Video ad specs for 2026
Sizes, lengths, text limits and safe zones for Meta, TikTok, YouTube and X. Checked against each platform's own documentation on 4 October 2026, with the source under every table.
Meta ad specs
Facebook and Instagram: shoot 9:16, crop to 4:5 for feed.
| Feed video | 4:5, 1440 by 1800 |
|---|---|
| Reels and Stories | 9:16, 1440 by 2560 |
| Primary text | Feed 50 to 150 characters. Stories 125. Instagram Reels 44. |
| Headline | 27 characters in Feed |
| Safe zone, 9:16 | Keep 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% of each side clear |
| Files | MP4 or MOV, H.264, stereo AAC at 128 kbps or more, up to 4 GB |
What the numbers mean
- Make the 9:16 master first. It crops cleanly to 4:5 for feed; a 4:5 master cannot grow into Reels.
- The bottom 35% of a Reel sits under the caption and buttons. Nothing that matters goes there.
- Meta lists captions and sound as optional but recommended on every placement. Treat both as required.
Sources
TikTok ad specs
Vertical, sound on, and over in fifteen seconds.
| Aspect ratio | 9:16 recommended. 16:9 and 1:1 accepted. |
|---|---|
| Resolution | 1080 by 1920 recommended. At least 540 by 960 vertical. |
| Length | 5 to 60 seconds for In-Feed ads. 9 to 15 recommended. |
| Ad text | Up to 100 characters in Latin script, spaces and punctuation included |
| Files | MP4, MOV, MPEG, 3GP or AVI, up to 500 MB, bitrate at least 516 kbps |
| Safe zone | Varies with caption length and add-ons. Use TikTok's downloadable template. |
What the numbers mean
- Write for sound on. A silent TikTok ad is fighting the feed it runs in.
- The hook has to land inside two seconds, and the picture has to match the words.
- The longer your ad text, the smaller the safe zone. Check the template after you write the caption, not before.
Sources
YouTube ad specs
Five seconds before the skip button. Build the ad inside them.
| Aspect ratio | 16:9, 9:16 or 1:1 |
|---|---|
| Resolution | 1080p: 1920 by 1080, 1080 by 1920 or 1080 by 1080 |
| Skippable in-stream | Skippable after 5 seconds. Under 3 minutes recommended. |
| Non-skippable in-stream | 60 seconds or shorter |
| Bumper | 6 seconds or shorter, cannot be skipped |
| Shorts | 9:16, under 60 seconds recommended, skippable at once by swiping |
What the numbers mean
- Most viewers only ever see the first five seconds. Put the brand and the hook inside them.
- Supply a real vertical cut for Shorts. A letterboxed 16:9 master looks like an afterthought.
- A bumper is one idea. If it needs a second sentence, it is a different format.
Sources
X ad specs
Short, captioned, and readable without sound.
| Aspect ratio | 16:9, 1:1, 4:5 or 9:16 |
|---|---|
| Resolution | 1920 by 1080 (16:9), 1200 by 1200 (1:1), 1080 by 1920 (9:16) |
| Length | Up to 2 minutes 20 seconds. 15 seconds or less recommended. |
| Files | MP4 or MOV, up to 1 GB. Under 30 MB recommended. |
| Carousel images | 800 by 418 (1.91:1) or 800 by 800 (1:1) |
| Post text | 280 characters, and a link counts as 23 |
What the numbers mean
- Burn the captions in. The timeline is a reading feed first.
- Keep the file under 30 MB even though 1 GB is allowed. It is X's own recommendation.
Sources
Specs are the easy part. The first two seconds are not.
We write the hook, produce the ad and deliver a cut for every placement above.