Social media image and video sizes in 2026, network by network
Every network shows a photo or a video in its own shape, and crops whatever does not fit: a head cut off at the top of a Pin, a caption hidden under TikTok's buttons, a thumbnail too large to upload. These are the sizes that work in 2026: one table for pictures, one for video, the margins to leave on vertical video, and how to make one file fit nearly everywhere.
Rodolfo MotaFounder of SPREVA
The short version
Make vertical video 1080x1920 (9:16) for Reels, TikTok, Shorts, Stories and Snapchat. Make feed photos 1080x1350 (4:5) for Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X and Threads, Pins 1000x1500 (2:3), and YouTube videos and thumbnails 1920x1080 (16:9). Keep text away from the top and bottom of vertical video, where each app puts its buttons and captions, and keep photos for Instagram between 4:5 and 1.91:1.
Image sizes
Checked in November 2026 against each network's own help and developer pages:
| Network | Format | Size | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feed photo | 1080x1350 (4:5) | Also 1080x1080 or 1080x566. The app now takes 3:4, but photos sent by apps must stay between 4:5 and 1.91:1 | |
| Story | 1080x1920 (9:16) | Keep text clear of the top and the bottom | |
| Feed photo | 1080x1350 (4:5) | Square works too; Meta's ads guide suggests 1440x1800 | |
| Facebook and LinkedIn | Link preview | 1200x630 (1.91:1) | The picture your website sets for the page, not one you upload |
| Image | 1080x1350 (4:5) or 1200x627 (1.91:1) | Anything taller than 4:5 is cropped | |
| X | Image | 1080x1350 (4:5) or 1200x675 (16:9) | One image is shown whole from 2:1 to 3:4; up to 4 images, 5 MB each |
| Threads | Image | 1080x1350 (4:5) | Up to 1440 pixels wide |
| Bluesky | Image | Up to 4000x4000 | Shown whole from 10:1 to 1:3, up to 2 MB each |
| Pin | 1000x1500 (2:3) | Taller Pins may be cut off in the feed | |
| TikTok | Photo post | 1080x1920 (9:16) | Up to 35 photos, each at most 1080p |
| Google Business Profile | Post photo | 720x720 or larger | JPG or PNG, between 10 KB and 5 MB |
| YouTube | Thumbnail | 1920x1080 (16:9) | At least 640 pixels wide; under 2 MB when sent from a phone or from SPREVA |
Video sizes and lengths
Vertical video is 1080x1920 almost everywhere. What changes is how long it may be:
| Network | Format | Size | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reel | 1080x1920 (9:16) | 3 seconds to 15 minutes; past 3 minutes, not recommended to new audiences | |
| Story | 1080x1920 (9:16) | Up to 60 seconds | |
| TikTok | Video | 1080x1920 (9:16) | Up to 60 minutes, within what TikTok allows your account |
| YouTube | Short | 1080x1920 (9:16) or square | Up to 3 minutes |
| YouTube | Video | 1920x1080 (16:9) | 15 minutes, longer once the channel is verified |
| Video | 1080x1920 (9:16) or 1920x1080 | Up to 240 minutes, shown as a reel | |
| Video | Anything from 1:2.4 to 2.4:1, such as 1080x1920 or 1920x1080 | 3 seconds to 30 minutes | |
| X | Video | 1920x1080 or 1080x1920 | 2 minutes 20 seconds without Premium |
| Threads | Video | 1080x1920 (9:16) | Up to 5 minutes |
| Video Pin | 1080x1920 (9:16) | 4 seconds to 15 minutes | |
| Snapchat | Story and Spotlight | 1080x1920 (9:16) | 5 to 60 seconds for a Story, 6 to 60 for Spotlight |
On YouTube, nothing marks a Short: a vertical or square video of three minutes or less becomes one by itself. How to schedule YouTube Shorts, and what makes a video a Short.
Three shapes for nearly everything
You do not need a file for each network. Three shapes cover nearly all of them: 9:16 (1080x1920) for every vertical video and Story, 4:5 (1080x1350) for feed photos on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X and Threads, and 16:9 (1920x1080) for YouTube videos and their thumbnails. Add 2:3 (1000x1500) if you post to Pinterest.
