Video sizes for Reels, Shorts and TikTok
One export works for all three apps: 1080 × 1920 pixels, 9:16, MP4. Where the apps differ is length, and those limits keep moving.
The settings that work everywhere
| Setting | Use this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | 9:16 vertical | Fills a phone screen held upright |
| Resolution | 1080 × 1920 pixels | The size these apps recommend |
| Frame rate | 30 frames per second | Smooth, and half the data of 60 |
| File type | MP4 | Accepted by every app and phone |
| Video codec | H.264 | The most compatible choice |
| Audio codec | AAC | The standard partner for H.264 |
Most phone cameras and editing apps produce exactly this when you choose a vertical Full HD export. You can confirm what a file really contains with the reel size checker.
What happens with other shapes
All three apps accept other shapes, but they do not fill the screen.
- 4:5 or 3:4 vertical video shows with bars above and below.
- Square video uses about half of the screen.
- 16:9 landscape plays as a narrow strip. On YouTube it also changes what the video is: YouTube Help says that videos with a square or vertical shape, up to three minutes long, are treated as Shorts. A landscape video is published as a regular video.
Length limits
| App | Limit | Source |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube Shorts | 3 minutes. Longer videos become regular videos. | YouTube Help |
| Instagram Reels | Up to 3 minutes is recommended to people who do not follow you. Uploads up to 20 minutes are reported. | Third-party guides from 2026 |
| TikTok | 10 minutes recorded in the app. Uploads up to 60 minutes are reported. | Third-party guides from 2026 |
Checked in October 2026. YouTube's limit has applied to videos uploaded after 15 October 2024. Instagram and TikTok have each raised their limits several times and switch accounts over gradually, so guides disagree and your account may show a different number. The app's own upload screen is the final word.
The longest allowed length is rarely the best one. Short-form feeds are built around videos people finish, so most creators stay well under a minute and use the longer limits only when the content needs them.
Keep text away from the edges
The apps draw their own buttons and captions over your video. Roughly the bottom fifth of the frame sits behind the caption and account name, and the right edge sits behind the like, comment and share buttons. Keep titles, subtitles and faces out of those areas. None of the apps publishes exact pixel measurements, and the layout differs between them, so check the preview before you post.
Bigger is not better
Recording in 4K feels like the safe choice, but Instagram and TikTok play short vertical video at up to 1080 pixels wide. The extra pixels are discarded when the app re-encodes your upload, after you have spent several times longer uploading them. Exporting at 1080 × 1920 gives the same result on screen.
The same goes for bitrate. Every upload is compressed again by the app, so a huge file does not arrive as a huge file. What helps is a clean 1080p source. Why videos look blurry after upload covers this in detail.
If your video does not match
- Larger than 1080p, or a very big file: run it through the video compressor at 1080p.
- Too long: cut it with the video trimmer.
- Wrong shape: reframe it in your editing app, where you can choose what stays in the picture.
Converters for this
More guides
- Bitrate, resolution and file size: how they fit togetherThe sums behind video file size, and how to work back from a size limit.
- How to get a video under 16 MB for WhatsAppCompress it yourself or send it as a document, and what 16 MB allows at each length.
- Why videos look blurry after uploadWhat apps do to your upload, what you can control, and what you cannot.