Social media video length limits in 2026: TikTok, Reels, Shorts and more

Length limits have moved a lot recently: YouTube Shorts went from 60 seconds to three minutes in October 2024, for example. Older guides often quote outdated numbers. This page gives each platform's limit from its own documentation, checked on 6 November 2026, and keeps three kinds of limit apart because they're often mixed up:

• Upload limit: the longest video the platform accepts.
• Format limit: the longest video that still counts as a Short or a Reel.
• API limit: the longest video a tool can post for you, which is sometimes lower than what the app allows.

The quick reference

The shape matters too; our aspect ratio guide covers which shapes each platform takes.

YouTube Shorts length limit

YouTube's help page on three-minute Shorts says:

• Shorts can be up to three minutes long. This applies to videos uploaded on or after 15 October 2024. Before that the limit was shorter.
• A video only counts as a Short if it is square or vertical. A 16:9 video is a regular video at any length.
• Official Artist Channels got the three-minute limit later, from 8 December 2025.

The rule that blocks Shorts over one minute

The same page has the rule most guides leave out: a Short longer than one minute with an active copyright claim, of any type, is blocked worldwide. That matters most for videos made with licensed music, such as clips first made for TikTok or Reels with a popular sound. If your Short is over a minute and uses music you don't own, either trim it to one minute or replace the audio.

Regular YouTube videos

Outside Shorts, YouTube's long-upload help page says accounts can upload videos up to 15 minutes by default, and longer after verifying the account, up to 256 GB or 12 hours, whichever is less.

Instagram Reels length

Meta's publishing reference sets the Reels limits for anything posted through the API: at least 3 seconds and at most 15 minutes, up to 300 MB.

In late 2025 the press reported that Instagram's in-app camera could record longer Reels. We couldn't find that figure on an official Meta page, so the API's 15 minutes is the number we'd plan around. It's also the limit that applies whenever a scheduling tool posts for you.

Do long Reels get less reach?

You'll see claims that Reels over a certain length aren't shown to non-followers. We couldn't find an official Instagram statement that sets such a threshold for current Reels, so we don't repeat a number. What's clear is that length and reach are separate questions: the limit above is what Instagram accepts, not what it promises to recommend.

TikTok video length limit

TikTok's media transfer guide says every creator can post 3-minute videos, and that some have access to 5 or 10 minutes. Each account's own maximum is what applies; TikTok's creator-info endpoint returns it, and a good tool reads it before posting.

TikTok has tested longer uploads in the app, with reports of up to 60 minutes in 2024. We couldn't confirm the current in-app maximum from an official TikTok page. If you post through any tool, your account's own limit, at most 10 minutes, is what counts.

Facebook Reels length

For Reels published to a Facebook Page through Meta's Reels API, the limit is 3 to 90 seconds. Some guides say Facebook dropped the 90-second limit in the app in 2025; we couldn't confirm that in Meta's documentation, and the API page still says 90 seconds. Anything longer can still be posted as a regular Page video.

Threads video length

The Threads API overview allows videos of up to 5 minutes and 1 GB.

LinkedIn video length

LinkedIn's Videos API lists video specs of 3 seconds to 30 minutes and 75 KB to 500 MB.

X video length

X's chunked upload guide allows video up to 20 minutes (8 GB) by default, and up to 125 minutes (16 GB) for Premium accounts.

Pinterest video length

Pinterest's pin specs give 4 seconds to 5 minutes for video pins. Note the 4-second minimum: very short loops that work elsewhere can be rejected here.

Bluesky video length

Bluesky announced support for videos of up to 3 minutes in March 2025. We couldn't find an official file-size limit; third-party sources give about 100 MB, so treat that as the safe ceiling.

Minimum lengths

Maximums get the attention, but minimums reject uploads too:

• Instagram Reels: at least 3 seconds via the API.
• Facebook Reels: at least 3 seconds.
• LinkedIn: at least 3 seconds.
• Pinterest: at least 4 seconds.

What length works everywhere?

If one video is going to every platform:

The safest target for one master video is under a minute. If the story needs longer, make a sub-minute cut for Shorts and Facebook Reels and post the full version where it fits.

Cutting one video into versions

If your edit runs longer than one minute, you don't need a separate project for every platform. A workflow that works:

1. Edit the full version first, at the length the story needs.
2. Mark a one-minute cut inside it: the strongest 45 to 60 seconds, usually the hook and the payoff. Export it separately. This version goes to YouTube Shorts (safe even with licensed music) and Facebook Reels.
3. Post the full version where it fits: Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, X and Threads, up to their limits above.
4. Keep the first three seconds identical in both versions, so a viewer who sees both recognises the post.

Mistakes that get videos rejected

• A loop under 3 or 4 seconds. Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn need 3 seconds and Pinterest 4. Pad very short loops or repeat them.
• A landscape "Short". A 16:9 video under three minutes is still a regular YouTube video, not a Short.
• A 90-second Short with a popular song. It's over one minute, so a copyright claim, such as a Content ID match on the song, blocks it.
• A 2-minute Facebook Reel. The Reels API stops at 90 seconds; post it as a regular Page video instead.
• Assuming in-app limits apply to tools. Apps sometimes allow longer videos than their APIs do, and a scheduling tool always posts through the API.

Checklist before you post

• Is the video at least 4 seconds long (Pinterest's minimum)?
• Is there a version of one minute or less for Shorts and Facebook Reels?
• If a Short is over one minute, is all of its audio yours?
• Is the video under 5 minutes if it's going to Threads or Pinterest?
• Is it vertical or square if it should count as a Short?

How Reelspan handles length

Reelspan reports results network by network. If one network rejects a video, for example because it's longer than that network allows, that network shows the error and the others still publish; you can fix the video and retry just the network that failed. Reelspan doesn't cut videos for you, so make the shorter version yourself where you need one. If you're moving a clip from TikTok to the others, our guide to repurposing TikTok videos for Reels and Shorts goes through the rest of the checklist, and the caption limits guide covers the text.