Short-form video specs

The numbers each platform publishes, with a link to where we read them and the date we checked.

• Best Instagram Reels length for podcast clipsInstagram does not publish a best Reel length. It publishes limits and one reach line: reels over 3 minutes are not recommended to new audiences. For a podcast clip, the best length is the time the idea needs, usually 20 to 60 seconds and up to 90 when it earns it. That range is our recommendation, not an Instagram figure.
• Best TikTok video length for podcast clipsTikTok does not publish a best video length, so any single magic number is someone's opinion. What its pages do state is a 60-minute upload ceiling in TikTok Studio, a one-minute line for its Creator Rewards Program, and a hook in the opening seconds. For podcast clips, a good TikTok length is the shortest one that finishes the idea.
• Facebook Reel size: ratio, resolution and file sizeMeta recommends 1080p, vertical video and .mp4 for organic Facebook Reels, and its composer works in a fixed 9:16 frame. Meta's pages give no pixel size or file-size limit for organic reels. The 1440 x 2560 pixel and 4 GB figures belong to Reels ads. KeyMo exports 9:16 clips at 1080x1920, which fits the organic recommendation.
• Facebook Reels length: minimum and maximumAs of 11 October 2026, Meta states that Facebook Reels have no minimum or maximum length and can be any orientation. That follows Meta's 17 June 2025 announcement that videos on Facebook are shared as reels. We found no 90-second or 3-minute cap on the Meta pages we read. Meta's advice is 10 to 30 seconds for reach and 30 seconds to 3 minutes for engagement.
• How long should YouTube Shorts be?YouTube allows Shorts up to 3 minutes, but that is the limit, not the target. YouTube's help pages do not say how long a Short should be, and the 30 to 60 second advice you will see online is not on YouTube's help pages. Our recommendation: finish the idea, then stop. For a podcast clip that is often 20 to 60 seconds.
• Instagram Reel cover sizeInstagram's Help Center recommends a Reel cover of 420 by 654 pixels, a 1:1.55 ratio, and says you cannot edit the cover after you upload. For a 1080x1920 reel, design the cover as 9:16 and keep its text near the middle, because other views crop the edges.
• Instagram Reels aspect ratio and sizeInstagram's help page says you can upload a reel with an aspect ratio anywhere from 1.91:1 to 9:16, at 30 FPS or more and at least 720 pixels. It names no single recommended size. Meta recommends 9:16 for Reels, and our recommendation is 1080x1920. KeyMo clips are exactly that: 9:16, 1080x1920, 30 fps.
• Instagram Reels length: maximum, minimum and what to cut toInstagram's help page says you can record and edit a reel of up to 20 minutes, but reels over 3 minutes are not recommended to new audiences. Boosting needs 90 seconds or less, and Reels ads and API publishing top out at 15 minutes. The numbers differ because each belongs to a different use.
• Instagram Reels safe zoneMeta's ad guide says to leave at least 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% on each side of a 9:16 Reel free of text and logos. On a 1080x1920 frame that leaves a box about 950 pixels wide and 979 tall. Instagram publishes no separate figure for ordinary Reels, so treat this as the careful guide.
• Instagram Story safe zoneMeta's ad guide for Instagram Stories says to keep roughly 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% of each side free of text and logos, but an older page for the same placement says 14% and 20%. We found no figure for ordinary organic Stories, so keep text inside the stricter box.
• LinkedIn video length: limits and what to cut toLinkedIn's help page says a member video can run from 3 seconds on desktop (2 on the mobile app) up to 15 minutes. Company Page videos are listed at 10 minutes, and video ads at 3 seconds to 30 minutes with 15 to 30 seconds recommended. The pages we read give no best length for ordinary posts.
• LinkedIn video size, aspect ratio and file limitsLinkedIn's help page accepts member video from 256x144 to 4096x2304 pixels, in aspect ratios from 1:2.4 to 2.4:1, at 75 KB to 5 GB and 10 to 60 fps. A 1080x1920, 30 fps vertical clip fits the ratio, resolution, frame rate and file size ranges. LinkedIn names no single recommended size for ordinary posts.
• Shorts resolution on YouTube: 1080p maximum, and what it means for 4KYouTube Help says you can upload Short videos with a maximum resolution of 1080p. It lists no minimum resolution for Shorts. A 4K master is therefore above the stated limit, and the pages do not say what happens to it. For a vertical Short, 1080x1920 is the practical top size.
• Shorts, Reels and TikTok safe zone: one common areaOnly Meta publishes safe-zone numbers: for Reels ads it suggests leaving about 14% free at the top, 35% at the bottom and 6% at each side. YouTube and TikTok print none on the pages we read. On 1080x1920 that gives a cautious box of 950x979 pixels, which we recommend for all three.
• Snapchat Spotlight video length: the numbers Snapchat actually statesAs of 11 October 2026, Snapchat states two Spotlight lengths: 5 seconds or longer to post from the camera, and at least 30 seconds to earn revenue. It states no maximum length, ratio or file size on the help pages we read, so any hard cap you see elsewhere is not from Snap.
• TikTok aspect ratio and size: what TikTok states and what to exportAs of 11 October 2026, TikTok states 9:16 as the recommended ratio for ads and accepts vertical or landscape uploads in TikTok Studio. For TikTok Studio desktop uploads it states 720p or higher and up to 10 GB. It names no required size for regular posts, so we recommend 1080x1920.
• TikTok safe zone: where captions and faces should sitTikTok does not print safe-zone pixel margins on the pages we could read. Its ads help says the size depends on the video dimension, the caption length and any extra formats, and it offers downloadable safe-zone files instead. As of 11 October 2026, keep text and faces away from the edges.
• TikTok video length: maximum, minimum and what TikTok statesAs of 11 October 2026, the only organic length TikTok states on the pages we could read is 60 minutes, for uploads made in TikTok Studio or on TikTok.com. For TikTok Studio desktop uploads it also states 720p or higher and up to 10 GB. We found no stated minimum length and no in-app recording limit, so we do not print one.
• YouTube Shorts aspect ratio: what YouTube states and what to exportYouTube's help pages say a Short must have a square or vertical aspect ratio and run up to three minutes. They never print an exact ratio such as 9:16. Our recommendation, not a YouTube rule, is full-screen 9:16 at 1080x1920. A 16:9 upload is treated as a regular video, not a Short.
• YouTube Shorts length: the 3-minute maximum and the minimumA YouTube Short can be up to 3 minutes long. YouTube Help says square or vertical videos of up to three minutes uploaded on or after 15 October 2024 are categorised as Shorts on standard channels. The help pages we read give no minimum length for a Short.
• YouTube Shorts safe zoneYouTube's help pages give no safe zone figures for organic Shorts, so any exact number you see is someone's measurement, not YouTube's. A careful guide for a 1080x1920 Short is to keep text about 269 px from the top, 672 px from the bottom and 65 px from each side. That is KeyMo's recommendation, not a YouTube rule.
• YouTube Shorts title length and character limitsA YouTube Shorts title can be up to 100 characters. The description limit is 5,000 characters in YouTube Studio help, though the YouTube Data API documents 5000 bytes. YouTube's pages do not say how many title characters show before truncation, or set a limit for on-screen caption text.