Ultimate Guide to Social Media Video Sizes in 2023

It’s a simple fact that using video is central to social media marketing success and a huge part of social media management. Each platform today either offers ways to incorporate video, or make video its main content type, so it’s crucial for marketers to know how to use it, and which video sizes and specs are optimal for increasing engagement and offering the best content viewing experience possible.

The types of videos you may want to create for social media can vary widely, but they all need to fit into the proper aspect ratio, video speed, and file size. Whether you’re shooting on a smartphone, DSLR, or something even fancier, converting your videos into the correct format is the crucial last step before you upload them to social media. 

Here are all the social media video sizes you need to be aware of as a social media marketer today!

Social Media Channels Video Sizes 2023

Facebook Video Sizes for 2023

Facebook is the world’s largest social media platform, so the potential engagement and reach for your videos on this channel is huge. The variety of videos you can share on Facebook is huge and in most cases, they can be used as ads as well as organic posts.

Tip: These are all Facebook image sizes you need

Facebook shared post video specs 2023

A shared post on Facebook appears in your normal post feed. Video posts shared this way will play automatically as a user scrolls by, but without sound as the default. 

• 1280×720 px are the recommended dimensions for landscape and portrait mode
• Aspect ratio for landscape is 16:9, portrait aspect ratio is 9:16 with the exception of videos containing links (16:9) 
• On mobile the aspect ratio will be rendered to 2:3
• Best video formats to use: .MP4 and .MOV
• Maximum length is 240 minutes (4 hours)
• The maximum file size you can upload is 4GB

Facebook Stories video specs 2023

A Facebook Story behaves and is viewed in much the same way as an Instagram Story. Click on a user who has a brightly colored ring around their profile photo to view their Stories. The video sizes for organic and ad Facebook Stories are the same.

• Ideal resolution is 1080×1080 px
• Length max is 2 minutes
• Best formats are .MP4 and .MOV
• The aspect ratio is 1:91 to 9:16. If your video is under 9:16 the top and bottom will be populated with gradient bars, and the text placed under the video.

Facebook 360-degree video specs 2023

360 videos have been a staple on Facebook since 2015. They are interactive, allowing viewers to gain a 360-degree view of the image by scrolling with their cursor or turning a mobile device. 

• For Monoscopic videos the max resolution is 5120×2560 px
• For Stereoscopic, max resolution is 5120×5120 px
• 360 videos can be up to 30 minutes long, with a recommended frame rate of 30 fps
• 10GB is the maximum file size
• Best formats to use are .MP4 and .MOV

Facebook video ad (in-feed) specs 2023

Advertising on Facebook allows you to reach more eyes with a potential advertising reach of roughly 2 billion people. Increase engagement and get better ROI on your ad spend with video: 

• Best resolution: 1080×1080 px
• Maximum file size: 4GB
• Max length: 240 minutes (120 minutes for a collection ad).
• Horizontal video ad aspect ratio: 16:9
• Square video ad aspect ratio: 1:1 (you should also use this aspect ratio for collection video ads)
• Vertical video ad aspect ratio: 4:5 or 2:3
• Portrait video ad aspect ratio: 9:16
• Best formats are .MP4 and .MOV

Facebook video carousel ad specs 2023

A carousel ad on Facebook utilizes multiple images or videos in a single post. Viewers can scroll through to see all the videos. They will cycle through automatically, leading to better engagement.

• Best resolution: 1080×1080 px 
• Maximum file size: 4GB
• Max length: 240 minutes
• Aspect ratio: 1:1
• Best formats are .MP4 and .MOV
• 30fps recommended
• Up to 10 videos can be included in a carousel ad

Facebook slideshow video ad specs 2023

A Facebook slideshow ad is designed to reach users with slower internet connections. 

• Best resolution: 1200×720 px
• Maximum file size: 4GB
• Max length: 15 seconds
• Landscape aspect ratio: 16:9
• Portrait aspect ratio: 4:5
• Square aspect ratio: 1:1

Facebook instant experience video ad specs 2023

This type of ad on Facebook will play as a full-screen video once clicked. They also provide the option to include several different types of interactive features.

• Best resolution: 1200×628 px
• Maximum file size: 4GB
• Max length: 120 minutes
• Aspect ratio for square: 1:1 (720×720 px)
• Aspect ratio for landscape: 1.9:1 (720×379 px)

LinkedIn Video Sizes for 2023

LinkedIn has lagged behind when it comes to optimizing video features, but it’s definitely working on it. Video is a great way to improve your marketing on LinkedIn by presenting business content to your network, and attracting new talent. Video ideas for LinkedIn could include interviews, speaking highlights from conferences, recruitment videos, and more.  

