Are you tired of sifting through a mix of short and long videos on YouTube just to find what you’re looking for? Well, YouTube is finally giving you more control over your search results. In a recent update to its search filters, the platform is introducing a game-changing feature: the ability to filter your search results to show either Shorts or long-form videos exclusively. Right now, a typical search blends both formats, which can be frustrating if you have a specific preference. But here’s where it gets even better: the new filters let you choose between “Videos” (which, in my experience, displays only long-form content) and “Shorts” (which, as you’d expect, shows only short-form videos). This small tweak could make a big difference in how you discover content.
But here’s where it gets controversial: YouTube is also removing two filters—“Upload Date - Last Hour” and “Sort by Rating”—because they apparently weren’t performing as intended and led to user complaints. Is this a step forward or a missed opportunity? While the company is retaining other “Upload Date” filters like “Today,” “This Week,” “This Month,” and “This Year,” it’s replacing the “View Count” sort option with a new “Popularity” filter. According to YouTube, this filter uses a combination of view count, watch time, and other relevance signals to rank videos. But does this truly reflect what’s popular, or is it just another algorithm deciding what you see? It’s a question worth debating.
Another subtle change is the renaming of the “Sort By” menu to “Prioritize,” which YouTube claims will “maximize utility.” Whether this is a meaningful improvement or just a rebranding effort remains to be seen. And this is the part most people miss: these updates aren’t just about convenience—they’re about shaping how we interact with content on the platform. Are these changes making YouTube better, or are they complicating an already cluttered experience? Let’s discuss in the comments—what do you think about these updates? Are they a step in the right direction, or is YouTube overcomplicating things?
