New Delhi: YouTube is now upgrading search filters to change how videos appear in search results. According to Google’s community-driven video streaming platform, the changes follow the users’ feedback around the existing search tools. YouTube has also stated that as the volume of content on the platform has grown, including long-form videos, Shorts, and live streams, it has become harder for users to narrow down the results. In its updated support page, YouTube stated that the updated filters are intended to make search results easier to sort and review.
One of the main updates is the addition of the Shorts filter under the Type menu. This enables users to choose whether they want to see YouTube Shorts or longer videos in their search results. Until now, Shorts and long-form videos often appeared together, which made it harder to find a specific format. YouTube has also renamed the Sort By menu to Prioritise. This change is meant to make the purpose of the menu more straightforward and help users better understand how results are being ordered.
Another rename affects the View count option, which is now called Popularity. This filter is designed to surface videos that are popular for a specific search. YouTube stated that popularity is not decided only by views, but also by factors such as watch time and how relevant the video is to the search query. YouTube is also reducing clutter in the filter menu by removing options that users found confusing or less helpful. These changes are meant to make YouTube search easier to use, especially for people who rely on filters to find specific types of videos.
By separating Shorts from long videos and simplifying sporting options, users may spend less time searching and more time watching content they actually want. Two filters are being removed: Upload Date – Last Hour and Sort by Rating. YouTube noted that users can still find recently uploaded videos using other upload date filters. Similarly, popular and widely watched videos can now be discovered using the latest Popularity option.
