YouTube’s advanced search is the Filters panel on the results page, which narrows a search by type, length, upload date, and features. A few operators typed into the search box do the rest, such as intitle: and before:. The builder above combines both into one link that opens your search on YouTube.
YouTube search operators that work in 2026
YouTube doesn’t document search operators, so we tested each one on YouTube, signed out, on the date this page was last updated. intitle:, after:, and before: narrow the results, and OR matches either word. Quotes rank exact matches higher without removing the rest, and the minus sign excludes nothing. The builder writes only the operators that work.
| Operator | Example | Result | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|
intitle: |
bread intitle:focaccia |
Works | Videos with the word in the title |
intitle:, two words |
bread intitle:focaccia intitle:rosemary |
Partly works | Most titles had both words, a few had one |
after: |
sourdough after:2026-10-01 |
Works | Videos uploaded after the date |
before: |
sourdough before:2015-01-01 |
Works | Videos uploaded before the date |
after: and before: |
after:2020-03-01 before:2020-06-01 |
Works | Videos uploaded between the two dates |
OR, | |
focaccia OR ciabatta |
Works | Videos with either word |
"…" |
"starter in the fridge" |
Partly works | Exact matches first, looser matches after them |
allintitle: |
allintitle:focaccia rosemary |
Partly works | Fewer than half the titles had both words |
-word |
sourdough -starter |
Doesn’t work | Videos with the word still appeared |
#tag |
#sourdough |
Doesn’t work | The same results as the word alone |
For videos tagged with a hashtag, open its page instead, such as youtube.com/hashtag/sourdough. YouTube Help says selecting a hashtag lists videos with the tag in the title or description.
What changed in YouTube’s search filters in 2026
On 8 January 2026, TeamYouTube announced a new Filters panel. It added Shorts as a type, renamed Sort by to Prioritize, and renamed View count to Popularity, which also weighs signals such as watch time. It removed Upload date: Last hour and Sort by rating.
On the date this page was last updated, the panel’s durations were Under 3 minutes, 3 to 20 minutes, and Over 20 minutes. Links built with the old filter codes can still open, but the panel doesn’t recognize them, and YouTube ignores the old sort by upload date. The builder writes the codes the panel writes today.
How to search YouTube without Shorts
Choose Videos as the type, which the builder does by default. A duration filter doesn’t remove Shorts: since October 2024, Shorts can run up to 3 minutes, so Under 3 minutes still mixes them in. A search with the Videos type returns full videos only, at any length you pick.
For the channels you subscribe to, a Retube feed has its own Videos tab that leaves Shorts out.
How to search YouTube by upload date
YouTube’s Prioritize menu offers Relevance and Popularity, so search results can’t be sorted newest first. Add a date to the search instead. after:2026-10-01 keeps videos uploaded after that day, before:2015-01-01 finds old ones, and the two together set a range. In the builder, fill in Uploaded after, Uploaded before, or both.
How to search inside one YouTube channel
Each channel has its own search page at youtube.com/@handle/search. Enter the channel’s @handle, its link, or its channel ID in Channel, and the builder opens that page with your words. A channel’s search ignores filters and operators, so the builder sends the words alone, and Shorts can appear in the results.
Keep up with channels without searching
A date search can catch new uploads from channels you like. Retube, our free Chrome extension, groups your subscriptions into feeds inside YouTube, such as Science or DIY, with each feed’s newest videos first. Read how to organize YouTube subscriptions to set that up, or watch one result in the cookie-free YouTube watcher.