ShortsAITikTok video dimensions, aspect ratio and length limits
Dimensions: 1080 by 1920 pixels, 9:16 vertical. TikTok accepts 1:1 and 16:9 but displays them letterboxed inside the vertical player.
Length: up to 10 minutes recorded in the app, up to 60 minutes for uploads from the device, and 3 seconds minimum. Checked August 2026.
File size: about 287MB on iOS, 72MB on Android, and much larger via the web uploader, so upload long videos from a browser.
What are the TikTok video dimensions?
1080 by 1920 pixels in 9:16 is the recommended export and the only one that fills the screen. TikTok will accept a square or landscape video, but it plays inside the same vertical player with black bars, and the algorithm has no preference for it; viewers do, against it. Export MP4 or MOV, H.264 video, AAC audio, 30 to 60 frames per second.
How long can a TikTok video be?
Three limits, checked 2026-08-26. Recording inside the app: up to 10 minutes. Uploading a file from your device: up to 60 minutes. Minimum: 3 seconds. The upload limit has been raised in stages over the last two years and is rolled out per account, so an account that does not see the 60-minute option is not misconfigured. Photo carousels and Stories have their own rules.
What is the TikTok file size limit?
It depends on where you upload from. Roughly 287MB from the iOS app, 72MB from the Android app, and up to several gigabytes from the web uploader at tiktok.com. For anything over a couple of minutes, upload from a browser; the app limits are the reason long uploads fail with no useful error.
Where is the safe zone for captions and text?
TikTok covers the bottom of the frame with the caption, username, sound and hashtags, and the right edge with the like, comment, share and profile column. Keep text and faces in the central band, and leave roughly the bottom 25 percent and the right 15 percent clear. Burned-in subtitles in the middle of the frame are the safe choice; subtitles placed at the very bottom get hidden behind the caption.
Does TikTok compress uploads?
Yes, every upload is re-encoded. A high-bitrate 1080p source survives that better than a low-bitrate one, so export at a generous bitrate (around 10 to 15 Mbps for 1080p) rather than trying to match TikTok's output size.
How does this affect clips made with ShortsAI?
Clips export at 1080 by 1920 in 9:16, 15 to 60 seconds, well inside every length limit and small enough to publish from any device. Subtitles are placed in the central safe band by default, and publishing through Upload-Post uses the API upload path rather than the app, so the app file-size caps do not apply.
Common questions
- What is the recommended TikTok aspect ratio?
- 9:16 vertical, at 1080 by 1920 pixels. Other ratios are accepted but shown with black bars.
- Can I upload a 30-minute video to TikTok?
- Yes, from your device, if your account has the extended upload limit (up to 60 minutes). In-app recording is capped at 10 minutes.
- Why does my TikTok upload fail on Android?
- Most often the file exceeds the app limit of about 72MB. Upload the same file from the web uploader, which allows far larger files.
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.