Leave room for the buttons on vertical video
On a vertical video, each app covers the edges: the account name and the caption at the bottom, the like, comment and share buttons on the right, the tabs at the top. On a 1080x1920 video, keep text and faces out of these margins:
- Instagram and Facebook: Meta asks advertisers to keep the top 14%, the bottom 35% and 6% on each side clear: about 270 pixels at the top and 670 at the bottom.
- TikTok: its safe-zone file for in-feed ads leaves 240 pixels at the top, 660 at the bottom and 120 on each side, plus a column of 180 pixels on the right for the buttons.
- Pinterest: 270 pixels at the top, 790 at the bottom, 65 on the left and 195 on the right.
- YouTube Shorts: YouTube publishes no numbers; its buttons sit on the right, as on TikTok, so TikTok's margins keep text clear of them.
Put the words in the middle third of the frame, and the same video reads well on all of them.
What SPREVA sends to each network
SPREVA never crops or stretches what you upload. A photo goes out as a JPEG copy of up to 2048 pixels on its longer side, never enlarged, with a transparent background turned white. A video goes out as an MP4 copy 1080 pixels on its shorter side and up to 1920 on the longer, such as 1080x1920 or 1920x1080, so a 4K file reaches YouTube as 1080p. A video you upload can be up to 1 GB.
Make each size in SPREVA
- 1
Start in the right format. On Pro and Business, a new Studio project starts in the format you pick, such as Vertical 9:16, Portrait 4:5, Square 1:1 or Landscape 16:9, each at its full size, such as 1080x1920.
- 2
Change the shape later. In the player, Aspect ratio turns a vertical video into a square or landscape one and re-frames each layer for it, so one edit becomes a Reel and a YouTube video.
- 3
Turn on Safe areas. A dashed box shows where text stays clear of the edges each app covers.
- 4
Crop what does not fit. Crop chooses the part of a picture or a clip that shows, at 1:1, 9:16, 16:9, the project's own ratio or any shape. How to turn photos into a Reel with a voice-over and captions.
- 5
Check before it goes out. A Reel, a TikTok video or a Snapchat video that is not 9:16 shows “Recommended aspect ratios: 9:16” in the composer, and each file in the media library says whether it is vertical, square or landscape.
One photo, one video, every network
Make one video at 1080x1920 and one photo at 1080x1350, and send both to every account in one post, each with its own text. Every plan starts with a 7-day trial. Character limits for every social network in 2026.
Questions
What size is an Instagram post in 2026?
1080x1350 (4:5) for a portrait photo, 1080x1080 for a square one and 1080x1920 for a Reel or a Story. The Instagram app now also takes 3:4 (1080x1440), but photos sent by scheduling apps still have to be between 4:5 and 1.91:1.
Does Instagram crop my photo on the profile grid?
A little. Since January 2025 the grid shows taller tiles. Instagram has not published their ratio, and most tests measure about 3:4, so the sides of a 4:5 photo are trimmed. Keep the subject in the middle.
What size should a YouTube thumbnail be?
16:9, at least 640 pixels wide, as JPEG or PNG. YouTube now suggests 3840x2160, but a thumbnail sent from a phone or from SPREVA must stay under 2 MB, so 1920x1080 is the practical size. Custom thumbnails need a verified channel.
Can one video go to TikTok, Reels and Shorts?
Yes. A 1080x1920 video of three minutes or less fits all three. Keep the text inside the safe area, and choose the three accounts on the same post.
Why does my photo look blurry after posting?
Usually it was smaller than the network shows it, so it was enlarged. Upload photos at least 1080 pixels wide. SPREVA sends a copy of up to 2048 pixels and never makes it bigger.
Written by
Rodolfo Mota
Founder of SPREVA
Makes SPREVA in Portugal: the Studio, the tools an agent works with, and the publishing behind them.
Keep reading
- Character limits for every social network in 2026Instagram 2,200, LinkedIn 3,000, X 280, Threads 500, Bluesky 300: the text limit of every network SPREVA publishes to, in two tables, and how each one counts.
- How to schedule Instagram Reels, from the video to the coverSchedule Instagram Reels from your computer: the video, the cover frame, the caption and a first comment, at a time or in a queue, and what SPREVA checks first.
- How to schedule Pinterest Pins, carousels and video PinsSchedule image Pins, carousels of 2 to 5 and video Pins to the right board, with a title, a link and alt text. How it works in SPREVA, and what it checks.