouTube just rolled out a search overhaul that finally respects users who crave in-depth content over bite-sized clips. The big win? Shorts—those addictive 3-minute-or-less videos—can now be fully filtered out of results.
Key changes hit advanced search today:
- Shorts as separate type: Exclude them entirely for cleaner, long-form results.
- “Sort By” → “Prioritize”: Smarter sorting.
- “View Count” → “Popularity”: Factors watch time for truly engaging videos.
- Dropped filters: No more “Upload Date – Last Hour” or “Sort by Rating.”
Perfect timing as AI videos flood feeds—this helps serious searchers skip the noise.
Why It Feels Right
Launched in 2020, Shorts turned YouTube TikTok-y, frustrating tutorial hunters. Now, toggle them off and surface tutorials, reviews, deep dives. Popularity better gauges quality beyond raw views.
Available now on web/mobile—tap the filter icon post-search. No app update needed.