Social Media Video Specs: latest 2023
Here are the most recent updated video specs for each social media platform and best practices and video lengths per platform.
Regular Facebook feed video
Recommended resolution: 1080p or less. Upload the highest-resolution video available that meets file size and ratio limits.
Landscape and Portrait dimensions: 1280 x 720
Minimum width: 1200 pixels
Supported aspect ratios: 16:9 (Landscape) to 9:16 (Portrait), and 16:9 (Portrait video with a link)
Mobile aspect ratio: Renders all video to 2:3
Recommended characters: 90, with link
Headline max: 25, with link
Link description: 30, with link
Length: Videos can be up to 240 minutes long
Size: Up to 10 GB large
Frame rate: Maximum frame rate of 30fps.
Tips: For best results, Facebook recommends uploading videos in .MP4 and .MOV format (see a full list of supported file formats here).
Facebook Reels
Recommended resolution: At least 500 x 888 pixels
Recommended aspect ratio: 9:16
Recommended video format: .MP4, .MOV
Video captions are recommended for those who watch with the sound off
Facebook in-stream video ads
Recommended resolution: 1080 x 1080
Recommended size: 16:9 ratio recommended (landscape) or 1:1 (square). Upload the highest-resolution video that meets file size and ratio limits.
Video format: Recommended .MP4 or .MOV format
Maximum file size: 4GB
Maximum length: 240 minutes
Maximum frame rate: 30fps
Recommended characters: 125
Recommended headline: 27
Link description: 27
Tips: For in-stream ads, Facebook recommends uploading the “highest resolution source video available without letter or pillar boxing.” Facebook provides an exhaustive list of aspect ratios and features available for each ad type.
Facebook carousel video ads
Recommended size: 1080 by 1080 pixels (1:1 aspect ratio)
Recommended video format: .MP4 or .MOV
Maximum length: 240 minutes
Maximum frame rate: 30fps
Maximum file size: 4GB
Recommended characters: 125
Recommended headline: 27
Resource: Carousel Ads: How and Why They Work (+ Examples)
Tips: Carousels let you showcase up to 10 images or videos in one ad without having the user navigate to a new page. For best results, use a pixel square (1:1) video.
Facebook Collection cover video
Recommended resolution: 1080 by 1080 pixels
Supported aspect ratios: 1:1
Recommended video format: .MP4 or .MOV
Maximum file size: 4GB
Maximum frame rate: 30fps
Maximum length: 240 minutes
Recommended characters: 90
Headline max: 25
Link description: 30
Tips: Collections make it easier for users to browse and purchase products directly in the Facebook feed. Instant Experience is required to execute Collection ads, which provide a “full-screen landing page that drives engagement and nurtures interest and intent.”
Facebook Instant Experience (IX) video
Recommended resolution: 720p
Aspect ratio: 9:16 Portrait or Pillarboxed
Recommended video format: .MP4 or .MOV
Maximum file size: 4GB
Maximum length: 120 seconds (all videos combined)
Maximum frame rate: 30fps
Tips: Clicking on an IX ad immediately triggers a full-screen experience for your audience. You can use IX ads to create an instant online storefront, ads for customer acquisition, brand storytelling, or an instant lookbook, or you can build one from scratch, optimized to your goals.
Facebook slideshow ads
Aspect ratio: 16:9 (landscape) , 4:5 (vertical), 1:1 (square)
Maximum size: 4 GB
Recommended video format: .MP4 or .MOV
Maximum length: 15 seconds for the entire slideshow
Tips: Slideshow ads, designed for audiences with slower internet access, let you transform a series of 3-10 images and a sound file (supported formats: WAV, MP3, M4A, FLAC, and OGG) into a video ad.
For best results, Facebook suggests using the highest quality images possible, all the same resolution (ideally an image ratio of 16:9, 1:1, or 2:3). If you use different sizes, the slideshow will be cropped to be square.
