Social media video specs are the technical requirements each platform enforces on uploaded video. They cover aspect ratio, resolution, file format, file size, and duration. Three ratios cover most placements: 9:16 at 1080x1920px, 1:1 at 1080x1080px, and 16:9 at 1920x1080px. MP4 works everywhere.

Every number below was checked against the platform’s own documentation in August 2026. Three of them contradict what the most-cited spec guides currently publish.

Social Media Video Specs at a Glance

The table below covers the native format for all nine platforms in one view. Use it for a quick lookup, then read the platform section for placement-level detail.

Two values in that table are commonly published wrong elsewhere. Pinterest caps organic video Pins at 5 minutes, not 15, and LinkedIn allows 15 minutes from the mobile app, not 10. Both are corrected against platform documentation below.

Still images follow a separate set of rules. The companion social media image sizes cheat sheet covers those dimensions.

What Are Social Media Video Specs?

Eight parameters make up a platform’s video spec. Each one is a pass or fail condition at upload, and together they decide how much quality survives the platform’s re-encode.

Every major platform re-encodes video on upload. A file that already matches the platform’s native spec passes through with minimal recompression and small quality loss. A file that does not match gets forced into spec, and the extra transcoding step shows up as visible artifacting in motion and gradients.

MP4 and MOV are the two containers with the broadest reach. MP4 is accepted on every platform in this guide. MOV is accepted on most of them, with X the notable exception, since X requires MP4.

The Three Core Aspect Ratios for Social Media Video

Three aspect ratios cover the vast majority of placements across all nine platforms. 9:16 is the dominant mobile-first ratio, used by TikTok, Instagram Reels, Stories, and YouTube Shorts. 16:9 remains the desktop and YouTube standard. 1:1 and 4:5 handle feed posts in between.

9:16 is the correct choice whenever a placement is designed for mobile-first, full-screen viewing. 16:9 is the correct choice for YouTube standard uploads and for LinkedIn content that will be watched on desktop.

4:5 beats 1:1 in any mobile feed for a measurable reason. A 4:5 frame is 1350px tall at 1080px wide, against 1080px for a square. That is 25 percent more vertical pixels before the viewer scrolls past.

Safe Zones for Vertical Video

Platform UI overlays the top and bottom of every 9:16 frame. Those elements include the username, the like and comment buttons, caption text, and audio attribution. Keep all text, logos, and key visuals between roughly 250px from the top and 350px from the bottom of a 1080x1920px frame.

Content placed outside that band risks being obscured in the viewing interface. Treat the 250px and 350px figures as a working standard from creator resources, not as an official platform specification. No platform publishes exact overlay heights.

Instagram Video Specs

Instagram supports three placements for video, each with distinct dimension and duration requirements. The three placements (feed video, Reels, and Stories) share the same file size limit but differ in aspect ratio, resolution, and maximum duration.

The 4:5 ratio is recommended for Instagram feed video because it occupies more vertical screen space than 1:1 without going full portrait. Instagram also crops square grid thumbnails to 4:5 in the feed display, so exporting at 4:5 avoids unexpected cropping.

The two Reels duration limits are separate ceilings. Recording inside the app stops at 3 minutes. Uploading a pre-recorded file raises the ceiling to 15 minutes. Reels accept 23 to 60 fps.

Apply the safe zone band to all 9:16 Instagram content, including Reels and Stories. Text placed in those edges will be covered by the username overlay or the interaction buttons.

For a step-by-step walkthrough of the Reels creation process, see how to make an Instagram reel.

TikTok Video Specs

TikTok is built entirely around 9:16 vertical video. The platform accepts 1:1 and 16:9 uploads, but both display with black bars, so 9:16 is always the right choice for native TikTok performance.

The file size gap between the app and the web uploader is the spec most people trip over. Anything above 287.6 MB has to go through the web uploader, which accepts files up to 10 GB.

TikTok accepts up to 60 fps. 30 fps is standard for most content, and 60 fps suits action sequences and product demonstrations without any transcoding penalty.

TikTok pioneered the short-form video format now used by Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and Facebook Reels. The same 9:16 vertical spec applies across all four placements.

The safe zone band applies to TikTok exactly as it applies to Instagram. Username, like, comment, share, and audio attribution elements sit along the bottom and the right edge of the frame.

Facebook Video Specs

Facebook accepts video across three placements. The platform renamed its Videos tab to Reels in June 2025, making Reels the primary short-form video format on the platform.

