YouTube Search Overhaul: New "Popularity" Metrics and Shorts Toggle
YoutubeSunday, 11 January 2026 at 13:43
YouTube is officially stripping down its search filter system to fix what it calls "ineffective" tools. According to the official January 8, 2026 rollout notes, the platform is moving away from raw data metrics like "View Count" in favor of more complex, algorithmic labels. The goal is to declutter the UI, but the changes have already sparked a firestorm among power users who rely on chronological sorting.
Key points
- YouTube replaced "View Count" with a new "Popularity" filter that values watch time.
- A new dedicated "Shorts" filter allows users to exclude vertical clips from search results.
- The "Sort By" menu has been officially renamed to "Prioritize" for better "utility."
- YouTube removed the "Last Hour" upload filter and "Sort by Rating" due to low performance.
- These changes aim to reduce UI clutter and improve "intuitive" content discovery.
The Death of "View Count"
The biggest shift is the replacement of the "View Count" filter with "Popularity." * The New Logic: YouTube claims raw views are no longer an accurate measure of value. The new Popularity filter weighs Total Watch Time and Audience Retention alongside view totals.
- The Result: A video with 1 million "clicks" but 10 seconds of average watch time might now rank lower than a 500,000-view video that people actually finish.
- The "Prioritize" Rebrand: The overarching "Sort By" menu is being renamed to "Prioritize." YouTube says this "clarifies" the intent, though users on Reddit are calling it a move toward a more "hand-held" experience where the algorithm decides what is relevant.
The Shorts Content Toggle
For the first time, users can officially separate Shorts from Long-form content in search.
- New "Type" Option: Under the "Type" menu, a dedicated Shorts filter now exists.
- Exclusion Power: By selecting "Videos," users can finally scrub those vertical 60-second clips from their results—a massive win for people looking for deep-dive tutorials or documentaries.
- Device Access: On mobile, you still find these through the three-dot menu; on desktop, the "Filters" button remains at the top-right.
Filters Getting the Axe
YouTube is deleting two specific options because they were reportedly "broken" or underused:
- Upload Date – Last Hour: This is gone. You now have to use the "Today" filter, which many argue is too broad for breaking news events.
- Sort by Rating: Since dislikes are no longer public, this filter had become a ghost town. It’s been removed to simplify the menu.
Summary
The 2026 update is clearly about pushing engagement over raw numbers. If you want "fresh" content, you'll have to work harder, as the platform is leaning heavily into its "Popularity" algorithm to define what you see first.
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