Meta video ad specs for every main placement
Make two files and you cover almost every Meta placement: a 9:16 vertical video for Reels and Stories, and a 4:5 video for Facebook Feed. Meta's Ads Guide lists 1440 x 2560 for Reels and Stories and 1440 x 1800 for Facebook Feed, MP4 or MOV, up to 4GB. Length limits differ a lot by placement, from 3 minutes to 241 minutes.
By Emma Hollis. Writes our guides to Meta video ads, from what we see making ads with RhythmAds.
A pen name for the RhythmAds team. The photo is AI-generated.
Updated
Every RhythmAds ad is exported in four sizes: 9:16 at 1080 x 1920, 4:5 at 1080 x 1350, 1:1 at 1080 x 1080 and 16:9 at 1920 x 1080. Each size is laid out on its own, not cropped from the vertical one, and our ads run 13 to 19 seconds, which fits inside every length limit in the table below.
The specs, placement by placement
| Placement | Ratio | Resolution | Length | File size | File types |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Facebook Feed | 4:5 | 1440 x 1800 | 1 second to 241 minutes | Up to 4GB | MP4, MOV, GIF |
| Instagram Feed | 9:16 (1% tolerance) | 1080 x 1920 | 1 second to 60 minutes | Up to 4GB | MP4, MOV, GIF |
| Instagram Reels | 9:16 | 1440 x 2560 | 0 seconds to 15 minutes | Up to 4GB | MP4, MOV |
| Instagram Stories | 9:16 (1% tolerance) | 1440 x 2560 | 1 second to 60 minutes | Up to 4GB | MP4, MOV, GIF |
| Facebook Stories | 9:16 (1% tolerance) | 1440 x 2560 | 1 second to 3 minutes | Up to 4GB | MP4, MOV, GIF |
| Facebook Marketplace | 1:1 | At least 1080 x 1080 | 1 second to 241 minutes | Up to 4GB | MP4, MOV, GIF |
Every one of these pages asks for the same encoding: H.264, square pixels, a fixed frame rate, progressive scan, and stereo AAC audio at 128kbps or more. Meta also says the file container should not hold edit lists or special boxes, which mostly matters if your editor adds them on export.
Minimum sizes and text lengths
| Placement | Minimum width | Primary text | Headline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Facebook Feed | 120 px (and 120 px tall) | 50 characters | 27 characters |
| Instagram Feed | 250 px | 125 characters | Not listed |
| Instagram Reels | 250 px under 30 s, 500 px at 30 s or more | 44 characters | Not listed |
| Instagram Stories | 250 px | 125 characters | Not listed |
| Facebook Stories | 250 px | 125 characters | 40 characters |
| Facebook Marketplace | 120 px (and 120 px tall) | Not listed | 25 characters |
Reels lists the shortest primary text at 44 characters. Our advice: write the point of the ad in the first 44 characters, and the same text works on every placement.
Where Meta's own pages don't line up
The Instagram Feed page lists 9:16 at 1080 x 1920 as its spec, while Facebook Feed lists 4:5 at 1440 x 1800. Meta's undated mobile video tips article tells advertisers to try 4:5 or 9:16 for taller video. We read that as: Instagram Feed takes a vertical file, but a 4:5 file is still the safer pick for a feed that has to work on both apps.
Stories length is the other mismatch. The Ads Guide allows Instagram Stories ads up to 60 minutes and Facebook Stories up to 3 minutes, split into cards past about 15 seconds. That same tips article says Instagram Stories ads are capped at 15 seconds. Go by the Ads Guide, which is the page Meta keeps current.
The short version we'd use
- One 9:16 file for Instagram Reels, Instagram Stories and Facebook Stories.
- One 4:5 file for Facebook Feed, and Instagram Feed if you'd rather not run vertical there.
- A 1:1 file only if you buy Marketplace on its own or want a square fallback.
- Keep it to 15 seconds or less if you want one Facebook Stories card; 13 to 19 seconds is where all our formats land.
Where this stops being true
Meta edits these pages without notice and sometimes shows different numbers by objective or by language. We checked them on the date above; check the linked page before a big launch. RhythmAds exports only the four sizes listed, at 1080 pixels on the short side, which is above every minimum here but below the 1440 pixel widths Meta lists for some placements.
Questions
- What size should a Facebook video ad be?
- For Facebook Feed, Meta's Ads Guide lists 4:5 at 1440 x 1800. For Facebook Stories and Reels-style placements, use 9:16. The smallest Feed video Meta accepts is 120 x 120 pixels, so a 1080 x 1350 file is well inside the rules.
- Can I use one video for every Meta placement?
- You can, but something gets cropped or boxed. A 9:16 file and a 4:5 file together cover Reels, Stories and both feeds without heavy cropping. That's why we export both, plus 1:1 and 16:9.
- What is the maximum file size for Meta video ads?
- 4GB on every placement in the table. A 15 to 20 second ad at 1080p is a small fraction of that, so file size is rarely the problem. Encoding is the more common one: Meta asks for H.264 video and AAC audio.
- How long can a Meta video ad be?
- It depends on the placement: up to 3 minutes on Facebook Stories, 15 minutes on Instagram Reels, 60 minutes on Instagram Feed and Stories, and 241 minutes on Facebook Feed and Marketplace. For what length works, see our page on ad length.
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Sources
- 1.Meta Ads Guide: Facebook Feed video ad specs, checked October 30, 2026
- 2.Meta Ads Guide: Instagram Feed video ad specs, checked October 30, 2026
- 3.Meta Ads Guide: Instagram Reels video ad specs, checked October 30, 2026
- 4.Meta Ads Guide: Instagram Stories video ad specs, checked October 30, 2026
- 5.Meta Ads Guide: Facebook Stories video ad specs, checked October 30, 2026
- 6.Meta Ads Guide: Facebook Marketplace video ad specs, checked October 30, 2026
- 7.Meta for Business news: better video ads for mobile, checked October 30, 2026