YouTube Filters Get a Makeover: Popularity, Shorts, and the End of ‘Last Hour’ Uploads

Trying to find a 60-second video without sifting through 15-second clips? YouTube’s latest filter overhaul might fix that — or make it worse.

YouTube is adding a ‘Popularity’ filter to search results, which replaces the old ‘View count’ option and uses metrics like watch time to rank videos. The platform said:

"Our systems assess a video’s view count and other relevance signals, such as watch time, to determine its popularity for that specific query."

Users can now filter searches by format: ‘Videos’ (longform) or ‘Shorts’ (15-second clips), addressing complaints about mixed results.

Deprecated filters include ‘Upload Date - Last Hour’ and ‘Sort by Rating,’ removed due to technical issues and user dissatisfaction. The ‘Sort By’ menu is renamed ‘Prioritize’ to clarify its function.