How to prepare visitor video playlists for museum educators in 2026

Q: Which browsers work with YTSort?

The add-on needs Chrome or Edge. The script works in any browser, including Firefox, once you add a script manager such as Tampermonkey, Violentmonkey or Greasemonkey. It can also be run from a bookmark.

A plain guide for museum educators to prepare visitor video playlists, with steps, the tools to try and the mistakes to avoid.

By XP Daily · 2026-10-23

XP Daily is published by the makers of DaysAid, QuickDictate and YTSort, which are compared here alongside other tools.

List each video with its length, decide the order that fits the visit, and apply that order to a playlist you own. You can do it by hand on paper or in a spreadsheet, or use a tool that reorders the playlist for you.

Option	How it orders videos
Paper list or sticky note	You rank by hand
Spreadsheet	You sort by a length column you fill in
YTSort	Reorders a YouTube playlist you own by video length, shortest or longest first ^[1]
By hand on the playlist page	You move videos into place yourself

What you need before you start

Preparing a visitor video playlist takes only a few things.

A playlist you own. Reordering a playlist in place only works on one that belongs to your account. For a playlist someone else made, you can copy the videos into your own first or work from a written list.
The length of each video. YouTube shows it on each thumbnail. You need it to decide how the videos fit a visit.
The visit you are preparing for. A ten minute stop at the entrance desk is not the same as a forty minute classroom session. Know the time you have, because it decides what you do with the long videos.
A place to keep the order. The playlist itself, a paper list or a spreadsheet all work. What matters is that the order lives in one place.
A web browser. Only needed if you want a tool to do the sorting. Add the tool to your browser once, before you start, following its own instructions.

Set aside a short block before the visit or the school group arrives. Sorting while you are already running the session tends to break your flow.

Step by step

These steps work with any tool, including a pen and a sheet of paper.

Open the playlist you want to prepare. Make sure you can access the playlist before choosing a way to order the videos.
List every video with its length. Write the title and the time shown on the thumbnail. Do not sort yet.
Mark videos that must stay in order. Some exhibits build on earlier clips. If clip two needs clip one, keep those two together.
Rank the rest for the visit. For a short stop, put the shortest at the top so visitors see the most in the time they have. For a longer session, you can keep a topic order instead.
Decide what happens to the very long videos. You can leave them at the end, or set them aside for a longer session.
Check the order before you commit. Read the new list once from top to bottom and look for clips that now sit in a confusing place.
Apply the order. Reorder the playlist by hand, or use a tool that does it for you.
Test the playlist on the day's device. Open it on the tablet or screen you will actually use, and make sure the first video starts where you expect.
Run the visit. Start with the first video and move down the list.
Review after the first few visits. If the order is not helping visitors, change it.

Tools that can do it

You do not need software for this. Here are options to consider.

Paper list or sticky note. You write each title and length and rank them by hand. Nothing is published here about price or limits.

A spreadsheet. A column for the title, a column for length and a sort on the length column gives you a shortest-first list. Check how it behaves on your phone if you plan to use it away from your desk. Facts about specific spreadsheet apps are not provided here, so check their own pages for limits and cost.

YTSort. YTSort is one option. It reorders a YouTube playlist you own by video length, shortest or longest first. ^[1]

You can get YTSort through a bookmark, a browser script, or a Chrome Web Store extension. ^[1] The extension needs Chrome or Edge, and the script version works in any browser, including Firefox, with Tampermonkey, Violentmonkey or Greasemonkey installed. ^[1]

Before you apply the order, it shows the before and after order so you can check it. ^[1] It sorts the full playlist, not just the videos loaded on screen. ^[1] It can sort only videos within a length range and move the rest to the end, which fits a short visitor stop. ^[1] After sorting, it reads the playlist back from YouTube and re-applies any moves that did not stick. ^[1] It also shows total, average, shortest and longest video duration for the playlist, and it can export position, title, duration and URL of every video to a CSV file. ^[1] ^[1] YTSort is free, and all install options include the same features. ^[1]

Common mistakes to avoid

Sorting an exhibit that builds clip by clip. If later clips rely on earlier ones, a pure shortest-first order can leave visitors confused. Keep dependent clips together.

Trusting the order without a look. Read the new order once before the visit. A quick check catches clips that ended up in an odd spot.

Forgetting the long videos. Moving them to the end is fine, but give them a longer session or they never get watched.

Trying to reorder a playlist that is not yours. Check who owns it first. If it is not yours, copy the videos into your own playlist or keep a written list.

Preparing on one device and running the visit on another. Open the finished playlist on the screen you will actually use, so the first video starts where you expect.

Never reviewing the order. If the order is not working for your visitors, change the approach instead of sticking with it.

Frequently asked questions

How to put the shortest videos first in a YouTube playlist for a museum visit?

List each video with its length, rank them from shortest to longest, then apply that order to the playlist by hand. If the playlist is yours, a tool can reorder it for you. Check each tool's current details before choosing how to sort your playlist.

How to sort a YouTube playlist from shortest to longest?

List each video with its length, rank them from shortest to longest, then apply that order by hand in the playlist. With YTSort, it reorders a YouTube playlist you own by video length, shortest or longest first. ^[1] It shows the before and after order so you can check it before applying. ^[1]

Can the new playlist order be checked before it is applied?

With YTSort, yes. It shows the before and after order so you can check it before applying. ^[1] ^[1] With a paper list or spreadsheet, you see the order as you write it, so read it through once before you start the visit.

Which browsers work with YTSort?

The add-on needs Chrome or Edge. ^[1] The script works in any browser, including Firefox, once you add a script manager such as Tampermonkey, Violentmonkey or Greasemonkey. ^[1] It can also be run from a bookmark. ^[1]

Should museum educators always put the shortest videos first?

Not always. If an exhibit builds clip by clip, keep dependent clips in order. Shortest first can suit a short visitor stop. For longer sessions, review the order after a few visits and change it if needed.

YTSort is free; all install options include the same features. ^[1]

Try YTSort

Sources

YTSort's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)