RipGuide
What size and length can an Instagram Reel be?
Updated
In short: a Reel can be up to 20 minutes in the Instagram app, but Instagram says Reels over 3 minutes aren't recommended to new audiences (Instagram Help Centre, read 18 October 2026). Posted through Meta's API, a Reel is 3 seconds to 15 minutes and up to 300 MB. Export 1080 x 1920, 9:16, with H.264 or HEVC video and AAC audio.
Instagram Reels specs, from Instagram and Meta's own pages
The first two rows come from Instagram's Help Centre. The rest come from Meta's developer documentation for posting Reels through the API, which is what schedulers use. Read on 18 October 2026.
| Spec | What Instagram or Meta states | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Length, in the app | Up to 20 minutes. | Instagram Help Centre |
| Reach over 3 minutes | Reels over 3 minutes aren't recommended to people who don't follow you yet. | Instagram Help Centre |
| Length, API | 3 seconds to 15 minutes. | Meta: IG User media |
| Aspect ratio | Anything from 0.01:1 to 10:1 is allowed. 9:16 is recommended to avoid cropping or blank space. | Meta: IG User media |
| Resolution | Up to 1920 pixels wide. | Meta: IG User media |
| Frame rate | 23 to 60 fps. | Meta: IG User media |
| Container and codec | MOV or MP4 with the moov atom at the front and no edit lists. HEVC or H.264, progressive scan, closed GOP, 4:2:0. | Meta: IG User media |
| Audio | AAC, 48 kHz at most, mono or stereo, 128 kbps. | Meta: IG User media |
| Video bitrate | Variable, 25 Mbps at most. | Meta: IG User media |
| File size | 300 MB through the API. Instagram states no figure for the app. | Meta: IG User media |
| Caption | 2,200 characters, 20 @mentions. Hashtags: up to 5 per Instagram's Help Center (Instagram help, read 18 October 2026); the API reference still says 30. | Meta: IG User media |
| Cover image | JPEG, up to 8 MB, sRGB. 9:16 recommended. Otherwise the middle 9:16 is used for the Reels cover, and the middle 1:1 square if the Reel is shared to the feed. | Meta: IG User media |
| API posts per 24 hours | Meta's publishing guide says 100 in the main text and 50 in its carousel section. Read the live content_publishing_limit for your account. | Meta: content publishing |
In the app or through the API
The app and the API have different ceilings, and that is where most confusion starts. Instagram's Help Centre says 20 minutes in the app. Meta's developer page says 15 minutes through the API. A scheduling tool uses the API, so a 17-minute Reel that you can post by hand can be refused by a scheduler. The API page also sets a 300 MB file cap; the Help Centre states no file size, so an upload from your phone is not held to that number as far as the pages say.
For most clips this never comes up. A clip of 20 to 60 seconds is far below every limit. The numbers matter when you post a long Reel, or when a tool re-exports your video at a bitrate that pushes it past 300 MB. At 25 Mbps, the maximum video bitrate, 300 MB is about 96 seconds of video, so a long export at the top bitrate does hit the limit. That is arithmetic on Meta's two numbers, not a figure Meta states.
The over-3-minutes rule
Instagram's help page says Reels over three minutes aren't recommended to people who don't already follow you. The page does not say a longer Reel is blocked or removed: 20 minutes is still allowed. It says Instagram won't recommend it to new audiences. If your goal is to reach new viewers, cut to three minutes or less. If the video is a long one for people who already watch you, the longer limit is there. See how long a clip should be for choosing the cut.
The cover crop
The cover crop catches text near the edges. Meta says a 9:16 cover is recommended. If yours isn't 9:16, Instagram uses the middle 9:16 rectangle for the Reels cover, and the middle 1:1 square when the Reel is shared to your feed. So any text on the cover has to survive a square crop of the centre. Keep titles and faces in the middle and away from the left and right edges. A JPEG up to 8 MB in sRGB is the accepted file.
The export that works
- Frame it 9:16, 1080 x 1920. That is inside the 1920-pixel width limit and Meta's recommended shape.
- Export an MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio. Meta also allows MOV and HEVC; H.264 MP4 is the choice that also works on TikTok, YouTube and the rest.
- Pick 30 or 60 fps. Both are inside the 23 to 60 range.
- Keep the bitrate under 25 Mbps and the file under 300 MB. A 1080p export at 8 to 12 Mbps stays well below both for a clip of a minute or two.
- Design the cover for a square crop. Put the title in the centre.
- Keep captions clear of the buttons. Reels puts its buttons, your caption and the account name over the picture. Meta's pages give no pixel numbers for that, so preview on a phone.
How to do it in RipClip
RipClip turns a long video into vertical 9:16 clips framed on the speaker and captioned word by word. Clip length "Auto" is 20 to 45 seconds, or you pick, which is below every Reels limit. You can restyle the captions and trim in the editor. Export is up to 4K at 60 fps (4K on Pro and Studio, 1080p on Free and Creator); for Reels, 1080p is the size to use. Free exports carry a small RipClip watermark.
RipClip can schedule to Instagram from the same calendar as TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Threads and X, with a caption per platform. Posting switches on platform by platform as each platform approves RipClip; until then, download your clips and post them yourself. If you only want to post one finished video, Instagram's own app is simpler and has the 20-minute allowance.
Other networks: TikTok, YouTube Shorts, or all of them on one page. For one clip on three networks, see posting clips to TikTok, Shorts and Reels.