How to sort a long playlist from shortest to longest for playlist organizers in 2026

Q: Which browsers work with YTSort?

The extension needs Chrome or Edge. The script version works in any browser, including Firefox, once a script manager is installed. A script manager is a small add-on that runs scripts for you, such as Tampermonkey, Violentmonkey or Greasemonkey. There are three ways to get YTSort: a bookmark that runs it, a browser script, or a Chrome Web Store extension. Pick the one that suits your browser and follow its instructions.

Learn how to sort a long YouTube playlist from shortest to longest, compare manual methods and a browser tool, and check the order before applying it.

By XP Daily · 2026-11-05

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

Record the length of each video in the playlist, rank the videos from shortest to longest, and apply that order. For a playlist you own, YTSort reorders it by video length, shortest or longest first. ^[1] It shows the before and after order first. ^[1]

Option	How it orders videos	What to check
Paper list or sticky note	You rank titles by length by hand.	Check every entry and its position.
Spreadsheet	You sort a length column you fill in.	Check how lengths are formatted before you sort.
YTSort	Reorders a YouTube playlist you own by video length, shortest or longest first. ^[1]	Shows the before and after order first. ^[1]

What you need before you start

Sorting a long 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 someone else's playlist, 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 rank the videos.
A clear goal. Decide whether every video should move or only videos within a length range. This decides what happens to the longest 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.

For a long playlist, completeness matters. Missing a few videos changes the order you end up with. Decide how to handle videos with the same length before you apply any changes.

Set aside a short block before you begin. Sorting while you are already watching 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 sort. Make sure you can reach the whole playlist before choosing a way to sort it.
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 courses build on earlier lessons. If lesson two needs lesson one, keep those two together.
Rank the rest from shortest to longest. Put the shortest at the top.
Decide what happens to the very long videos. You can leave them at the end or schedule them for a longer free block.
Check the order before you commit. Read the new list once from top to bottom and look for lessons that now sit in a confusing place.
Apply the order. Reorder the playlist by hand, or use a tool that does it for you. Then compare the playlist's actual order with your list.
Watch from the top. Start with the first video and move down the list.
Keep notes as you go. Short videos pass quickly, so a line or two per video helps the ideas stick.
Review after the first few sessions. If the order is not helping you learn, change it.

For a particularly long playlist, check the lower entries as carefully as the top ones. Problems often sit farther down the list.

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 because it depends on what you already own.

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. Reorders a YouTube playlist you own by video length, shortest or longest first. ^[1]

YTSort sorts the full playlist, not just the videos loaded on screen. ^[1] It shows the before and after order so you can check it before applying. ^[1] After sorting, it reads the playlist back from YouTube and reapplies any moves that did not stick. ^[1]

YTSort is free; all install options include the same features. ^[1] It is open-source software under the GPL-2.0-only licence. ^[1]

You can get YTSort through a bookmark, a browser script or a Chrome Web Store extension. ^[1] The extension needs Chrome or Edge. ^[1] The script version works in any browser, including Firefox, once a script manager is installed. ^[1] A script manager is a small add-on that runs scripts for you, such as Tampermonkey, Violentmonkey or Greasemonkey. ^[1]

Common mistakes to avoid

Sorting a playlist built as a course. If later videos rely on earlier ones, a pure shortest-first order can leave you confused. Keep dependent lessons together.

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

Mixing up titles and lengths. A length recorded beside the wrong title puts a video in the wrong place. Keep both details together until the order is applied.

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

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.

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

Frequently asked questions

How to sort a long YouTube playlist from shortest to longest?

Record the title and length of every video, then rank the entries from the shortest to the longest. Apply that order to the playlist by hand, or with a tool that does it for you. Read the finished list from top to bottom before you start watching, so lessons that depend on earlier ones still sit in the right place.

Can YTSort sort a whole long YouTube playlist?

Yes. YTSort sorts the full playlist, not just the videos loaded on screen. ^[1] It reorders a playlist you own by video length, shortest or longest first. ^[1] After sorting, it reads the playlist back from YouTube and reapplies any moves that did not stick. ^[1] Check the finished order anyway, since a long list is easy to misread at a glance.

Can YTSort show the new playlist order before applying it?

Yes. YTSort shows the before and after order so you can check the proposed arrangement before applying it. ^[1] Read the new list once from top to bottom, looking for any lesson that now sits in an odd place. With a paper list or spreadsheet, you see the order as you write it, so you can make the same check before you start watching.

Which browsers work with YTSort?

The extension needs Chrome or Edge. ^[1] The script version works in any browser, including Firefox, once a script manager is installed. ^[1] A script manager is a small add-on that runs scripts for you, such as Tampermonkey, Violentmonkey or Greasemonkey. ^[1] There are three ways to get YTSort: a bookmark that runs it, a browser script, or a Chrome Web Store extension. ^[1] Pick the one that suits your browser and follow its instructions.

Is YTSort free for sorting long playlists?

YTSort is free; all install options include the same features. ^[1] It is open-source software under the GPL-2.0-only licence. ^[1] The three ways to get it are a bookmark that runs it, a browser script, or a Chrome Web Store extension. ^[1] Browser requirements depend on the way you install it, so check that option before you start.

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)