LinkedIn shared video specs 2023

To show a video on LinkedIn, you can either upload a video file directly or link to a YouTube video. Uploading directly is recommended for being treated favorably by LinkedIn’s algorithm, which would prefer you not click off to view more YouTube videos.  

• Recommended aspect ratio: 1:2.4 to 2.4:1
• Vertical videos will be cropped square
• Video Length: 3-10 minutes
• Max frames: 60fps
• Max size: 5GB
• Minimum size: 75KB
• Supported file formats for LinkedIn videos: .ASF, .AVI, .FLV, .MOV, .MPEG-1, .MPEG-4, .MP4, .MKV, QuickTime, .WebM

LinkedIn video ads specs 2023

Video ads on LinkedIn have been available to marketers since 2018.  

• Dimensions for landscape video ads: 640×360 min, 1920×1080 max
• Dimensions for square video ads: 360×360 min, 1920×1920 max
• Dimensions for vertical video ads: 360×640 min, 1080×1920 max
• Supported file type: .MP4
• Supported audio format: AAC or MPEG4
• Audio size must be less than 64KHz
• File size: 75MB – 200MB max
• Video Length: 30 minutes max, 15 seconds recommended — 20-second videos will loop and replay

Twitter Video Sizes for 2023

Posting videos on Twitter is a great way to increase your engagement metrics. Videos will autoplay unless the user changes their settings. Note that videos will play without sound as the default. There is a length requirement for social media videos on Twitter, so make sure if you’re sharing a longer version of the same video on other platforms you design one specifically to fit Twitter.

Twitter shared video specs 2023

The below specs are also recommended for Twitter video ads.

• Recommended aspect ratio: 1:1. (2:1 aspect ratio is supported but videos will be cropped square when the height exceeds the width). 
• Max file size: 512MB
• Max length: 140 seconds (2 minutes, 20 seconds)
• Minimum length: .5 seconds
• Best formats: .MP4 and .MOV

YouTube Video Sizes for 2023

YouTube is the premier social media video sharing platform and the second most popular search engine after Google. Google now favors YouTube videos in their search results, providing the timestamps most likely to answer your question. Check out our ultimate guide to start optimizing your YouTube presence. 

YouTube video specs 2023

Your YouTube channel is incomplete until you start uploading your video content to the social platform, which is one of the most important parts of establishing your online presence on the site. Videos can tell viewers something about you as a person or highlight a product or service that your business is offering. 

• All YouTube videos must maintain a 16:9 aspect ratio
• Dimensions: must be at least 1,280×720 px
• Accepted formats: .MOV, .MPEG4, .MP4, .AVI, .WMV, .MPEGPS, .FLV, 3GPP, WebM, DNxHR, ProRes, CineForm, HEVC (h265)
• Max length: up to 15 minutes long (longer — up to 12 hours — for verified users)

YouTube Shorts video specs 2023

In an effort to keep up with an increasingly short attention span and give their creators the same tools as other social media platforms, YouTube introduced Shorts in 2021. They’ve since been making small changes to highlight this new content creation type more and more. Shorts function similarly to Instagram Reels and TikTok videos.  

• Aspect ratio: 9:16
• Max length: 60 seconds
• Supported video file types: .MOV, .MPEG4, MP4, .AVI, .WMV, .MPEGPS, .FLV, 3GPP, and WebM.

YouTube video ads specs 2023

Advertising on YouTube is a great way to increase your brand awareness. There are many different ways marketers can make use of YouTube ads, including in-video options, sidebar options, and static shoppable links. 

For all video ads on YouTube:

• Recommended dimensions: 426 x 240 (240p), 640 x 360 (360p), 854 x 480 (480p),1280 x 720 (720p), 1920 x 1080 (1080p), 2560 x 1440 (1440p) and 3840 x 2160 (2160p).
• Aspect ratio: 16:9 (9:16 or square 1:1 for mobile)
• Supported file formats: .MOV, .MPEG4, MP4, .AVI, .WMV, .MPEGPS, .FLV, 3GPP, and WebM.
• Maximum file size: 128GB (or 12 hours, whichever is less)

Skippable Video Ads Specs

• Can be 6 minutes max
• Skippable after 5 seconds

Non-skippable Video Ads Specs

• 15 seconds max viewing time

Mid-roll Video Ads Specs

• 30 seconds minimum in length

Bumper Video Ads Specs

• Max length of 6 seconds

Instagram Video Sizes for 2023

Posting videos on Instagram has become more and more popular as Instagram continues to heavily favor this content type. Reels have been given special attention, but all video posts will help increase your engagement metrics on Instagram. Learn more in our Ultimate Guide to Instagram Marketing!   

