You’ve probably heard the "magic" number is ten minutes. Or maybe eight. Or maybe you've been told that YouTube is basically TikTok now and if you aren't posting sixty-second Shorts, you're basically invisible.
Honestly? It's all a bit of a mess.
If you're asking how long should a YouTube video be, the answer isn't a single number. It’s a Moving target. It’s a math problem disguised as art. Most creators get this wrong because they’re chasing a ghost—they're trying to please an algorithm they don't actually understand, rather than the person sitting on the other side of the screen.
The real answer depends on whether you’re trying to pay your rent, build a brand, or just share a hobby. It’s about the "Why."
Why the "10-Minute Rule" is Actually Kind of Dead
For years, the ten-minute mark was the holy grail. Why? Mid-roll ads.
YouTube used to require a video to be at least ten minutes long before you could manually place ads in the middle of the content. This led to a massive wave of "fluff." Creators would spend three minutes on an intro, four minutes on a tangent about their cat, and finally get to the point just to hit that 10:01 mark.
Then YouTube changed the rule to eight minutes.
Suddenly, everyone’s videos got two minutes shorter. It wasn’t because the stories changed. It was because the incentive changed. But here’s the thing: Google’s AI has gotten incredibly good at detecting "filler." If people drop off at the four-minute mark because you're rambling, your "eight-minute masterpiece" is actually a failure in the eyes of the recommendation engine.
MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson), arguably the most successful creator on the planet, has talked extensively about this on podcasts like The Joe Rogan Experience and The Colin and Samir Show. He doesn't make videos to hit a time stamp. He makes them to keep you watching. If a video needs to be 14 minutes to be "perfect," it’s 14 minutes. If it’s 6 minutes, it’s 6 minutes.
The algorithm follows the audience. If the audience leaves, the algorithm leaves. Simple as that.
Shorts vs. Long-form: The Identity Crisis
We have to talk about Shorts.
Since 2021, YouTube has been aggressively pushing its vertical, short-form platform to compete with TikTok. These videos are capped at 60 seconds. But just because you can go to 60 doesn't mean you should.
Data from various analytics firms suggests that the highest-retention Shorts often hover around the 15 to 40-second range. Why? Because the "loop" is easier to trigger. If someone watches your 20-second video twice, your retention is 200%. That’s rocket fuel for the Discover feed.
But there’s a trap.
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If you only post Shorts, you’re building a different kind of audience. It’s "snackable" content. You aren't building the same deep connection that a 20-minute video creates. It’s the difference between a high-five from a stranger and a long dinner with a friend. Both have value, but they aren't the same thing.
The Psychology of the "Perfect" Length
When you click on a video, you make a subconscious "time-value" calculation.
If I see a video titled "How to Fix a Leaky Faucet" and it's 25 minutes long, I’m clicking away. I don't want a documentary. I want my floor to stop being wet. I want a 3-minute video.
Conversely, if I see a video titled "The History of the Roman Empire" and it’s only 4 minutes long? I’m skeptical. There’s no way that video has the depth I’m looking for. I’m looking for 40 minutes, maybe even an hour.
This is what creators call "The Expectation Gap." You have to match the length to the promise of your title.
Making Sense of Watch Time vs. Retention
You'll hear people use these terms interchangeably. They aren't the same.
- Average View Duration (AVD): The literal amount of time someone stays.
- Average Percentage Viewed (APV): How much of the total video they watched.
YouTube likes both, but it prioritizes "Total Watch Time" for long-form content. If you have a 20-minute video and people watch 10 minutes of it (50% retention), that is much more valuable to YouTube than a 2-minute video that people watch all the way through (100% retention).
Why? Because you kept that user on YouTube for 10 minutes.
YouTube sells attention. The longer you keep someone on the site, the more ads they can show, and the more data they can collect. That’s why long-form content (15+ minutes) is currently seeing a massive resurgence in the "Video Essay" community. Channels like Wendover Productions or The Food Theorists thrive on 20-minute-plus runtimes because their audience is primed for deep dives.