Facebook Story ads
Recommended resolution: 1080 by 1080
Aspect ratio: 1.91 to 9:16
Recommended characters: 125
Maximum file size: 4 GB
Recommended video format: .MP4 or .MOV
Recommended length: 15 seconds, but you can split a longer video into 2 or 3 separate Stories cards so your audience can get the full story
Resources: How to Use Facebook Stories for Business: The Complete Guide
Tips: Since Stories only last for a couple of seconds, spend time developing the first few seconds of your ad to really grab your audience’s attention.
Instagram in-feed video and ads
In-feed landscape video:
- Recommended resolution: 1080 by 1080
- Aspect ratio: 16:9
- Maximum file size: 4GB
- Recommended video format: .MP4 or .MOV
- Maximum video length: 120 seconds
- Frame rate: 23-60 fps
In-feed square video:
- Recommended resolution: 1080 by 1080
- Aspect ratio: 1:1
- Maximum file size: 4GB
- Recommended video format: .MP4 or .MOV
- Maximum video length: 120 seconds
- Frame rate: 23-60 fps
In-feed vertical video:
- Recommended resolution: 1080 by 1080
- Aspect ratio: 4:5
- Maximum file size: 4GB
- Recommended video format: .MP4 or .MOV
- Maximum video length: 120 seconds
- Frame rate: 23-60 fps
Recommended characters: 125
Instagram Stories
Recommended resolution: 1080 by 1920
Aspect ratio: 9:16
Maximum file size: 4GB
Recommended video format: MP4 or .MOV
Maximum video length: 15 seconds
Frame rate: 23-60 fps.
Instagram Story ads
Recommended resolution: 1080 by 1920
Aspect ratio: 9:16
Maximum file size: 4GB
Recommended video format: .MP4 or .MOV
Maximum video length: 120 seconds
Resource: How to use Instagram Stories like a Pro
Tips: These videos appear between Instagram user Stories for up to two minutes (or until dismissed) and take up the whole screen.
Instagram Reels
Recommended resolution: 1080 by 1920
Aspect ratio: 9:16
Maximum file size: 4GB
Recommended video format: .MP4 or .MOV
Video length: from 3 seconds and up to 15 minutes
Resource: Instagram Reels in 2023: A Simple Guide for Businesses
Instagram carousel video ads
Recommended resolution: 1080 by 1080
Aspect ratio: 1:1
Recommended video format: .MP4 or .MOV
Maximum length: 120 seconds
Maximum size: 4GB
Maximum frame rate: 23-60fps
Tips: Like Facebook carousels, Instagram carousels let you showcase between two and ten images or videos in one side-scrolling ad.
LinkedIn shared video
Aspect ratio: 1:2.4 to 2.4:1
Maximum file size: 5GB
Video length: between 3 seconds and 10 minutes
Accepted video formats: .ASF, .AVI, .FLV, .MOV, .MPEG-1, .MPEG-4, .MP4, .MKV, and .WebM
Maximum frames: 10-60fps.
LinkedIn video ads
Landscape video resolution: 640 by 360 or 1920 by 1080
Landscape aspect ratio: 16:9
Square video resolution: 360 by 360 or 1920 by 1920
Square aspect ratio: 1:1
Vertical video resolution: 360 by 640 or 1080 by 1920
Vertical aspect ratio: 9:16
Maximum file size for all resolutions is 200 MB
Recommended video format: .MP4
Video length: 3 seconds to 30 minutes
Maximum frames: less than 30fps
X (aka Twitter) videos
Recommended resolution: 1280 by 720 (landscape), 720 by 1280 (portrait), 720 by 720 (square)
Twitter aspect ratio for video: 16:9 (landscape and portrait), 1:1 (square)
Maximum file size: 512 MB
Recommended video format: .Mp4 or .MOV
Maximum video length: 140 seconds
Maximum frames: 30 or 60 fps.
