What are the short-form video specs in 2026 for each platform?
Length, ratio, resolution, file size and formats for Shorts, TikTok, Reels, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Snapchat Spotlight and Spotify Clips, read October 2026.
The short answer
In October 2026, official platform pages cap length at 3 minutes for YouTube Shorts, 60 minutes for TikTok uploads, 20 minutes for Instagram Reels, 15 minutes on LinkedIn, 140 seconds on X without a subscription, 5 minutes for Snapchat Spotlight uploads and 90 seconds for Spotify Clips; Facebook Reels can be any length. All eight accept 9:16 vertical video, and 1080 x 1920 meets every minimum resolution they list.
Sources checked on 16 October 2026, each listed at the end of this guide with its date.
Cutting a long video into clips for these platforms?
shortshort cuts one long recording into vertical MP4 shorts, 9:16 at 1080 x 1920 or 4:5 at 1080 x 1350, with captions timed word by word.
The spec table: eight platforms, read on October 16, 2026
Each cell below comes from the platform's own help center, creator site or newsroom, read on October 16, 2026. "Not stated" means we found no figure on those pages, not that there is no limit. The figures are for regular posts made from each platform's app or website, not for ads, which have their own specs.
Where a figure applies to one upload path only, such as web uploads or reels published through an API, the cell says so, and the sections below give the detail and the page behind each number. For YouTube Shorts, TikTok and Instagram Reels, our length guides go further on each platform's rules.
| Platform | Maximum length | Aspect ratio | Resolution | Maximum file size | File formats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube Shorts | 3 minutes, if square or vertical (uploads since October 15, 2024) | Square or vertical; YouTube advises filming in 9:16 | Up to 1080p | 256 GB or 12 hours, whichever is less (any YouTube upload) | MP4, MOV, WebM, AVI, ProRes, HEVC and others |
| TikTok | 10 minutes recorded in the app, 60 minutes uploaded | Full-screen 9:16 advised for clips cut from long videos | 720p or more (web uploads) | 10 GB (web uploads) | Not stated on the pages we could read |
| Instagram Reels | 20 minutes; reels over 3 minutes are not recommended to non-followers | 1.91:1 to 9:16 | At least 720 pixels, at least 30 fps | Not stated (300 MB for reels published through the API) | Not stated (MOV or MP4 through the API) |
| Facebook Reels | Any length: every video posted is shared as a reel | Any orientation; Meta advises vertical video | 1080p recommended | Not stated | MP4 or MOV recommended; H.264 or H.265 |
| LinkedIn video | 15 minutes (at least 3 seconds from a computer, 2 from the app) | 1:2.4 to 2.4:1; no preferred ratio for posts | 256 x 144 to 4096 x 2304 | 5 GB | MP4, MOV, WebM, AVI, MKV, WMV and others |
| X video | 140 seconds without a subscription; under 4 hours with one | 1:2.39 to 2.39:1 (web uploads) | 32 x 32 to 1920 x 1200, or 1200 x 1900 (web uploads) | 512 MB without a subscription; 16 GB with one | Not stated |
| Snapchat Spotlight | At least 5 seconds; 5 minutes uploaded in the app (Snap Newsroom, March 2024); 60 seconds through the web uploader | 9:16; web uploads are cropped to fit | At least 540 x 960 (web uploader) | Not stated | .mp4 (web uploader) |
| Spotify Clips | 15 to 90 seconds, one clip per podcast episode | Vertical recommended, horizontal supported | At least 768 x 1024 | 1 GB | MP4 or MOV, with audio |
YouTube Shorts and TikTok: where each figure comes from
YouTube Help says Shorts can run up to three minutes and must have a square or vertical aspect ratio; for standard channels, that applies to videos uploaded on or after October 15, 2024. YouTube's Shorts help page says Shorts can be uploaded with a maximum resolution of 1080p, and the YouTube Blog's getting-started guide of April 8, 2025 says to film in a 9:16 aspect ratio. YouTube gives no file size for Shorts in particular: 256 GB or 12 hours, whichever is less, is the cap for any upload, and only verified accounts can upload videos longer than 15 minutes. YouTube's list of supported files includes MP4, MOV and WebM.