A Rough Guide by Category
Don't treat these as law. Treat them as a starting point based on current 2025-2026 performance trends.
- Tutorials and How-To: Keep it under 5 minutes. Get to the point. No 30-second spinning logo intros.
- Vlogs: 10 to 12 minutes. You need enough time to establish a narrative arc (Beginning, Middle, End).
- Gaming: This is the outlier. Let's plays can be 30-60 minutes. Highly edited "Funny Moments" should be 8-12 minutes.
- Educational/Documentary: 15 to 30 minutes. People expect depth here. Don't be afraid of the "Netflix length."
- Commentary: 8 to 15 minutes. Long enough to build an argument, short enough to not get boring.
The Secret Sauce: Pacing Over Length
The number of minutes doesn't actually matter as much as the pacing.
I’ve watched 2-hour documentaries on the collapse of a specific company that felt like ten minutes. I’ve also watched 30-second commercials that felt like an eternity.
The "Sunk Cost Fallacy" is real in video production. Creators think because they spent five hours filming a scene, it has to stay in the video. It doesn't. If it doesn't move the story forward, cut it. Your YouTube video length should be exactly as long as it needs to be to tell the story—and not a single second longer.
A good exercise is the "10% Rule." Once you finish your edit, try to cut 10% of the total length without losing any information. You'd be surprised how much faster the video feels.
Monetization Reality Check
If you are a part of the YouTube Partner Program, you have to be strategic.
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As of now, the 8-minute mark is the threshold for mid-roll ads. If your video is 7 minutes and 55 seconds, you are leaving money on the table. Is it worth stretching a video five seconds to get that extra ad? Usually, yes. Is it worth stretching a four-minute video into an eight-minute video? Usually, no.
The damage you do to your retention by boring your audience will cost you more in the long run than the extra $2.00 in ad revenue you might make today.
What the Data Says About Discovery
Google Discover and the YouTube Homepage are two different beasts.
Discover tends to favor high-CTR (Click-Through Rate) content with high initial engagement. It loves "timely" content. On the other hand, the YouTube Homepage (Browse) is all about your history.
If you want to end up on the "suggested" sidebar of a viral video, your length needs to be somewhat similar to the video people are already watching. If someone is watching a 12-minute video, YouTube's AI is more likely to suggest another 10-15 minute video, because that user has already demonstrated they have that much time to spend.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Upload
Stop guessing. Start testing.
- Check your "Intro Drop-off": Look at your YouTube Analytics. If 40% of people leave in the first 30 seconds, your video length doesn't matter because your intro failed. Fix the hook first.
- Ignore the "Average": Look at your own best-performing videos. Do your 12-minute videos get more views than your 5-minute ones? Double down on what your specific audience wants.
- Trim the Fat: Use the "Relative Retention" graph. This shows you exactly where people are getting bored compared to other videos of the same length. If there's a valley in the graph, that's where you were too long-winded.
- Vary Your Output: Don't get stuck in a rut. Post a 20-minute deep dive one week and a 6-minute "quick hit" the next. See how the audience reacts.
The truth is, "How long should a YouTube video be?" is the wrong question. The right question is: "How long can I keep this person's attention before they remember they have other things to do?"
If you can answer that, you’ve already won.
The best length for your video is the exact point where the value ends. If you've said everything that needs to be said, stop talking. The audience will thank you by coming back for the next one.
Go into your YouTube Studio today. Look at the "Key moments for audience retention" report for your last five videos. Identify the exact timestamp where the line starts to dip significantly. That is your current "natural" video length. For your next upload, aim to finish your main point exactly thirty seconds before that dip usually happens. Force the pace. Be ruthless with the "Delete" key in your editing software. You’ll find that as your videos get tighter, your watch time actually goes up, even if the total runtime is shorter.