Searching for specific content on YouTube can sometimes be a hectic task, and to solve this problem, the company has introduced various search filters to help users find exactly what they are looking for.
Recently, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan announced that two new search updates are rolling out on YouTube.
Our @youtube teams recently shipped two new updates to help you find exactly what you’re looking for:
📍We’ve added a new option for you to enable your device location to be used, so you can see nearby search results and recommendations.
🎛️ Get the content you want in the… pic.twitter.com/PMPFpPjTbg— Neal Mohan (@nealmohan) January 9, 2026
First is a new device location option, enabling you to see nearby results and recommendations. In the above image, a prompt to enable location can be seen for more precise content discovery.
Second is changes to YouTube Search filters. A new ‘Shorts’ filter is added to the Type menu. This gives viewers more control over whether they see Shorts or VODs (long-form videos) in their search results, so you can find exactly what you’re looking for regardless of format.
The ‘Sort by’ menu has been renamed to ‘Prioritize’, and the ‘View Count’ sort option has been renamed to ‘Popularity.’ Other than this, YouTube is removing two filters- ‘Upload Date-Last Hour’ and ‘Sort by Rating.’ However, you can still find the most recent search results in ‘Upload Date’ filters, and explore popular, highly-viewed videos using the new ‘Popularity’ filter option.
Stay tuned with The Tech Outlook for the latest tech updates.
