ShortsAIHow long can an Instagram Reel be, and what size should it be
Upload limit: Reels of up to 20 minutes can be uploaded as of August 2026, but Instagram does not recommend Reels longer than 3 minutes to people who do not follow you.
Size: 1080 by 1920 pixels, 9:16. The feed preview crops to 4:5 and the profile grid shows a 3:4 cover, so keep the subject and text centred.
The practical target for reach is under 3 minutes, and most clip-style Reels do best between 15 and 60 seconds.
How long can an Instagram Reel be?
Two numbers matter and they are different. The upload ceiling has been raised several times, from 90 seconds to 3 minutes in January 2025 and later to 20 minutes for uploads from the device (checked 2026-08-26; Instagram does not publish a single spec page, so confirm the ceiling inside the app). The reach threshold is 3 minutes: Instagram has said that Reels longer than that are not recommended to non-followers. A 12-minute Reel is allowed, but it is effectively a post for your existing audience.
What is the Instagram Reel size and aspect ratio?
1080 by 1920 pixels at 9:16. Instagram accepts other ratios but displays Reels full-screen vertical, so anything else is padded or cropped. Export MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio, 30 frames per second for normal content and 60 for fast motion. The file size ceiling is large (4GB) and is not the constraint in practice; bitrate and codec are.
How does Instagram crop a Reel in the feed and on the profile?
In the main feed a Reel is previewed at 4:5 (1080 by 1350), which cuts about 15 percent off the top and bottom of the 9:16 frame. On the profile grid the cover shows at 3:4. So a 9:16 Reel is seen at three crops, and the only region that survives all three is the centre. Keep faces, product shots and captions inside the middle 1080 by 1350, and away from the bottom quarter where the caption text and username sit in the full-screen player.
What length actually performs?
Instagram's own guidance favours Reels under 90 seconds for new audiences, and the clip-style Reels that a tool like ShortsAI produces sit at 15 to 60 seconds. The reason is completion rate: a Reel that most viewers finish is shown to more people than a longer one that most abandon. Length is a cost the content has to earn.
How does this affect clips made with ShortsAI?
Clips export at 1080 by 1920 in 9:16 and run 15 to 60 seconds, which sits inside the reach threshold. Subtitles are placed in the middle band by default, which is inside the 4:5 feed crop. The Reels cover is taken from the clip itself; pick a frame with the subject centred if you want it to survive the 3:4 grid.
Common questions
- Can an Instagram Reel be 5 minutes?
- It can be uploaded, but Instagram does not recommend Reels over 3 minutes to non-followers, so its reach is mostly limited to people who already follow you.
- What is the Instagram Reel time limit for new accounts?
- The upload limit is the same for all accounts. The 3-minute recommendation threshold is what constrains reach, not account age.
- What size is an Instagram Reel?
- 1080 by 1920 pixels, 9:16 aspect ratio, MP4 with H.264 video.
Sources
- YouTube Help, "Understand three-minute YouTube Shorts" (support.google.com), checked 2026-08-26.
- Instagram Reels length and size figures from Meta's creator guidance as reported by multiple creator-tool references, checked 2026-08-26. Instagram does not publish a single spec page; verify inside the app before relying on the upper limit.
- TikTok creator guidance on upload length and recommended resolution, checked 2026-08-26.