Social video specs 2026

Instagram Reels size and specs 2026

Make Instagram Reels 1080×1920 (9:16), at least 720 pixels and 30 fps. You can record and edit Reels up to 20 minutes in the app, but Instagram does not recommend Reels over 3 minutes to new audiences. Captions take 2,200 characters and up to 5 hashtags.

By the Slice research teamUpdated How we did it

Get this page’s dataSocial video specs 2026
  • 1080×1920 (9:16)size
  • 20 min in the applength
  • 6 of 10specs from an official help page

What aspect ratio is an Instagram Reel?

Between 1.91:1 and 9:16. 9:16 fills the screen.

Official: Instagram Help: Reels specs.

What resolution should an Instagram Reel be?

At least 720 px. 1080×1920 is common practice; the ads guide recommends 1440×2560.

API uploads: at most 1920 px wide.

Official: Instagram Help: Reels specs.

Free toolCheck your Instagram video before you postDrop a frame into the free Instagram Reels safe-zone checker and see what the buttons and caption will cover.

How long can an Instagram Reel be?

Up to 20 minutes, recorded and edited in the app. Reels over 3 minutes are not recommended to new audiences.

API uploads: 3 seconds to 15 minutes. Ads: up to 15 minutes.

Official: Instagram Help: Reels length.

What is the file size limit for an Instagram Reel?

Not published for the app. API: 300 MB. Ads: 4 GB.

Official (API docs): Instagram Graph API: media.

What frame rate should an Instagram Reel use?

At least 30 fps.

API: 23 to 60 fps.

Official: Instagram Help: Reels specs.

Which file types and codecs does Instagram accept?

MP4 or MOV; H.264 or HEVC; AAC audio up to 48 kHz; progressive, 4:2:0; video up to 25 Mbps.

Official (API docs): Instagram Graph API: media.

How long can the caption be on Instagram Reels?

Caption 2,200 characters. Up to 5 hashtags.

The 2,200 limit is in the API docs. The API page (September 2026) still says 30 hashtags; the help centre says 5, which is the current rule.

Official: Instagram Help: hashtags.

What size is the Instagram cover or thumbnail?

420×654 px (1:1.55) is Instagram's published cover size. Most creators upload a 1080×1920 cover; the profile grid shows a 3:4 crop of its middle.

The 1080×1920 cover and 3:4 grid crop are common practice, not on a Meta help page.

Official: Instagram Help: Reels specs.

What is the safe zone for an Instagram Reel?

On a 1080×1920 frame, keep text and faces inside a 580×1392 px box: 223 px from the top, 305 px from the bottom, 225 px from the left and 275 px from the right.

The measured safe area (lime) on a 1080×1920 frame: 223 px clear at the top, 305 px at the bottom.

The margins include the 9% each side that a tall phone screen crops off a 9:16 video. See "How we measured the safe zones".

What Instagram publishes: Ads only: keep 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% of each side free of text and logos (on 1080×1920: 269 px, 672 px and 65 px).

Reels ads with disclaimers: keep the bottom 40% clear. Meta publishes no organic safe zone.

Official (ads spec): Meta Ads Guide: Instagram Reels.

Questions

What size and how long can an Instagram Reel be in 2026?

Make Instagram Reels 1080×1920 (9:16), at least 720 pixels and 30 fps. You can record and edit Reels up to 20 minutes in the app, but Instagram does not recommend Reels over 3 minutes to new audiences. Captions take 2,200 characters and up to 5 hashtags.

How long can an Instagram Reel be?

Up to 20 minutes, recorded and edited in the app. Reels over 3 minutes are not recommended to new audiences.

What aspect ratio is an Instagram Reel?

Between 1.91:1 and 9:16. 9:16 fills the screen.

Get the Slice Weekly

One free email every Friday: tools for creators and the best advice we found from people who make things.

Where do these numbers come from?

Instagram's own help, developer and ads pages, each opened on 2 October 2026. Every value says which kind of page it came from. The safe zone is measured by Slice.

n = 10 specs, 9 with an official source link. Last updated 2 October 2026.

Get the data

Free · CSV and JSON · 2 files

This page’s own figures as a CSV, and the full files behind Social video specs 2026. One email unlocks every download on Slice’s data pages.

  • This page’s figures (CSV) Every table and figure on this page, with its source line.
  • Every spec (CSV) One row per format and spec, with its status and source.
  • Every spec (JSON) The same, structured by platform and format, with the measured safe zones in pixels.

Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0: credit “Slice (tryslicemedia.com)” and link to this page. Leave the box unticked and we send you nothing. Everything on this page stays free to read without an email.

Other platforms

More on specs