TikTok's Help Center says videos recorded in the TikTok app can be up to 10 minutes long and uploaded videos up to 60 minutes; if you pick a TikTok sound before recording or uploading, the sound's length sets the video's length. A Creator Academy article last updated August 18, 2026 says TikTok on the web takes uploads of up to 60 minutes, with a resolution of 720p or more and a video size of 10 GB. Another, updated the same day, says vertical and horizontal both work and that blurred or black bars are the problem; for clips cut from long videos, it advises cropping to a full-screen 9:16 vertical frame.
TikTok's pages have not always agreed on web uploads. In September 2026, a Help Center article on TikTok Studio listed 30 minutes, in MP4 or WebM, for web uploads; it did not load when we tried again on October 16, 2026, so the table leaves TikTok's file formats as not stated. How long can a TikTok video be? keeps the detail.
Instagram Reels and Facebook Reels: two sets of Meta pages
The Instagram Help Center says a reel can run up to 20 minutes, recorded as one clip or several, and that reels over 3 minutes won't be recommended to new audiences. It accepts aspect ratios from 1.91:1 to 9:16 and asks for at least 30 fps and 720 pixels. It names no maximum file size and no file format. Meta's developer docs set limits only for reels published through the Instagram API: MOV or MP4, 15 minutes and 300 MB at most, with 9:16 recommended "to avoid cropping or blank space".
On Facebook, every video is now a reel. The Facebook Help Center says videos posted to Facebook are shared as reels "regardless of length or orientation", and Meta's Business Help Center says reels can be any length or orientation. Its requirements page recommends .mp4, 1080p, H.264 or H.265 and 24 to 60 fps, and names no file size. A Facebook Help Center page on videos exported from editing software recommends H.264 with AAC audio in MOV or MP4 and a frame rate of 30 fps or less, so Meta's pages differ on frame rate.
Meta's tips for Facebook Reels advise using vertical video, and list among the reels to avoid those that are horizontal, blurry from low resolution, uploaded with a border, or visibly recycled from other apps, such as watermarked ones.
LinkedIn and X: wide ranges, smaller caps
LinkedIn Help gives the same video requirements on two pages: up to 15 minutes and 5 GB, at least 3 seconds from a computer or 2 seconds from the LinkedIn mobile app, 256 x 144 to 4096 x 2304 pixels, aspect ratios from 1:2.4 to 2.4:1, 10 to 60 fps and 192 Kbps to 30 Mbps. Supported files include MP4, MOV, WebM, AVI, MKV and WMV. LinkedIn names no preferred ratio for regular videos. Its page on the full-screen vertical player says the ideal size depends on the viewer's device: videos with a larger aspect ratio may be cropped on the sides and at the top and bottom, and wider ones fitted to the screen. LinkedIn also asks to keep text and logos away from the edges, so its interface does not cover them.
X Help says that without a subscription you can upload videos up to 140 seconds long, with a maximum file size of 512 MB. X Premium subscribers, and subscribers to the Plus, Premium, Super and Ultra plans of The X Subscription, can upload videos shorter than 4 hours, up to 16 GB, in 1080p, or in 720p above 2 hours. For web uploads, the page lists 32 x 32 to 1920 x 1200 (and 1200 x 1900) pixels, aspect ratios from 1:2.39 to 2.39:1, 40 fps and 25 Mbps at most. It names no file formats and no preferred ratio.
Two details matter for vertical clips on X. A 1080 x 1920 file is 20 pixels taller than the 1200 x 1900 figure, and the page does not say whether X scales such a file down or refuses it. And X's invite-only Video Kickstart Bonus counts only 9:16 videos under 3 minutes that you created and that carry no other platform's watermark, name or logo.
