How to sort long interviews by length for podcast listeners in 2026

A plain guide to sort long interview videos by length in a playlist, with steps, tools to try and mistakes to avoid.

By XP Daily · 2026-10-24

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

Find the length of each interview, then order the playlist from longest to shortest or shortest to longest to match the time you have. You can do it by hand on paper or in a spreadsheet.

Option	How it orders videos	Cost
Paper list or sticky note	You rank by hand	not published
Spreadsheet	You sort by a length column you fill in	not published
YTSort	Reorders a YouTube playlist you own by video length, shortest or longest first ^[1]	Free ^[1]

What you need before you start

Getting the right interview length into the right listening block takes only a few things.

A playlist you can reorder. YTSort reorders a YouTube playlist you own. ^[1] Before you start, check that you can change the order of the playlist, and if you cannot, work from a written list.
The length of each interview. YouTube shows it on each thumbnail. You need it to rank the interviews.
A reason for length-first. Match the order to how much time you have: long interviews for long free blocks, short ones for a quick listen. Know which, because it decides what you do with the shorter 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 clear block before you start an interview. Beginning a two-hour episode with ten minutes to spare tends to end in a pause.

Step by step

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

Open the playlist of interviews you want to sort. Make sure you can access the playlist before choosing a way to put interviews in length order.
List every interview with its length. Write the title and the time shown on the thumbnail. Do not sort yet.
Mark interviews that must stay in order. Some series continue a conversation, so an episode that follows an earlier one needs it to stay first. Keep those together.
Rank the rest by length. Decide whether you want the longest or the shortest at the top, and rank from there.
Decide what happens to the very short videos. Leave them at the end or schedule them for a short break.
Check the order before you commit. Read the new list once from top to bottom and look for episodes that now sit in a confusing place.
Apply the order. Reorder the playlist by hand, or use a tool that does it for you.
Start where your time fits. Begin with an interview that matches the block you have free.
Keep notes as you go. Interviews run long, so a line or two per episode helps you keep the threads straight.
Review after a few episodes. If the order is not helping you listen, 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 interview 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 longest-first or shortest-first list. Check how it behaves on your phone if you plan to use it away from a desk. Facts about specific spreadsheet apps are not provided here, so check their own pages for limits and cost.

YTSort. YTSort is made by the team that publishes this site. YTSort is one option. 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] YTSort is free, and all install options include the same features. ^[1] The extension needs Chrome or Edge, and the script version works in any browser, including Firefox, with Tampermonkey, Violentmonkey or Greasemonkey installed. ^[1] It 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] It can sort only videos within a length range and move the rest to the end. ^[1] It shows total, average, shortest and longest video duration for the playlist. ^[1] It exports position, title, duration and URL of every video to a CSV file. ^[1] Its panel follows YouTube's light or dark theme automatically. ^[1] If its usual fast method is ever unavailable, it automatically switches to drag-and-drop. ^[1] After sorting, it reads the playlist back from YouTube and re-applies any moves that did not stick. ^[1]

Common mistakes to avoid

Sorting a series that continues episode to episode. If a later interview builds on an earlier one, a pure length order can leave you lost. Keep dependent episodes together.

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

Forgetting the shorter videos. Leaving the short ones at the end is fine, but give them a moment or they never get a listen.

Trying to reorder a playlist you cannot change. Check whether you can change the order of the playlist before you start. If you cannot, keep a written list of the interviews and their lengths instead.

Starting without time. A long interview needs a clear block. Check the length before you press play.

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

Frequently asked questions

Can YTSort reorder an interview playlist by length?

Yes. YTSort reorders a YouTube playlist you own by video length, shortest or longest first. ^[1] It sorts the full playlist, not just the videos loaded on screen. ^[1] It shows the before and after order, so the new sequence can be checked before it is applied. ^[1]

Can YTSort sort only the long interviews and leave the rest?

Yes. YTSort can sort only videos within a length range and move the rest to the end. ^[1] That lets the long interviews sit at the top while shorter ones are pushed down, or the reverse. After sorting, the playlist is read back from YouTube and any moves that did not stick are applied again. ^[1]

What does YTSort cost?

YTSort is free, and all install options include the same features. ^[1] It is free, open-source software under the GPL-2.0-only licence. ^[1] Three ways to get it: a bookmark that runs it, a browser script, or a Chrome Web Store extension. ^[1]

Which browsers work with YTSort?

The extension needs Chrome or Edge, and the script version works in any browser, including Firefox, with Tampermonkey, Violentmonkey or Greasemonkey installed, a small add-on that runs scripts for you. ^[1] It can also be run from a bookmark. ^[1]

Should podcast listeners always sort interviews by length?

Not always. If a series continues a conversation, keep dependent episodes together. Length-first suits matching episodes to the time you have free. Review the order after a few episodes and change it if it is not helping you listen.

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)