Instagram Video Specs & Calculations

Updated

Reels, Stories and feed sizes from Instagram's Help Center and Meta's ads guide: lengths, aspect ratios, covers, safe zones and the file-size and upload math.

Instagram Video Specifications

As of October 2026. Instagram changes these limits often; check Instagram Help on Reels length, Reels specs, Stories, photo sizes and Meta's ads guide.

Instagram Reels

Aspect Ratio

9:16

Anything from 1.91:1 to 9:16 uploads; 9:16 fills the screen

Resolution

1080×1920

At least 720 px and 30 fps. Meta's Reels ads spec recommends 1440×2560

Length

Up to 20 min

Reels over 3 minutes aren't recommended to new audiences. Reels ads: up to 15 minutes

File Size

4 GB (ads)

Meta's ads guide limit; Instagram publishes no size limit for organic Reels

Cover Photo

420×654

1:1.55, JPG or PNG. It can't be changed after you share the Reel

Encoding

High profile

Progressive, 2 B-frames, closed GOP of half the frame rate, 4:2:0; Meta's ads guide asks for H.264. Stereo or stereo + 5.1 audio at 48 or 96 kHz

Instagram Stories

Aspect Ratio

9:16

Full-screen vertical

Resolution

1080×1920

Meta's Stories ads spec recommends 1440×2560

Clip Length

60 s per clip

A video up to 60 seconds plays as one clip; longer videos are split into several

Stories Ads

1 s to 60 min

4 GB max. Ads under 16 seconds play in full; longer ones may be split into several cards

Safe Zones (Ads)

14% / 35% / 6%

Keep text and logos out of the top 14%, bottom 35% and 6% at each side. Same for Reels ads

Instagram Feed Posts

Width

1080 px

Photos between 320 and 1080 px wide keep their size; wider ones are scaled down to 1080

Square Posts

1:1 (1080×1080)

The classic Instagram square

Landscape Posts

1.91:1 (1080×566)

The widest ratio Instagram keeps without cropping

Portrait Posts

4:5 (1080×1350) or 3:4 (1080×1440)

3:4 is the tallest ratio Instagram keeps; taller photos are cropped

Video in the Feed

Posted as Reels

Videos shared to the feed are Reels (up to 20 min). Meta's feed video ads run 1 s to 60 min, 4 GB max

Instagram Creator Calculations

Instagram File Size Calculator

How big your export will be, to check it against the 4 GB ads limit. The free bitrate calculator works it out in your browser.

Formula:

File Size (MB) = (Bitrate in Mbps × Duration in minutes × 60) ÷ 8

Examples:

30-second Reel at 8 Mbps

Calculation: (8 × 0.5 × 60) ÷ 8 = 30 MB

Result: 30 MB file size

60-second feed video at 6 Mbps

Calculation: (6 × 1 × 60) ÷ 8 = 45 MB

Result: 45 MB file size

Pro Tips:

  • Instagram publishes no recommended bitrate; it re-encodes every upload
  • A 15-minute Reels ad must average under about 35 Mbps to stay inside 4 GB
  • Export H.264 at a constant frame rate, as Meta's ads guide asks

Instagram Aspect Ratio Calculator

Pixel sizes for each Instagram format at 1080 px wide. The free aspect ratio calculator finds the 9:16 or 4:5 frame for any resolution.

Formula:

Height = Width × (Target Ratio Height ÷ Target Ratio Width)

Examples:

1080px wide for 9:16 Stories

Calculation: 1080 × (16 ÷ 9) = 1920

Result: 1080×1920 resolution

1080px wide for 4:5 feed post

Calculation: 1080 × (5 ÷ 4) = 1350

Result: 1080×1350 resolution

Pro Tips:

  • Feed photos are stored at up to 1080 px wide, so wider exports gain nothing there
  • Stories and Reels share the 9:16 frame; Meta's ads specs ask for 1440×2560
  • Feed photos can run from 1.91:1 landscape to 3:4 portrait

Instagram Upload Time Calculator

How long the upload takes at your connection speed. The free upload time calculator does the sum in your browser.

Formula:

Upload Time (seconds) = (File Size in MB × 8) ÷ Upload Speed in Mbps

Examples:

50MB Reel, 20 Mbps upload

Calculation: (50 × 8) ÷ 20 = 20 seconds

Result: 20 seconds upload time

25MB Story, 10 Mbps upload

Calculation: (25 × 8) ÷ 10 = 20 seconds

Result: 20 seconds upload time

Pro Tips:

  • File sizes are in megabytes and connection speeds in megabits, hence the × 8
  • Instagram re-encodes videos after upload
  • Turning on Upload at highest quality (Menu > Media quality) gives better quality and a longer upload

Percentage Watched

Turn an average watch time into the share of the video people saw.

Formula:

Percentage Watched = (Average Watch Time ÷ Video Length) × 100

Examples:

30-second video, 20s average watch

Calculation: (20 ÷ 30) × 100 = 67%

Result: 67% watched on average

15-second video, 12s average watch

Calculation: (12 ÷ 15) × 100 = 80%

Result: 80% watched on average

Pro Tips:

  • Compare like with like: a 15-second Reel and a 3-minute Reel are watched very differently
  • Reels over 3 minutes aren't recommended to new audiences, so their views come mostly from followers
  • The same formula works for any platform that reports average watch time