Vertical video specs, platform by platform
By the maker of Captions Cut. Facts checked on from the pages listed under Sources.
The short answer
Export vertical video at 1080 × 1920 (9:16), MP4, and it fits every platform here. The limits that differ are length (YouTube Shorts up to 3 minutes; TikTok uploads up to 60; Instagram Reels up to 20; X 140 seconds without Premium) and captions: YouTube, LinkedIn, X and Facebook take SRT files; TikTok and Instagram make their own captions and take no file.
The specs
| Platform | Length | Shape and resolution | File size | Auto captions | Caption files |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TikTok | 10 min recorded, 60 min uploaded | 9:16, at least 540 × 960 (ads) | 500 MB ads; 4 GB via API | Yes, editable after posting | Not stated |
| Instagram Reels | Up to 20 min (over 3 min not recommended to new audiences) | 1.91:1 to 9:16, at least 720 px, 30 fps | 4 GB (ads) | Yes, turned on per reel | Not stated |
| YouTube Shorts | Up to 3 min | Square or vertical, up to 1080p | 256 GB or 12 h | Yes, 67 languages | SRT, VTT and more |
| Facebook Reels | No limit | 9:16, 1440 × 2560 (ads) | 4 GB (ads) | Yes (reels editor); English only for ads | SRT |
| 3 s to 15 min | 1:2.4 to 2.4:1, up to 4096 × 2304 | 5 GB | Yes, 10 languages | SRT (desktop) | |
| X | 140 s (4 h with Premium) | 1:2.39 to 2.39:1, up to 1920 × 1200 | 512 MB (16 GB with Premium) | Yes | SRT (web) |
| Snapchat Spotlight | 5 s to 5 min | Vertical, 1080 × 1920 (ads) | 1 GB (ads) | Not stated | Not stated |
One export for all of them
A 1080 × 1920 MP4 (H.264) under three minutes and a few hundred megabytes is accepted everywhere on this page. Captions Cut exports exactly that, in 1080p or 4K, with the captions burned in; it can also save an SRT of the same captions for the platforms that take one.
How we checked
Every figure is from the platform’s own help, ads or developer pages, read on 22 October 2026. “(ads)” marks a number that the platform states for ads; where it states none for organic posts, the ads figure is the only official one. “Not stated” means the platform’s pages do not say.
Questions
What is the best resolution for vertical video?
1080 × 1920 (9:16). YouTube uploads Shorts at up to 1080p, and the other platforms’ ad guides ask for 1080 × 1920 or more.
How long can a YouTube Short be?
Up to three minutes, for square or vertical videos uploaded after 15 October 2024.
Sources
- TikTok: video length
- TikTok Ads: in-feed ad specs
- Instagram: Reels length
- Instagram: Reels aspect ratio
- YouTube: what counts as a Short
- YouTube: automatic captions
- Facebook: Reels length
- LinkedIn: video specs
- LinkedIn: auto captions
- X: videos
- Snapchat: Spotlight
Each page read on .