How to Enable Long Videos on YouTube?
Almost everyone knows about YouTube. The most used video streaming platform in the world is a hotspot for news, music, entertainment, and everything in between.
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If you’re an avid viewer or creator on the platform, you would know about the different types of videos published there. These videos come in different lengths – some brief and snappy, others long and descriptive.
However, content creators on YouTube face certain limitations on the length of videos they can upload there.
It is noteworthy that those limitations vary, and there is also a convenient way to get around the restriction. So if you want to know how to enable long videos on YouTube, keep reading.
What to Know About the Limits
The length of a video you can upload to your YouTube channel will depend on whether your account is verified or not.
For non-verified accounts, the time limit is 15 minutes. On the other hand, a verified account can post videos up to 12 hours long. According to Google, it’s either that or 128 GB – whichever is less.
Not sure whether you have gone through YouTube’s verification process yet? Simply scroll to your “Account Features” page. Verified accounts have the “Verified” tag under the name of the channel. In addition, the “Longer Videos” box flashes “Enabled.”
If not, get verified to enable longer videos.
Read More: How Much Storage Does YouTube Have?
How to Verify Your Account on YouTube
- Open your web browser and go into YouTube. Find their verification page and log into your account.
- Follow the steps to complete the verification. It’s extremely simple. You need to state which country you are from and input your phone number. You will receive a verification code via either an automated voice call or a text message.
- Select the preferred language in which you would like to receive the text.
- Ensure your phone is on and the SIM card is active to get the verification code.
- After you get the code, type it in the “Enter your 6-digit verification code” text box.
- That’s it! YouTube will send you a notification once you’ve been verified.
Once verified, an account can upload videos longer than 15 minutes on YouTube. Keep the new size restriction (128 GB) and time limit (12 hours) in mind. If your video is longer and/or larger than that, use editing software to compress it for the upload.
Any video larger than 20 GB will require the latest version of the browser to be uploaded.
How to Enable Long Videos on YouTube from the Mobile App
The process is quite similar for both Android and iOS devices.
- Open YouTube’s app on your phone.
- On the bottom of the screen, you should see a plus sign. Tap that.
- Once a pop-up window appears, tap “Upload a video” from the options.
- Select any video that’s longer than 15 minutes.
- Enter the details of the video including title and thumbnail. Tap “Next.”
- A “Select Audience” page will ask whether the content is meant for kids. Answer that and then tap “Upload.”
Long Video Troubleshooting
Sometimes, even though a channel is verified, the creator is unable to upload a lengthier video. If this is happening to you, there might be multiple reasons for that:
- Your video contains copyrighted content that’s being claimed by the rightful owner.
- Your account has gotten a strike for violating one or multiple community guidelines on YouTube.
- The video has exceeded the maximum video size or length.
You can check on the first two from your “Account Features” page. For the size/length issue, there are a couple of solutions to try. We already mentioned how you can compress the video.
Fortunately, many of these editing software decrease the content size without reducing quality. YouTube says that one of the common ways to do this is by encoding the video with the H.264 code.
Alternatively, try breaking the video into two or shorter clips and cross-linking them.
Ideal Video Length on YouTube in 2022
There are no hard and fast rules on the “best YouTube video length.” In general, as long as you can stretch it whilst keeping it interesting. We would think an 8 to 10 minutes video is a good length. Keep in mind that the goal is to keep the content interesting – nothing boring.
Some topics simply don’t feature enough depth to be made into a 10-minute video. Refrain from lengthening the video just for the sake of it.
Viewers don’t appreciate fluff on a normal day; they come for the solution. Yes, an introduction is important to add personality to your content, but don’t fill it all up with meaningless blabber.
If your video is mostly fluff with parts of the solution sprinkled throughout to make people stay till the end, chances are, it won’t work.
Viewers will lose patience and leave, ultimately hurting your audience retention. Not to mention the increasing rates of “Thumbs Down.” That directly affects your rankings.
YouTube will slowly stop suggesting your video in the first place because viewers don’t seem to be clicking on it or staying tuned long enough.
That’s the evident problem with lengthy fluff at the start and solution at the end.
When it comes to monetizing videos, there is no minimum length. For the sake of optimal revenue, we suggest a short and sweet 8 minutes.
The length attracts more viewers because they expect you to provide the “meat” directly. At the same time, you can place mid-role ads in there.
Related: How to Watch Deleted YouTube Videos?
Bottom Line
As you can see, the answer to how to enable long videos on YouTube is a quick and easy one. Follow the instructions and you’ll get there instantly. We hope this guide was helpful! Make your YouTube platform a place of solutions, not redundancy.