Snapchat Spotlight and Spotify Clips: tight windows
Snapchat Support says the Post button for Spotlight appears when your video is 5 seconds or longer, you are 16 or older and you are in a region where Spotlight posting is enabled. No Snapchat help page we read gives a maximum for Spotlight. The latest official figure we found is Snap's newsroom post of March 28, 2024: videos of up to three minutes recorded and up to five minutes uploaded, for Chats, Stories and Spotlight.
Snapchat's web uploader posts Story and Spotlight videos, and takes .mp4 files of 5 to 60 seconds and at least 540 x 960 pixels; a Spotlight post from the web is a separate upload from the Story one. Snapchat Support adds that Snapchat content has a 9:16 aspect ratio, so videos uploaded from the web are cropped automatically. No page we read gives a file size limit.
Spotify Clips are short videos attached to a podcast episode in Spotify for Creators, and may be recommended across Spotify, such as on the Home and Podcast feeds. Spotify allows one clip per episode, 15 to 90 seconds long, in MP4 or MOV, 1 GB at most, with audio. Its Clips content policy adds a minimum of 768 x 1024 pixels, and recommends vertical video while supporting horizontal. The Clips help page says clips can only be uploaded on Spotify for Creators web, though the same page also gives steps for the mobile app.
One vertical file for all eight: a checklist
A 9:16 MP4 at 1080 x 1920 meets every minimum resolution in the table. What changes from one platform to the next is length, file size and a few rules on watermarks and edges. Each point below rests on the pages cited in this guide, and none of them is a promise of reach.
- Length: a clip of 15 to 60 seconds fits every upload path in the table, from the Spotify Clips minimum to the Snapchat web uploader maximum. On X, 140 seconds is the cap without a subscription; on Instagram, 3 minutes is the line for being recommended to non-followers; YouTube Shorts stop at 3 minutes.
- File size: 512 MB on X without a subscription is the lowest cap in the table; reels published through the Instagram API stop at 300 MB.
- Frame rate: 30 fps fits every range published: at least 30 on Instagram, 24 to 60 or 30 or less on Meta's Facebook pages, 10 to 60 on LinkedIn and up to 40 on X.
- Shape: 9:16 for full-screen feeds. YouTube counts square or vertical videos of up to 3 minutes as Shorts, and a 16:9 upload stays a regular video.
- Original file: upload the file you exported, not a copy saved from another app. Meta advises against reels visibly recycled from other apps, such as watermarked ones, and X's bonus does not count videos carrying another platform's watermark.
- Edges: keep text and logos away from the top, bottom and sides. LinkedIn asks for it so its interface does not cover them.
With shortshort
shortshort takes one long video you own, a file in MP4, MOV or WebM up to 2 GB or the link of your own public or unlisted YouTube video, downloaded on our servers at up to 720p with its audio, and cuts it into vertical shorts, each aimed at a length you choose between 15 and 90 seconds and finishing within 25% of it. Each short exports as an MP4 (H.264, 30 fps) in 9:16 at 1080 x 1920, the default for Shorts, TikTok and Reels, or in 4:5 at 1080 x 1350 for the Instagram feed, a choice made at export for the whole series on every plan. A 4:5 export is framed again for its own shape, with the face tracked anew rather than the 9:16 crop made wider. The longest short runs 112.5 seconds, and its video stream stays at or under 88 MB, with 128 kbps audio, under every file size cap in the table. For Spotify Clips, a target from 20 to 70 seconds keeps every short between 15 and 90 seconds; for Snapchat's web uploader, a target of 45 seconds or less keeps it under 60. Lengthening a short in the editor can take it past those bounds, up to 112.5 seconds. Free exports carry a small shortshort.io badge near the top-left corner and a 1.5 s 'Made with shortshort.io' end card; paid plans export without them. Each short can also be scheduled on a connected YouTube channel from the Publish page, and publishing to TikTok is in early access; for Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Snapchat and Spotify, you download the MP4 and upload it yourself.
Questions people ask
What size should a short-form vertical video be?
9:16 at 1080 x 1920 works with the published specs of most platforms. All eight platforms in this guide accept 9:16 video, that size meets every minimum resolution they list, from 540 x 960 on Snapchat's web uploader to 768 x 1024 for Spotify Clips, and YouTube takes Shorts up to 1080p. The one to check is X, whose help page lists 1200 x 1900 as its largest vertical size for web uploads.
