What is the best video size for Instagram and Facebook ads?

Vertical 9:16 covers Instagram Feed, Stories and Reels and Facebook Stories and Reels, at 1440 × 2560 for Stories and Reels and 1080 × 1920 for Instagram Feed. Facebook Feed recommends 4:5 at 1440 × 1800. Keep text and logos out of the top 14%, bottom 35% and 6% of each side for vertical placements.

What is the safe zone for Reels and Stories ads?

Meta recommends keeping roughly the top 14%, the bottom 35% and 6% on each side free of key text, logos and calls to action on 9:16 Stories and Reels. Those areas sit under the profile name, caption and buttons. Meta suggests keeping the bottom 40% clear when a Reels ad includes a disclaimer.

How long can a TikTok ad be?

TikTok's auction In-Feed specs allow non-Spark videos up to 10 minutes and 500 MB, in 9:16, 1:1 or 16:9. Reservation In-Feed ads (non-Spark and Spark Ads Push) are limited to 5 to 60 seconds, with 9 to 15 seconds recommended. Check the spec for your buying type, because they differ.

Can I use one video file on every platform?

Use one source edit, not one file. Build the edit once with captions and graphics on editable layers, then export a composed version for each ratio: 9:16, 4:5, 1:1 and 16:9. Check each export against the placement's limits and its real ad preview before it goes live.

How long can a YouTube Shorts ad be?

A Shorts ad can be up to 3 minutes long, but only the first 60 seconds play in the Shorts feed. Viewers who want more continue on the watch page. Google recommends keeping Shorts ads under 60 seconds and using a 9:16 video at 1080 × 1920.

Video ad sizes for Meta, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn (2026)

Video ad sizes depend on the placement, not just the platform. In 2026, plan on 9:16 at 1080 × 1920 or larger for Stories, Reels, TikTok and Shorts, 4:5 for Facebook Feed and LinkedIn, and 16:9 at 1920 × 1080 for YouTube in-stream. Keep text inside each placement’s safe zone and check the real ad preview before launch.

This guide was checked against each platform’s official specs on October 19, 2026. Platforms change these pages often, so the links below go straight to the source.

What video ad sizes do you need in 2026?

You need four shapes to cover almost every placement: 9:16 vertical, 4:5 portrait, 1:1 square and 16:9 landscape. Here’s where each one is recommended.

Placement	Recommended ratio and size	Max length	Max file size
Facebook Feed	4:5, 1440 × 1800	241 minutes	4 GB
Instagram Feed	9:16, 1080 × 1920	60 minutes	4 GB
Facebook Stories	9:16, 1440 × 2560	3 minutes	4 GB
Instagram Stories	9:16, 1440 × 2560	60 minutes	4 GB
Facebook Reels	9:16, 1440 × 2560	No maximum limit	4 GB
Instagram Reels	9:16, 1440 × 2560	15 minutes	4 GB
TikTok In-Feed (auction, non-Spark)	9:16 recommended, at least 540 × 960	10 minutes	500 MB
YouTube Shorts	9:16, 1080 × 1920	3 minutes (first 60 seconds play in the feed)	256 GB
YouTube in-stream	16:9, 1920 × 1080	Depends on format (see below)	256 GB
LinkedIn video	4:5 recommended, 720 × 900	30 minutes	500 MB

A maximum is a ceiling, not a target. The right length is whatever it takes to land one idea, and for most paid social that’s well under a minute. For TikTok, export at 1080 × 1920 anyway: TikTok’s own video advertising guide recommends 1080 × 1920 or higher, even though the technical minimum is lower.

What are the Meta video ad specs?

Of the six Meta placements above, Meta recommends 9:16 for every one except Facebook Feed, which recommends 4:5. Other placements differ: Marketplace, for example, specifies 1:1. That surprises people who remember Instagram Feed as a 1:1 or 4:5 placement. Meta’s current Instagram Feed video spec recommends a vertical 9:16 asset, so check the placement preview to see how each feed crops it.

Story length works differently from the upload limit. Facebook Stories plays up to 15 seconds in full and splits longer videos into cards. Instagram Stories plays videos under 16 seconds in full, and longer ones may be split into one to three cards. If your hook and offer need to be seen together, keep Stories cuts under 15 seconds.

Also note: Meta’s Facebook Reels spec says auto-captioning isn’t supported there. Burn in your captions or upload a caption file.

What are the TikTok video ad specs?

TikTok’s specs depend on how you buy. For auction In-Feed ads that aren’t Spark Ads, the technical specs accept:

9:16 (recommended), at least 540 × 960
1:1, at least 640 × 640
16:9, at least 960 × 540
Up to 10 minutes and 500 MB

Reservation In-Feed ads (non-Spark and Spark Ads Push) are much shorter: 5 to 60 seconds, with 9 to 15 seconds recommended, according to TikTok’s reservation specs. Spark Ads boost an existing organic post, so the post’s own format applies.

