Instagram Video Length Guide (2023): Posts, Stories, IGTV

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Adam is Head of Content at Wyzowl. Leading a talented, fearless team of writers, Adam’s passions include video, growth marketing, brand storytelling and referring to himself in the third person.

Last updated on 22nd February 2023

In this article we’re going to break down the ideal Instagram video lengths for posts, Stories, Reels and Live video.

Video performs incredibly well on Instagram.

And marketers are taking note. According to our State of Video Marketing survey, 79% of video marketers include Instagram in their video marketing strategy. 

But simply posting videos to Instagram isn’t enough to guarantee success. You need to make sure that your content fits and is engaging for users – and that includes ensuring the video length is just right. 

So, with that said, let’s take a look at the video lengths for each different type of Instagram video. 

Instagram video length limit

First of all, let’s take a look at the length limits. This is the maximum amount of time each type of Instagram video can run for. 

Instagram Video posts have a maximum length limit of 60 minutes.

All of these videos can be found under the video tab on a user’s profile: 

When users scroll through their feed and see an Instagram Video post, they can watch a 60 second preview within their feed and then decide if they want to watch the full thing.

As for the length limits of other types of Instagram videos:

The video length limit for Instagram Live videos is 4 hours.

For Instagram Reels it’s 60 seconds.

And the video length for Instagram Stories is 15 seconds.

If you have videos that exceed these length limits then there are some ways to get around this. 

Instagram Length Hacks

If you have an existing video that exceeds the length limit on Instagram but you really want to post it, then you have the opportunity to trim the video to fit the limit. 

This functionality is built right into Instagram so you are given the easy option to do this when you upload: 

If you’re happy with your trimmed video then you can stop there. However, if you want to include the whole thing (length limit be damned!) then you can create a carousel post. 

A carousel post allows you to share up to 10 photos or videos in one post, which your users can simply swipe through.

So if you want to share a long video then you can just cut this up into separate clips and upload as a carousel post: 

You can do the same with Instagram Stories. Each story is only 15 seconds, but you can upload 4. These will play one after the other to a maximum limit of 60 seconds (each story is represented by a bar at the top of the screen): 

Instagram Video post length

An Instagram Video post is exactly what it sounds like! It’s a video post to Instagram. These videos appear in-feed, alongside image posts. Here’s an example: 

Instagram Video posts can be between 3 seconds and 60 minutes in length. 

If your video post is longer than 60 seconds then a preview will be played in the feed and users can choose to watch the remainder of the video on your profile.

As mentioned above, if you have a video that exceeds the 60 minute mark that you’d really love to post to Instagram then you can get around this by using the in-platform editor to trim the video, or you can upload the video in segments as a carousel post.

Instagram Stories video length

Instagram Stories are short videos that are posted to your profile and automatically disappear after 24 hours. Here’s an example: 

Each Story can be up to 15 seconds in length. However, you can share up to 4 Stories at a time, to a maximum length of 60 seconds. 

Instagram Stories last for 24 hours, or you can save them to a highlight reel so that people who visit your profile can view them any time: 

Instagram Reel video length

Reels is Instagram’s answer to TikTok. They’re short, vertical clips, usually set to music that can be anywhere from 15-60 seconds long. Here’s an example: 

Reels have their own dedicated section in Instagram. Here, like TikTok, you can scroll through trending videos. 

Reels can also be found on user’s profiles and on the explore feed: 

Instagram Live time limit

When you go live on Instagram you can stream for up to 4 hours. This has been extended from the original limit of 1 hour. 

You can also save your live stream to your profile for up to 30 days so that people who weren’t able to watch in real time can catch up. 

Instagram video ad length

The rules for Instagram video ads differ to those of regular videos. In-feed video ads can be between 3-120 seconds long, like this one: 

Instagram Story ads are a little bit different. Typically, users can share up to 4 Story cards (to a total of 60 seconds). With Story ads, this is extended to 10 cards (to a total of 150 seconds).

However, only the first 3 cards will be displayed within the normal Instagram Story feed. After that viewers are asked to opt in to watching more with a tap. 

Final thoughts

Currently, almost 15% of all posts on Instagram are videos. Video is only growing in popularity on Instagram, so there’s never been a better time to start upping your video marketing game on the platform. 
Looking for somewhere to start? Check out our Social Media Videos page.