Character max: 280
Resource: Twitter Ads for Beginners: The 2023 Guide
TikTok in-feed content (organic)
Dimensions: 1080 by 1920
Recommended aspect ratio: 9:16
Maximum video size: 287 MB
Recommended video formats: .MP4 or .MOV
Maximum length: 10 minutes
Character max: 2,200
Resource: How to Make a TikTok Video: Everything You Need to Know
Tips: Organic content ranks on the For You Page due to its popularity with viewers. Try to increase your likelihood of ranking by performing TikTok SEO (don’t worry, it’s only five easy steps).
TikTok in-feed content (ads)
Dimensions: 540 by 960, 640 by 640 or 960 by 540
Aspect ratio: 9:16, 1:1, or 16:9
Maximum video size: 500 MB
Accepted video formats: .MP4, .MOV, .MPEG, .3GP, .and AVI
Accepted length: 5 – 60 seconds
Character limit for ad description: 12-100
Resource: How to Make Great TikTok Ads: The Complete 2023 Guide
YouTube video player
Recommended resolutions: 426 by 240 (240p), 640 by 360 (360p), 854 by 480 (480p), 1280 by 720 (720p), 1920 by 1080 (1080p), 2560 by 1440 (1440p), and 3840 by 2160 (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 16:9 and 4:3 (YouTube adds pillarboxing if 4:3)
Maximum file size: 128GB (unless it’s more than 12 hours)
Maximum video length: 12 hours
Accepted video formats: .MOV, .MPEG4, MP4, .AVI, .WMV, .MPEGPS, .FLV, 3GPP, and WebM
Tips: YouTube encourages its users to upload videos that are “as close to the original, high-quality source format as possible.” Videos should be uploaded in their native aspect ratios and should never include letterboxing or pillarboxing bars since YouTube “automatically frames videos to ensure that they are displayed correctly, without cropping or stretching, regardless of the size of the video or player.”
YouTube provides a full list of recommended bitrates for YouTube uploads here, and a full list of supported file formats here.
YouTube video ads
There are four main types of YouTube video ads, and besides the length of the video, they all share the same specs as the YouTube video player above.
Skippable video ads: Maximum length of 12 hours, skippable after 5 seconds
Unskippable video ads: Maximum length of 15 or 20 seconds (depending on region)
Bumper video ads: Maximum length of 6 seconds
Mid-roll Video Ad: Played mid-view, this ad only appears in content that is longer than 8 minutes. Mid-rolls can be skipped after 30 seconds.
Resource: The Complete Guide to YouTube Ads for Marketers
YouTube Shorts specs
Recommended resolutions: 240 by 426, 360 by 640, 480 by 854, 720 by 1280, 1080 by 1920, 1440 by 2560, and 2160 by 384
Aspect ratio: 9:16
Maximum video length: 60 seconds
Accepted video formats: .MOV, .MPEG4, MP4, .AVI, .WMV, .MPEGPS, .FLV, 3GPP, and WebM
YouTube music length: If you pull music from the YouTube library, it’s limited to 15 seconds.
Title character limit: 100 characters
What size should videos be for social media?
Video sizes vary depending on the social media platform in question. Be sure to look up the recommended size and resolution of your platform before uploading your video.
What video bitrate should you use for social media?
The most commonly recommended minimum video bitrate is 5,000 kbps, but you should look up your platform-specific recommended bitrate.
What is the best aspect ratio for social media video?
The best aspect ratio for social media video varies based on the platform’s requirements, but they are often 16:9, 4:3, and 1:1.
Should I use 4:5 or 9:16 for Instagram video?
Landscape aspect ratio is 16:9, and vertical aspect ratio is 4:5 for Instagram. Instagram also has a square aspect ratio of 1:1. Which one you use may depend on your content, but many marketers have found success with the square aspect ratio.
What is 9:16 social media size?
A 9:16 social media video size is typically 1080 by 1920 pixels in resolution.
What social media video formats are best?
The most popular video format for social media is either .MOV or .MP4.