YouTube Adds Filters to Exclude Shorts from Searches

YouTube has introduced significant updates to its search filters, allowing users to exclude short-form Shorts videos from results and prioritize long-form content, in response to widespread user frustration over mixed formats cluttering searches. The changes, which began rolling out on the platform's web and mobile versions, aim to streamline the discovery process and make results more relevant.

The most prominent addition is a new option under the Type menu that lets users select either "Videos" for traditional long-form content or "Shorts" for vertical, short-duration clips. Previously, searches often returned a blend of both, forcing viewers to scroll through irrelevant items. Testing shows that choosing "Videos" now filters out all Shorts entirely, while selecting "Shorts" limits results to that format alone. This addresses a common complaint from users seeking in-depth explainers or tutorials without interruption from brief snippets.

Alongside the format toggle, YouTube has refined its sorting tools for better accuracy. The "Sort By" menu is now called "Prioritize," a rename intended to more clearly indicate its role in emphasizing key ranking factors. Within this menu, the...