Instagram Reels, TikTok & Shorts: The Exact Dimensions You Need (2026)

Uploading the wrong dimensions doesn't just look slightly off — it gets your video cropped awkwardly, letterboxed with black bars, or in some cases flagged as lower quality by the platform's own compression. Here are the exact specs for the three major short-form platforms.

Instagram Reels

• Aspect ratio: 9:16 (vertical)
• Resolution: 1080 x 1920 pixels
• Max length: 90 seconds
• File format: MP4 or MOV
• Safe zone: Keep key text and faces within the center 1080 x 1420px area — Instagram's UI (caption, username, action buttons) overlaps the top and bottom of the frame.

TikTok

• Aspect ratio: 9:16 (vertical)
• Resolution: 1080 x 1920 pixels
• Max length: Up to 10 minutes (platform allows long uploads, but 15-60 seconds performs best for most content types)
• File format: MP4 preferred
• Safe zone: Similar to Reels — TikTok's UI covers roughly the same top and bottom margins, so keep critical content centered.

YouTube Shorts

• Aspect ratio: 9:16 (vertical)
• Resolution: 1080 x 1920 pixels
• Max length: Up to 3 minutes
• File format: MP4
• Detection: A video is automatically treated as a Short when it's vertical and under the length limit, or manually flagged with #Shorts.

What Happens If You Upload the Wrong Size

A horizontal (16:9) video uploaded to a vertical-only slot typically gets pillarboxed — displayed small in the center with black bars filling the rest of the vertical frame, which looks unprofessional and reduces how much of the screen your content actually occupies. A square (1:1) video fares slightly better but still leaves unused space top and bottom. Always export at the platform's native 9:16 ratio rather than relying on the platform to reformat it for you.

One File, Three Platforms

Since all three platforms currently share the same 1080x1920 resolution and 9:16 ratio, a single correctly-formatted export generally works across Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts without re-editing — just double check each platform's length limit before uploading the same file everywhere, since TikTok and YouTube allow longer uploads than Instagram's 90-second cap.

Keeping Cover Images and Thumbnails Light

Even when the video export itself is sized correctly, the static cover image or custom thumbnail you upload alongside a Reel or Short can still be an unnecessarily large file straight out of your camera roll. Our Image Compressor reduces JPG, PNG, and WebP file sizes directly in your browser before you upload anywhere.

You can browse all our free tools for more resources that support short-form content production.