4:5 claims 25 percent more vertical pixels than 1:1 in the Facebook mobile feed, the same geometry that makes it the better Instagram feed ratio. The 10 GB ceiling on in-feed video leaves room to upload a high-bitrate source file before Facebook recompresses it for delivery.

Facebook Reels is the one placement here that takes MP4 only. Export MOV for the feed if you want, but convert before posting a Reel.

For image-based posts on Facebook and Instagram, see how to make a carousel post for format and dimension guidance.

YouTube Video Specs

YouTube is the only major platform where 16:9 landscape is the default format and 9:16 is reserved for short-form content. A standard YouTube upload uses 16:9, and a Shorts upload uses 9:16.

YouTube publishes a full encoding recipe, which no other platform in this guide does. Matching it is the single cheapest quality win available on the platform.

Those values come from YouTube’s recommended upload encoding settings. The 8 and 12 Mbps figures are the source of the “8 to 12 Mbps” range other guides quote without the frame-rate condition attached.

YouTube accepts 4K uploads and re-encodes every video for playback delivery, so the quality advantage of a 4K master is largely erased. 1080p at YouTube’s own recommended bitrate is the practical sweet spot. Final delivered quality is set by YouTube’s encoder, not by the source resolution.

YouTube Shorts run up to 3 minutes, and uploaded Shorts top out at 1080p. Any vertical video under 3 minutes is treated as a Short. Licensed music clips inside a Short are still capped at 60 seconds.

LinkedIn Video Specs

LinkedIn publishes the widest acceptance envelope of any platform here. It takes any aspect ratio between 1:2.4 and 2.4:1, which covers 16:9, 1:1, 4:5, and 9:16 in a single rule.

The recommended resolution for native LinkedIn video is 1080p: 1920x1080px for 16:9, or 1080x1080px for square. LinkedIn accepts 10 to 60 fps and bitrates from 192 Kbps to 30 Mbps, per LinkedIn’s video sharing requirements. ProRes files may start uploading but will fail to process.

Two LinkedIn numbers circulate incorrectly. The 30-minute ceiling and the 200 MB file limit belong to LinkedIn Video Ads, not to organic posts. And the mobile app allows the same 15 minutes as desktop, not the 10 minutes most guides publish. Only the minimum differs: 3 seconds on desktop, 2 seconds on mobile.

Pinterest Video Specs

Pinterest recommends 9:16 at 1080x1920px for full-screen display and accepts 1:2, 2:3, 3:4, 4:5, and 1:1 as alternatives. Organic video Pins run from 4 seconds to 5 minutes.

Pinterest encodes video Pins with H.264 or H.265, and it names H.265 explicitly where most platforms stop at H.264. Pinterest publishes no maximum file size for video Pins. The 2 GB figure quoted across most spec guides has no basis in Pinterest’s own documentation.

The 15-minute duration limit repeated by most guides is wrong for organic Pins. Pinterest’s Pin specs put the ceiling at 5 minutes. Max-width video is a Pinterest Ads placement, not an organic one, so its 16:9 recommendation does not apply to a normal video Pin.

Pinterest does not have the safe zone problem Instagram and TikTok have. The save button and attribution sit outside the video frame in the Pinterest viewer, so text near the edges stays visible.

X (Twitter) Video Specs

X enforces the strictest duration limit of any major platform. The 140-second cap applies to standard accounts and is enforced at upload.

X requires MP4 with the H.264 video codec and AAC audio. MOV is not accepted for native video posts, which makes X the only platform in this guide that rejects it.

Square video claims more timeline height than 16:9 at the same width: 1080px against 608px on a 1080px-wide frame. That is why 1:1 is the safer default for a mobile feed. 9:16 portrait is accepted but shows side borders in most feed views.

The 512 MB limit leaves generous headroom for 140 seconds of high-quality video. A 1080p file at 8 to 12 Mbps runs 140 to 210 MB across the full 140 seconds, well under the cap.

Threads and Bluesky Video Specs

Threads and Bluesky are the two newest platforms among PostMonk’s nine supported networks. Both change specs faster than the established platforms, so re-check them before a campaign.

Threads follows Meta’s conventions closely and mirrors Instagram’s accepted aspect ratios. Its 5-minute ceiling gives Threads creators more room than an Instagram Reel but less than in-feed video.

