Instagram Reels — Video Specs
Instagram Reels accepts 1080 × 1920 recommended (1080p is the maximum reels resolution) at 9:16 (vertical), up to 3 minutes in-app; up to 20 minutes for uploaded clips (feed still favours ≤ 90 s) per upload. Use this page as a quick reference before exporting from your editor — every value is sourced from the official platform documentation.
Specs at a glance
- Resolution
- 1080 × 1920 recommended (1080p is the maximum Reels resolution)
- Aspect ratio
- 9:16 (vertical)
- Max duration
- 3 minutes in-app; up to 20 minutes for uploaded clips (feed still favours ≤ 90 s)
- Max file size
- 4 GB
- Framerate
- 23–60 fps (30 recommended)
- Video bitrate
- 5 Mbps recommended for 1080p
- Video codec
- H.264 in MP4 (MOV also accepted)
- Audio codec
- AAC stereo
- Audio bitrate
- 128–256 kbps, 48 kHz sample rate
- Max title chars
- N/A (no title field)
- Max description chars
- 2,200 (caption; only first ~125 shown before 'more'; ~30 hashtags max)
How it compares
Instagram Reels side-by-side with the platforms creators most often weigh against it.
| Platform | Resolution | Aspect ratio | Frame rate | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instagram Reels | 1080 × 1920 recommended (1080p is the maximum Reels resolution) | 9:16 (vertical) | 23–60 fps (30 recommended) | Vertical short-form |
| TikTok Feed videos | 1080 × 1920 recommended | 9:16 (vertical); 1:1 and 16:9 supported with letterbox | 23–60 fps (30 fps standard, 60 fps for high motion) | Vertical short-form |
| YouTube Shorts | 1080 × 1920 recommended (1080p is the maximum Shorts resolution) | 9:16 vertical or 1:1 square — any square/vertical clip ≤ 3 min is auto-classified as a Short | 24–60 fps | Vertical short-form |
| Instagram Feed videos | 1080 × 1350 (4:5) recommended; 1080 × 1080 (1:1); min 600 × 750 | 4:5 (preferred), 1:1 (square), 16:9 (landscape) | 23–60 fps (30 recommended) | Square / vertical mid-form |
How to choose for Instagram Reels
Export at exactly 1080 × 1920 — Instagram's encoder is harsh on lower resolutions and 1080p is the ceiling it stores. Stay at true 9:16; anything else triggers a center-crop you can't preview in advance. 30 fps is the safe default; only push to 60 fps when motion blur would otherwise muddy fast action. Long uploads (up to 20 min) are allowed, but the feed still rewards tight sub-90-second clips.
Best practices
- 01Use the bottom-safe-area template — Instagram's caption, like, and share UI cover ~250 px at the bottom of a 1920-tall frame.
- 02Hook in 1–2 seconds; Reels' average watch time falls off a cliff after the first second of confusion.
- 03Add a trending audio (even subtly under your VO) — the Reels algorithm boosts sound-tagged content.
- 04Caption with on-screen text — Instagram doesn't auto-caption Reels by default and most plays are muted.
- 05Cross-post to Feed for the discovery double-dip; original Reels can be set to also show in Feed at upload time.