Yes. YTSort is free, and all install options include the same features. The three ways to run it, a bookmark, a browser script, or a Chrome Web Store extension, all carry the same features.

How to sort educational playlists for knowledge curators in 2026

A plain guide for knowledge curators to sort educational playlists by video length, with steps, tools and mistakes to avoid.

By XP Daily · 2026-10-20

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

A knowledge curator keeps an educational playlist in an order that makes sense, by length, topic, or the sequence a course needs. The order can be kept on paper, in a spreadsheet, or applied in YouTube itself.

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]

What you need before you start

Sorting an educational playlist for a knowledge collection 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 reason for the order. For a knowledge curator it might be to group short concept clips first, to arrange videos by topic, or to keep lessons in the sequence a course needs. Know which, 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 you begin curating a collection. Sorting while you are already reviewing 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 access the playlist before choosing a way to put it in order.
List every video with its title and 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 by your reason for the order. Put the shortest first, group by topic if that serves the collection, or keep a teaching sequence that builds on itself.
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.
Review from the top. Start with the first video and move down the list so the collection reads in a sensible order.
Keep notes as you go. Short videos pass quickly, so a line or two about each video helps the ideas stick and keeps the collection useful.
Review after the first few sessions. If the order is not helping people learn from the collection, 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 for a paper list.

A spreadsheet. A column for the title, a column for length and a sort on the length column gives you an ordered 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] It reorders by sending requests to YouTube's own system using the existing session, with no dragging or scrolling. ^[1] If any video does not land in its new spot after sorting, YTSort moves it there, so the order you checked is the order you keep. ^[1] It sorts every video in the playlist, including the ones further down that you have not scrolled to. ^[1] It shows the before and after order so you can check it before applying. ^[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] YTSort is free. ^[1]

Common mistakes to avoid

Sorting a course that builds lesson by lesson. If later videos rely on earlier ones, a pure shortest-first order can leave a learner 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.

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.

Reviewing without notes. Short videos go by fast, so notes can help you keep track of what the collection covers.

Never reviewing the order. If the order is not working for the people who use the collection, change the approach instead of sticking with it.

Frequently asked questions

How to sort educational playlists by video length?

List each video with its title and the time shown on its thumbnail, then rank them from shortest to longest. Apply that order to the playlist by hand, keep it in a spreadsheet, or use a tool that reorders the playlist for you. Keep lessons that build on one another together, and check the order once before you commit to it.

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. ^[1] YTSort can also be run from a bookmark. ^[1]

Can YTSort sort the whole playlist at once?

Yes. YTSort sorts every video in the playlist, including the ones further down that you have not scrolled to. ^[1] It shows the before and after order so you can check it before applying. ^[1] If any video does not land in its new spot after sorting, YTSort moves it there, so the order you checked is the order you keep. ^[1]

Can YTSort export the sorted order as a file?

Yes. YTSort exports the position, title, duration and URL of every video to a CSV file. ^[1] A CSV file opens in a spreadsheet, which can help keep the collection documented alongside the playlist itself.

Is YTSort free?

Yes. YTSort is free, and all install options include the same features. ^[1] The three ways to run it, a bookmark, a browser script, or a Chrome Web Store extension, all carry the same features. ^[1]

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)