YouTube Shorts Hashtags: Title or Description?
- Hashtags work in both title and description on Shorts — the question is which to prioritize
- Description hashtags are the standard: YouTube pulls the first description hashtags above the Short title
- Title hashtags are more visible in the Shorts player but make titles look cluttered with more than 1-2
- Recommended: 1 hashtag in title (#Shorts or your main topic), rest in description
Table of Contents
YouTube Shorts accept hashtags in both the title and the description — but they behave differently in each location. The quick answer: use description hashtags for your full hashtag list, and optionally include one hashtag in the title for maximum visibility in the Shorts feed player. Our free YouTube Hashtag Generator generates the topic hashtags for either placement in seconds.
How the Shorts Feed Displays Hashtags
In the YouTube Shorts feed, the video title appears prominently below the video. Any hashtags in the title appear as part of that title display — clickable links visible immediately without expanding anything.
Description hashtags are accessible by tapping the description expand area (the small arrow or the description text preview below the title). YouTube typically shows a preview of the description in the feed, which may or may not include hashtags depending on how much text comes before them.
YouTube also automatically displays up to 3 hashtags from the description as clickable links above the Short's title — similar to regular videos. These appear even without viewers expanding the description.
When to Put Hashtags in the Short's Title
Title hashtags are visible immediately in the Shorts feed without any tap or expansion. This maximizes their clickability — a viewer browsing the Shorts feed can tap your hashtag directly from the video player.
Best practices for title hashtags on Shorts:
- Maximum 1-2 hashtags in the title — more than 2 makes the title look cluttered and reduces the CTR of the actual title text
- Put the hashtag at the end of the title: "One-minute Minecraft diamond trick #MinecraftShorts" reads naturally; "#MinecraftShorts one-minute Minecraft diamond trick" is harder to parse
- Use the most high-value hashtag in the title: Either #Shorts (for feed distribution) or your most specific topic hashtag (for targeted discovery)
When Description-Only Hashtags Are Better
For most Shorts, description placement is safer and cleaner. Reasons to keep hashtags out of the title:
- If your title is already long or informative, adding hashtags crowds it and reduces readability
- If you're using 4-5 hashtags, putting them all in the description keeps the title focused on the clickbait/curiosity hook
- If the hashtags are supplemental (not your primary discovery mechanism), description placement is appropriate — they still get displayed above the title by YouTube's automatic hashtag extraction
The description-only approach is also more flexible — you can easily update description hashtags without changing the title, which can affect YouTube's title index for search.
Recommended Placement — The Practical Setup
The setup most creators with good Shorts performance use:
Title: "[Clear, compelling Short title] #Shorts"
Example: "I found diamonds in 30 seconds #Shorts"
Description: A brief description (1-2 sentences), then hashtags
Example: "Fastest diamond seed in Minecraft 1.21. #MinecraftShorts #MinecraftTips #Gaming"
This gives you:
- #Shorts in the title for immediate visibility
- Topic hashtags in the description for search-based discovery
- YouTube automatically displays the first description hashtags above the title
- Total: 3-4 hashtags across title + description — within the optimal range
Generate the topic hashtags for the description using the free hashtag generator — enter your Short's topic and pick the 2-3 most relevant results.
Generate Shorts Hashtags — Free
Enter your Short's topic and get ready-to-paste hashtags in #camelCase. Works for title and description placement.
Open Free YouTube Hashtag GeneratorFrequently Asked Questions
Do hashtags in the Shorts title count toward the 15-hashtag limit?
Yes. YouTube's spam filter counts all hashtags across both title and description. If you have 2 in the title and 13 in the description, you're at the limit. Stay under 15 total across both.
Does putting #Shorts in the title guarantee feed placement?
No. The Shorts feed primarily uses the video's aspect ratio and length to classify it as a Short. But #Shorts in the title adds a confirming signal and makes the hashtag immediately clickable in the feed.
Can I put all my hashtags in the Short's title?
Technically yes, but not recommended. Three or more hashtags in a title make it look like spam and reduce the readability and CTR of the actual title. Keep 1 hashtag in the title maximum.
Should I always include #Shorts in the title or is description enough?
Either works technically. Including #Shorts in the title gives it maximum visibility — viewers browsing the feed see it without any tap. Description placement still gets it displayed above the title by YouTube's automatic hashtag extraction. Both approaches work.