Instagram in-feed video specs 2023

Late in 2021, Instagram did away with its separate video app, known as IGTV, effectively consolidating video uploading into one entity. The IGTV tab in a profile remains, renamed to Instagram Video. Videos can also be uploaded to your main grid, and they will show in-feed as users scroll the home screen.

• Supported aspect ratios: 1:1 (square), 9:16 & 4:5 (vertical), 16:9 (horizontal)
• 500 px minimum width
• Maximum file size: 650MB for videos 10 minutes or less, 3.6GB for videos up to 60 minutes
• Best file format: .MP4 or .MOV 
• Max length: 60 minutes
• Min length: 3 seconds

Instagram Stories video specs (organic & ads) 2023

Instagram Stories are a great standby for brands wanting to increase the reach of their posts, as well as get information from polls, share behind-the-scenes content, and last but certainly not least, share links! Instagram finally did away with their 10,000 followers or more rule for linking from Instagram Stories, and this has been a welcome change for marketers given Instagram’s already stingy link opportunities.

• 1080×1080 px recommended resolution
• Best file formats: MP4, MOV, GIF
• Recommended to leave 250 px free space (no text, logos, or other elements) at the top and bottom of the video to allow room for a CTA 
• Maximum file size: 250MB
• 500 px minimum width
• 15 seconds limit (videos longer than 15 seconds will be split into multiple Stories). Instagram is currently testing a 60 second limit instead of 15

Instagram Reels video specs (organic & ads) 2023

Reels launched on Instagram in 2020 and have grown exponentially in popularity as well as favorability in the algorithm. Instagram is pushing Reels hard, introducing new features and improving its UX at a rapid rate. They are similar to TikTok in look and feel and Instagram does have a habit of playing catch-up with TikTok when it comes to Reels features, but each type of video functions largely the same. Learn how to post an Instagram Reel in our beginner’s guide.

• Video Length: up to 60 seconds
• 9:16 aspect ratio
• Video formats: .MP4 and .MOV
• Recommended resolution at least 500×888 px
• Max file size: 45GB

Instagram Live video specs 2023

Run an Instagram Live to gain real-time input from your audience, interview special guests, and answer fan questions.

• Length: up to 4 hours
• 9:16 aspect ratio
• Recommended size: 1080×1920 px

Pinterest Video Sizes for 2023

You’d be forgiven for not realizing that Pinterest actually supports video posts. But, for business accounts only, video ads and organic posts can be posted to Pinterest, helping maximize engagement on the platform.

Pinterest video specs (ads and organic) 2023

To post a video on Pinterest navigate through the same Create flow as for a still image within your Pinterest business account. Select a cover image for your video and then schedule or post live. 

• Accepted file type: .mp4, .mov, .m4v
• 2GB max file size
• Standard video required aspect ratio: taller than 1.9:1, shorter than 1:2
• Max width required aspect ratio: 1:1 for square, 16:9 for widescreen
• Recommended aspect ratio for standard video: 1:1 square size or 2:3, 4:5, 9:16 vertical size
• Duration: 4 seconds to 15 minutes

TikTok Video Sizes for 2023

The behemoth that is TikTok launched in 2016 and shows no signs of slowing down, reporting 1 billion active users as of January 2022. There are many benefits to using TikTok as a brand, including jumping on current trends, advertising, and influencer marketing. TikTok demographics are also shifting, with 47% between the ages of 10-29.

TikTok video specs 2023

Post a TikTok video using the below specs for optimal engagement:

• Best resolution: 1080×1920 px
• Maximum recommended file size: 287.6MB
• Supported file formats: .MP4 and .MOV
• 9:16 aspect ratio recommended to fit a normal smartphone screen
• Square 1:1 aspect ratio will be accepted but won’t appear full screen
• Video Length: 3 minutes max (A 10-minute max. is being rolled out to all users in 2022)

TikTok ads video specs 2023

Ads on TikTok are growing in popularity, and are a great way to increase your audience and brand awareness.

• Accepted formats: .MP4, .MOV, .MPEG, .AVI
• Required aspect ratio: 9:16, 1:1, or 16:9
• File size max: 500MB
• Recommended length: 9-15 seconds (between 5 – 60 seconds allowed)

Optimize Your Social Media Videos for 2023!

Posting videos on social media is a sure-fire way to increase engagement, grow followers, and help drive traffic and sales to your business. While social media videos are by and large better for engagement, don’t underestimate photo posts! Check out our complete guide to social image sizes (including hero banners, profile pictures, and more) for optimizing your social media profiles. 

Get a deeper understanding of the kind of content your audience responds to with social listening. Fill out the form below to schedule a demo!