Bluesky’s 100 MB cap is the tightest of any platform here, roughly one fortieth of Instagram’s 4 GB ceiling. Export a compressed file specifically for Bluesky, and stay under 50 MB if uploads fail. Bluesky raised its duration limit to 3 minutes across 2024 and 2025, so any guide still citing 60 seconds is out of date.

Key Technical Video Specs Beyond Aspect Ratio

Aspect ratio and resolution are the two specs most creators check. Six further attributes decide whether the source file holds its quality through platform recompression. For a broader look at video strategy across these platforms, see social media video.

Which Export Covers Which Platform

One master file cannot serve all nine platforms, but three exports can. The table below maps each export to the platforms it covers natively, so a single shoot ships everywhere without letterboxing.

Shoot the master in 9:16 and frame the subject inside the central 1080x1080px square. That single framing decision makes the 4:5 and 16:9 crops possible from the same take, because the subject stays inside every crop boundary.

For the wider workflow around adapting one asset into many, see how to repurpose content.

How PostMonk Handles Video Across All 9 Platforms

PostMonk supports all nine platforms covered in this guide: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Threads, Bluesky, and X. Once the specs are set and the exports are ready, the remaining problem is the posting itself. Uploading a video nine times, with a separate caption, tag set, and format check for each platform, takes hours.

PostMonk’s content composer queues video posts across all nine supported platforms from a single workflow. Upload the video once. Write the base caption. Then schedule across platforms without switching tabs or managing nine separate upload queues.

AI caption generation is available on every plan through BYOK. Connect your own API key from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, OpenRouter, or DeepSeek, then generate per-platform captions without credit caps or monthly resets. Each platform has different character limits, hashtag conventions, and audience expectations. The composer lets you write platform-specific overrides on top of a shared base caption.

Pricing starts at $29 one-time on the Starter plan. There is no monthly subscription and no per-seat fee. One payment activates a workspace permanently, and a 7-day free trial requires no credit card.

Try PostMonk free and schedule your first video across all nine platforms from a single queue.

FAQs

What are social media video specs?

Social media video specs are the technical requirements each platform enforces on uploaded video. They cover aspect ratio, resolution, frame rate, bitrate, file format, codec, file size, and duration. Matching them prevents upload rejections and quality loss from recompression.

What is the best video format for social media?

MP4 with the H.264 video codec and AAC audio is the universal best choice for social media. Every platform in this guide accepts it. MOV is widely accepted but rejected by X. AVI, WebM, and MKV work only on LinkedIn and YouTube. When in doubt, export MP4.

What aspect ratio works across all social media platforms?

No single aspect ratio works equally well everywhere. 9:16 is native on TikTok, Instagram Reels, Stories, YouTube Shorts, Threads, Pinterest, and Bluesky. 1:1 is the safe fallback for in-feed posts. 16:9 is correct for YouTube standard uploads and desktop LinkedIn viewing. Export all three for anything you cross-post.

What size should a video be for social media?

A social media video should be 1080px on its short edge. That means 1080x1920px for vertical, 1080x1080px for square, 1080x1350px for portrait feed, and 1920x1080px for landscape. Anything below 1080px triggers heavier recompression on delivery.

Are TikTok videos 9:16 or 3:4?

TikTok videos are 9:16, at 1080x1920px. TikTok does accept 1:1 and 16:9 uploads, but it displays them with black bars rather than cropping or reframing them. 3:4 is not a TikTok format and will be letterboxed in the feed.

Is 4:3 or 16:9 better for social media?

16:9 is better for social media. 4:3 is a legacy aspect ratio with no native support on any of the nine platforms here. A 4:3 video is letterboxed everywhere. Use 16:9 for landscape content and 9:16 for vertical, mobile-first content.

Is 1080p or 4K better for social media?

1080p is the practical sweet spot for social media video. Every platform re-encodes uploaded video for playback delivery, which removes most of the quality advantage 4K provides. Upload 1080p at 8 Mbps for 30 fps footage, or 12 Mbps for 60 fps footage.

What is a safe zone in social media video?

A safe zone is the area inside a vertical 9:16 video that stays fully visible after platform UI is overlaid during playback. For a 1080x1920px frame, keep text and key visuals between 250px from the top and 350px from the bottom. No platform publishes exact overlay heights, so treat those figures as a working guideline.

How long can social media videos be?

Video duration limits vary widely across platforms. The table below shows the current maximum for each placement in this guide.