TikTok’s safe area changes with the video’s dimensions, the caption length and any extra ad formats. Download the overlay that matches your ad from the spec page rather than reusing a generic template.

What are the YouTube video ad specs?

Google recommends three shapes for YouTube ads: 16:9 at 1920 × 1080, 9:16 at 1080 × 1920 and 1:1 at 1080 × 1080, with files up to 256 GB, per its video ad specifications. The length limit depends on the format.

YouTube format	Length
Skippable in-stream	No general maximum; reservation buys run 12 seconds to 6 minutes (skippable specs)
Non-skippable in-stream	7 to 15 seconds standard; 16 to 30 seconds on connected TV; the 30-second version must be horizontal (non-skippable specs)
Bumper	Up to 6 seconds (non-skippable specs)
Shorts	Up to 3 minutes, but only the first 60 seconds play in the Shorts feed; under 60 seconds recommended (Shorts specs)

Google publishes official safe-zone overlays for vertical and horizontal video. Don’t reuse Meta’s percentages for YouTube.

What are the LinkedIn video ad specs?

LinkedIn recommends 4:5, accepts 9:16, 16:9 and 1:1, and takes MP4 files from 75 KB to 500 MB, 3 seconds to 30 minutes long, per its video ad specifications.

Ratio	Recommended resolution	Accepted range
4:5 (recommended)	720 × 900	360 × 450 to 1080 × 1350
9:16	720 × 1280	360 × 640 to 1080 × 1920
16:9	1920 × 1080 or 1200 × 675	640 × 360 to 1920 × 1080
1:1	Not specified	360 × 360 to 1920 × 1920

LinkedIn recommends 15 to 30 seconds for the widest eligibility across the feed and its Audience Network. Captions are optional on LinkedIn, but a feed ad has to make sense to someone scrolling in a quiet office, so add them.

What is the safe zone for vertical video ads?

On Meta’s 9:16 Stories and Reels, keep roughly the top 14%, the bottom 35% and 6% of each side free of key text, logos and buttons. Those areas sit under the profile name, the caption and the call-to-action button. On a 1080 × 1920 frame, that’s about 270 pixels at the top, 670 at the bottom and 65 on each side.

Meta’s safe-zone guidance applies the same approach to 9:16 Instagram Feed ads and suggests leaving the bottom 40% clear when a Reels ad carries a disclaimer. Turn on the safe-zone guide in Ads Manager when you upload.

TikTok and YouTube use their own overlays, linked above. In every case, scrub through the whole video with the overlay on. A caption that clears the button at second one can sit right under it at second twelve.

How do you edit once and export every size?

Build one source edit with editable layers, then compose a version for each ratio. Resizing is a design job, not a crop.

Write the placement brief first. List every destination, the working length and the exports needed. Decide what the viewer must understand with the sound off.
Build the source edit. Keep footage, voice, captions, logos and graphics on separate layers. Don’t burn text into the footage before the layouts are approved.
Compose the 9:16 version. Keep the main action and all text inside the safe zone.
Recompose for 4:5 and 1:1. Move the subject and re-break caption lines for the shorter frame. A demo may need a different arrangement, not just a crop.
Build the 16:9 version from the original footage. Use a wider shot or a side-by-side layout. A vertical crop can’t create scenery that was never filmed, so plan wide coverage at the shoot.
Export, upload and check the previews. Approve the exact file that will run, in its real placement.

When you need several hooks or CTAs on top of several ratios, plan them as a test, as in our guide to AI video editing for ad variations.

Name exports by concept, version, ratio and placement (for example lunch-offer_v3_9x16_reels.mp4) so the media buyer never has to open a file to know what it is.

This is the step Growthshiner’s AI video editor takes off an agency’s plate. The edit is built once with captions timed to every word, every ratio comes from that one source, and every frame is checked for safe zones and text length before your team reviews it. For a full creative review sheet, see the AI ad creative QA checklist.

What should be on your final export checklist?

Approve the file and the placement together.

Right spec for the campaign type and buying method
Ratio, resolution, length and file size checked on the encoded file
Product, logo, text and CTA inside the safe zone, start to finish
Captions proofread, timed and not duplicated by auto-captions
Makes sense with the sound off
Opening frame works as a hook on its own
CTA and destination URL checked in the ad preview
Approval recorded against this exact file

When a version fails, fix that layout and re-check it, and keep approved files clearly versioned so a corrected 9:16 never overwrites an approved 16:9. Then tie the approved file IDs to your monthly client report, so results map back to the exact creative.