YouTube Shorts Icon: What It Means and Where to Get the File
The YouTube Shorts icon is a white play triangle on a red shape that looks like a folded or curled ribbon. Tap it at the bottom of the YouTube app (or click it in the left menu on a computer) and it opens the Shorts player, the vertical feed of short videos. If you came here for a file, there is a catch: YouTube's official brand site, brand.youtube, offers downloads of the YouTube logo, the YouTube icon and podcast badges, but no Shorts icon as of November 10, 2026. Free SVG and PNG versions exist on icon sites, and this guide covers where to find them and how to use them without breaking YouTube's rules.
What the YouTube Shorts icon looks like
When YouTube started testing a Shorts button in its Android app in October 2020, Tubefilter described it as "the familiar YouTube play button in white atop a red squiggle of sorts." That is still a fair description. The red shape is not the rounded rectangle of the main YouTube icon. It looks more like a tilted, curled card, which hints at short clips stacked on top of each other.
A few details about the color:
- YouTube's brand red is now #FF0033, according to the YouTube Logo page on the brand site, which says the hex value "was recently updated." Older files use #FF0000.
- The free Simple Icons set still lists the YouTube Shorts icon with #FF0000, so if you mix it with a current YouTube logo, the reds may not match exactly.
- The brand site lists "Almost Black" (#212121) and white (#FFFFFF) as the other brand colors on its Color page.
Where the Shorts icon appears in YouTube
You see the Shorts icon in a few places:
- The YouTube app. YouTube's Create YouTube Shorts help page says "viewers may find your Shorts by tapping Shorts at the bottom of the YouTube app."
- YouTube on a computer. The Watch YouTube Shorts help page says to click Shorts on the left to enter the Shorts player.
- TVs and game consoles. The same help page says you can watch Shorts in the YouTube app on most smart TVs, game consoles and streaming devices, and that Shorts show up on the home page, in search results and on channel pages.
- Search results and channel pages, where the icon marks a video as a Short rather than a regular video.
The buttons inside the Shorts player change more often than the icon itself. In June 2026, Android Headlines reported that some users saw the thumbs-up like button replaced by a heart, and the dislike button gone. That report was based on user sightings, not a YouTube announcement, so your app may look different.
Is there an official YouTube Shorts icon download?
No, not on YouTube's brand site. The site's menu covers the YouTube logo, the YouTube icon, color, promoting your channel, podcast badges, naming, merchandise, entertainment and media, and API partners. None of these pages offers a Shorts icon file when we checked on November 10, 2026.
That matters if you want the icon for something official, like a TV segment, an ad or a product. The Entertainment and media page says any product placement showing YouTube logos, icons or "elements of the UI (e.g. buttons, pages, mobile screenshots, etc.)" needs approval through YouTube's Brand Use Request Form. The Shorts button is part of YouTube's interface, so the same rule applies.
Where to get a free YouTube Shorts icon (SVG and PNG)
Two free sources we checked today:
| Source | Formats | License stated on the page |
|---|---|---|
| Dashboard Icons (from selfh.st) | SVG, PNG, WEBP | CC BY 4.0, credit "selfh.st/icons" |
| Simple Icons | SVG (one color) | Project is CC0, but its disclaimer says that "doesn't mean to imply that all icons within the project are also CC0" |
If you'd rather make videos than read about it, VidPuff turns a title into a faceless video. No waitlist, cancel anytime.
Keep one thing in mind. An open license on the file covers the drawing that someone made. It does not give you rights to YouTube's trademark. Using the icon to point people to your Shorts is ordinary. Putting it on merch, in your logo, or anywhere that suggests YouTube made or backs your product is where you get into trouble. The YouTube API branding guidelines say you must not imply that YouTube endorses you, and must not create marks "confusingly similar to the YouTube trademarks."
How to use the Shorts icon on your site or channel art
If you want to link your Shorts from a website, a link-in-bio page or an email signature, YouTube's own guidance for the main YouTube icon is the best model to follow.
Use the icon, not the full logo, next to other social icons. The Promoting your channel page says that inline with other social media icons "you should use the YouTube icon rather than the YouTube logo." It also says not to use the full YouTube logo to promote your channel, including inside a sentence.
Pair it with your handle. The same page asks creators to promote a channel as the icon plus "/@ Handle Name" on one line, with an optional plain-text call to action such as "Find us on YouTube."
Don't edit it. The YouTube Icon page lists the misuses: no outlines or strokes, no custom colors, no drop shadows, no rotating, skewing, squashing or stretching. It also says the triangle in the full-color icon must always be white, and the icon should be at least 100px tall on screen (3.1mm in print). Those rules are written for the main icon, but following them for the Shorts icon keeps you on the safe side.
Link it. If the icon sits in an app or a page, link it to your Shorts tab or channel. The API guidelines require any YouTube logo in an app to be clickable and link back to YouTube content.
For channel art, check sizes first. Our guides to YouTube banner size and YouTube thumbnail size list the safe areas, so an icon in the corner doesn't get cropped on phones.
Shorts or long-form?
The icon only marks the format. YouTube's three-minute Shorts help page says that since October 15, 2024, a square or vertical video up to three minutes long counts as a Short. Anything wider or longer is a regular video and does not get the Shorts label.
Which format you lean on changes how you get paid. Shorts and long videos pay very differently, which we cover in YouTube Shorts vs long form and how to make money on YouTube Shorts. If you want to start making Shorts, how to make a YouTube Short walks through the app and desktop steps.
If you are building a faceless channel around long videos instead, VidPuff takes a title, writes the script, adds narration, visuals, music and captions, and renders a 16:9 long-form video you review at each stage. It does not make Shorts.
FAQ
What does the YouTube Shorts icon look like?
A white play triangle on a red, curled shape that looks a bit like a folded card. It sits in the bottom bar of the YouTube app and in the left menu on a computer, labeled "Shorts."
Can I download the official YouTube Shorts logo?
Not from YouTube's brand site. It offers the YouTube logo, the YouTube icon and podcast badges, but no Shorts asset as of November 10, 2026. Free versions are on Dashboard Icons (CC BY 4.0) and Simple Icons.
Can I use the YouTube Shorts icon on my website?
Using it to link your Shorts, next to your handle, is a normal use. Don't change its colors or shape, don't make it the biggest thing on the page, and don't use it in a way that suggests YouTube backs your product. TV, film or ad use needs approval through YouTube's Brand Use Request Form.
What color is the YouTube Shorts icon?
Red with a white triangle. YouTube's current brand red is #FF0033 according to its brand site, while some free icon sets still use the older #FF0000.
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