Snapchat Spotlight & Stories — Video Specs
Snapchat Spotlight & Stories accepts 1080 × 1920 recommended (minimum 640 px wide) at 9:16 (vertical full-screen), up to 5–60 seconds (Spotlight; 15–30 s performs best); 60 s per Story segment 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 (minimum 640 px wide)
- Aspect ratio
- 9:16 (vertical full-screen)
- Max duration
- 5–60 seconds (Spotlight; 15–30 s performs best); 60 s per Story segment
- Max file size
- 500 MB (ad / top-snap spec); keep under ~1 GB for reliable organic uploads
- Framerate
- Up to 60 fps
- Video bitrate
- ≥1 Mbps; 5 Mbps recommended for 1080p
- Video codec
- H.264 in MP4 or MOV
- Audio codec
- AAC
- Audio bitrate
- 128 kbps stereo
- Max title chars
- N/A
- Max description chars
- Caption text overlay only
How it compares
Snapchat Spotlight & Stories side-by-side with the platforms creators most often weigh against it.
| Platform | Resolution | Aspect ratio | Frame rate | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snapchat Spotlight & Stories | 1080 × 1920 recommended (minimum 640 px wide) | 9:16 (vertical full-screen) | Up to 60 fps | Vertical ephemeral |
| 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 |
| Instagram Stories | 1080 × 1920 recommended | 9:16 (vertical) | 23–60 fps (30 recommended) | Vertical ephemeral |
| Instagram Reels | 1080 × 1920 recommended (1080p is the maximum Reels resolution) | 9:16 (vertical) | 23–60 fps (30 recommended) | Vertical short-form |
How to choose for Snapchat Spotlight & Stories
1080 × 1920 at 9:16 is the only ratio that fills Snapchat's full-screen player. 30 fps is enough for talking-to-camera content; reserve 60 fps for high-motion Spotlight clips where smoothness drives shares. Anything below 1080p looks visibly compressed on modern phone screens. Strip TikTok/Instagram watermarks before uploading — Snapchat's algorithm deprioritises cross-posted clips that still carry another platform's branding.
Best practices
- 01Stay inside Snapchat's safe zone — top 250 px and bottom 250 px of a 1080 × 1920 frame are covered by Snap UI.
- 02Spotlight rewards completion and shares — keep videos under 30 seconds for the highest looped-watch rate.
- 03Use a topic tag (#hashtag) on Spotlight uploads to land in topical feeds.
- 04Open with a face or motion — Snapchat's audience skews younger and skips static intros faster than any other platform.
- 05Sound on by default for Snapchat — design audio in, unlike other platforms where muted is the assumption.