What are the best hashtags for YouTube Shorts?
YouTube does not publish a global "best Shorts hashtags" feed. This page shows a dated hashtag-search scaffold for Shorts-oriented seeds via GET /v1/youtube/search/hashtags — not a live multi-query panel recompute yet. We keep TikTok-native discovery tags like #fyp out of this table on purpose; use YouTube-facing tags (#shorts, topical niches) instead.
As of 2026-07-21 · Illustrative hashtag-search scaffold for Shorts-oriented seeds — not a live ranked panel. Refresh currently stamps asOf only; a live GET /v1/youtube/search/hashtags recompute is not wired yet. TikTok discovery tags (#fyp) are excluded on purpose.
What this snapshot shows
Items sampled
80
illustrative scaffold
Unique hashtags
138
Top tag share
71%
#shorts
Seed queries
6
Top hashtags in this sample
| Rank | Hashtag | Share | Items | Views (sample) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | #shorts | 71% | 57 | 38.2M |
| 2 | #youtubeshorts | 44% | 35 | 21.6M |
| 3 | #viral | 29% | 23 | 14.1M |
| 4 | #trending | 18% | 14 | 7.8M |
| 5 | #comedy | 12% | 10 | 5.2M |
| 6 | #gaming | 11% | 9 | 6.7M |
| 7 | #music | 9% | 7 | 4.1M |
| 8 | #howto | 8% | 6 | 3.3M |
| 9 | #asmr | 6% | 5 | 2.9M |
| 10 | #subscribe | 5% | 4 | 2.1M |
#shorts and YouTube Shorts tags dominate. Pair one broad tag with specific topical tags that match the video. Skip TikTok-only tags that do not describe the content.
How we compute this
Run hashtag search for Shorts-oriented seed queries (#shorts and niche seeds). Collect co-occurring hashtags from returned items. Rank by frequency in the sample and sum visible view counts when present. Exclude TikTok-only discovery tags (#fyp, #foryoupage) so the table does not read like a cross-posted TikTok list.
- Endpoints
GET /v1/youtube/search/hashtags — primary sample source when live refresh is wired
GET /v1/youtube/channels/shorts — optional per-channel Shorts check
- Formula
- Share % = items with hashtag ÷ items in sample × 100. Views = sum of visible view counts on matching items.
- Sample
- Foundation scaffold biased toward Shorts discovery and niche seeds. Low-frequency tags are dropped. Until a live refresher ships, treat ranks as directional examples of the method — not a certified weekly chart. Sample size: 80.
- Refresh
- asOf stamp only today; live recompute from hashtag search is not wired yet (target: weekly once added). Methodology version 2.
Run this yourself
Same production API. Replace $SOCIALFETCH_API_KEY with your key (100 free credits on signup).
FAQ
Should every Short use #shorts?
Many creators do. It is common in samples, but topical tags still matter for search and browse. Do not spam unrelated tags.
Why isn't #fyp on this list?
Creators sometimes paste TikTok discovery tags onto Shorts. That is cross-platform habit, not a YouTube-native signal. We filter those out so this page does not look like a TikTok hashtag chart with a YouTube title.
Is this the same as TikTok hashtag ranking?
No. TikTok uses trending feed sampling; YouTube uses hashtag search sampling. Different surfaces, different distributions.
Can I reproduce this?
Yes. Call GET /v1/youtube/search/hashtags for your seeds, aggregate co-occurring tags, drop TikTok-only discovery tags if you want a YouTube-facing list, and rank. Start from the curl on this page.
How often is this updated?
The as-of date is stamped on snapshot refresh. A live hashtag-search recompute is not wired yet, so ranks may stay stable between methodology bumps — read the sample note.