How long can a short-form video be on each platform?
As of October 16, 2026: YouTube Shorts, 3 minutes; TikTok, 60 minutes uploaded and 10 minutes recorded in the app; Instagram Reels, 20 minutes, though reels over 3 minutes are not recommended to non-followers; Facebook Reels, any length; LinkedIn, 15 minutes; X, 140 seconds without a subscription; Snapchat Spotlight, 5 minutes uploaded in the app and 60 seconds from the web uploader; Spotify Clips, 15 to 90 seconds.
What is the maximum file size for a short video?
It depends on the platform: 256 GB for any YouTube upload, 10 GB for TikTok web uploads, 5 GB on LinkedIn, 1 GB for Spotify Clips, and 512 MB on X without a subscription (16 GB with one). The Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat pages we read give no maximum; Meta's developer docs cap reels published through the Instagram API at 300 MB.
What frame rate should a short-form video use?
30 fps fits every range the platforms in this guide publish. Instagram asks for at least 30 fps, LinkedIn accepts 10 to 60, X takes up to 40 on web uploads, and Meta's Facebook pages recommend 24 to 60 fps for reels and 30 fps or less for edited videos. The YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat and Spotify pages we read give no frame rate.
Can I post the same vertical video on TikTok, Reels and Shorts?
As far as the specs go, yes: a 9:16 clip of 3 minutes or less fits the length and shape rules of YouTube Shorts, TikTok and Instagram Reels alike. Upload the original file rather than a copy saved from another app: Meta advises against reels visibly recycled from other apps, such as watermarked ones.
Sources
The official pages this guide relies on, with the day each one was read.
- Understand three-minute YouTube Shorts - YouTube Help, checked .
- Get started creating YouTube Shorts - YouTube Help, checked .
- Upload YouTube Shorts - Computer - YouTube Help, checked .
- Upload videos longer than 15 minutes - YouTube Help, checked .
- Supported YouTube file formats - YouTube Help, checked .
- Your guide to getting started with YouTube Shorts - YouTube Blog (Apr 8, 2025), checked .
- Camera tools | TikTok Help Center (English), checked .
- How to repurpose long videos? | TikTok Creator Academy (last updated August 18, 2026), checked .
- Create videos that fill the screen and look made for TikTok | TikTok Creator Academy (last updated August 18, 2026), checked .
- Reel size & aspect ratios on Instagram | Instagram Help Center, checked .
- Record a reel on Instagram | Instagram Help Center, checked .
- IG User Media reference, Reel Specifications | Meta for Developers, checked .
- Create a reel on Facebook | Facebook Help Center, checked .
- Requirements for Facebook Reels | Meta Business Help Center, checked .
- Tips and best practices for Facebook Reels | Meta Business Help Center, checked .
- What video file formats can you upload on Facebook | Facebook Help Center, checked .
- Settings recommended to use when adding an edited video to Facebook | Facebook Help Center, checked .
- Share videos on LinkedIn | LinkedIn Help, checked .
- Video sharing troubleshooting | LinkedIn Help, checked .
- Full-screen vertical video on LinkedIn | LinkedIn Help, checked .
- How to share and watch videos on X | X Help Center, checked .
- About the Video Kickstart Bonus | X Help Center, checked .
- How do I post Snaps to Spotlight? | Snapchat Support, checked .
- How to Post a Snap to My Story from the Web | Snapchat Support, checked .
- Post to Your Public Story on Web | Snapchat Business Help Center, checked .
- More Ways to Create & Personalize, with Snaps, Stories, Spotlight and Bitmoji | Snap Newsroom (March 28, 2024), checked .
- Clips | Spotify for Creators Support, checked .
- Clips content policy | Spotify for Creators Support, checked .
Related
Cut your own long video into shorts.
30 credits are free at sign-up, no card. One credit is one minute of source video, whatever the number of shorts.