AbstractAccurate calculation of short‐circuit electromagnetic force is crucial for both mechanical strength check and the optimal design of gas‐insulated transmission lines (GIL). Since the full 3D numerical simulation method is highly time‐consuming, a novel lightweight 2D multi‐slice electromagnetic field‐circuit coupled method for computing transient electromagnetic force is proposed, where appropriate port voltage degrees of freedom (DoFs) are introduced for the solid GIL conductor terminals. When the transient magnetic field equations are combined with the constraint equations of circuit part, including nodal voltage and loop current DoFs, a direct field‐circuit coupling scheme is thus derived. The proposed method can simultaneously consider the effect of interphase‐shunts and ground wires, as well as the skin effect and proximity effect. It can accurately capture the transient electromagnetic characteristics of GIL spanning from several to tens of kilometers under different short‐circuit conditions. The transient electromagnetic forces, as well as the induced voltages and currents of the enclosure, are analysed by the proposed method for both single‐phase and three‐phase enclosed GIL under various short‐circuit conditions. The proposed method has the advantages of high accuracy and lightweight computational cost, and thus it is also suitable for conducting important simulation tasks such as mechanical strength checks during the design optimisation phase of long‐distance GIL.