Short-Form Video Specs: Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts
Instagram Reels can run up to 20 minutes (reels over 3 minutes won't be recommended to new audiences), TikTok allows 10 minutes recorded in the app or 60 minutes uploaded, and YouTube Shorts go up to 3 minutes. Every number here comes straight from the platform's own help pages.
Last verified: 2026-10-07. Platforms change these limits; each platform page links the source so you can re-check.
Reels vs TikTok vs Shorts at a glance
If you post the same video everywhere, a vertical 9:16 export fits all three; the limits below decide how long it can run.
| Spec | Instagram Reels | TikTok | YouTube Shorts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum length | 20 minutes (over 3 minutes: not recommended to new audiences) | 10 minutes recorded in the app; 60 minutes uploaded | 3 minutes |
| Aspect ratio | 1.91:1 to 9:16 | Not published for regular posts (ads: 9:16 recommended) | Square or vertical |
| Resolution | 720 pixels minimum; no recommended size published | Not published for regular posts (ads: 540 × 960 minimum) | Not published (Google Ads: 1080 × 1920 for vertical ads) |
| Official safe zone | Ads only: 14% top, 35% bottom, 6% sides | Ads only: templates that vary by ad format | Ads only (Google Ads): 288 px top, 672 px bottom, 48 px left, 192 px right on 1080 × 1920 |
| Full specs and sources | Instagram Reels specs | TikTok specs | YouTube Shorts specs |
Where these numbers come from
- Only the platforms' own pages: Instagram Help Center, Meta Business Help and Ads Guide, TikTok Help Center, TikTok Ads Manager help, YouTube Help and Google Ads Help.
- Ad-only numbers are labelled as ad specs. They're official but don't describe regular posts.
- If a platform doesn't publish a number, the table says so. We don't fill gaps from third-party guides, because those guides often present a convention (like 1080 × 1920) as an official requirement and contradict each other on limits.
- Each platform page links every value to its source and shows the date we last checked it, because a wrong limit can cost you a re-edit.
Specs by platform
- Instagram Reels: size and length: 20-minute limit, the 3-minute recommendation line, 1.91:1 to 9:16, 720-pixel minimum, 30 FPS, 420 × 654 cover, and Meta's Reels ad safe zone.
- TikTok: size and length: 10 minutes recorded, 60 minutes uploaded, and TikTok's in-feed ad specs (9:16, 540 × 960 minimum, 500 MB, file types).
- YouTube Shorts: length and size: 3 minutes, square or vertical, what counts as a Short, the 1-minute Content ID rule, and Google Ads' safe area for vertical ads.
Free 9:16 safe-zone overlays
For Instagram Reels, download a free 1080 × 1920 PNG (no account needed) with Meta's Reels ad safe zone marked (14% top, 35% bottom, 6% each side; about 269 px, 672 px and 65 px on that canvas) and put it on a guide layer above your edit.
Download the Reels safe-zone overlay (PNG)
For YouTube Shorts, a second free PNG marks Google Ads' safe area for vertical video ads (288 px top, 672 px bottom, 48 px left, 192 px right). YouTube publishes no safe zone for regular Shorts.
Download the Shorts safe-zone overlay (PNG)
TikTok doesn't publish fixed safe-zone margins (its ad templates change with the ad's dimensions and caption length), so we don't draw an overlay for it; its own templates are linked on the TikTok page.
Write to the length you need
The limits are generous; a 30- or 60-second script uses a fraction of them. About 65–90 spoken words fill 30 seconds and 130–180 fill 60. Here's how to write a 30- or 60-second script.
Charting your next post? Captain Hook's Script Generator writes 30- or 60-second scripts for TikTok and Instagram Reels (not YouTube Shorts). After you post on TikTok or Reels, the Video Analyzer reads up to 4 screenshots of one video's analytics (no video upload) and tells you what to change next.
Specs right but views still low?
Getting the file right is the easy part. If a video still stalls, these guides walk through the usual causes:
Questions
What is the maximum video length on Reels, TikTok and Shorts?
Instagram Reels: up to 20 minutes, though reels over 3 minutes won't be recommended to new audiences. TikTok: 10 minutes recorded in the app, 60 minutes uploaded. YouTube Shorts: up to 3 minutes.
What aspect ratio works on all three?
Vertical 9:16 fits all three: it's inside Instagram's 1.91:1 to 9:16 range, it's vertical for YouTube Shorts, and it's the ratio TikTok's ad specs recommend.
Do Reels, TikTok and Shorts have official safe zones?
Only for ads. Meta publishes a Reels ad safe zone (14% top, 35% bottom, 6% each side), Google Ads publishes one for vertical video ads (288 px top, 672 px bottom, 48 px left, 192 px right on 1080 × 1920), and TikTok publishes ad templates that vary by format. None of the three publishes a safe zone for regular posts.
Why do video size guides disagree?
Many guides mix official limits with conventions, such as calling 1080 × 1920 "the" size, and some haven't caught up with newer limits. This page only lists what each platform publishes and says so when it publishes nothing.