What aspect ratio works for Reels, TikTok and Shorts?

Short answer

9:16, at 1080 × 1920. It is the shape each network below names for a full-screen video, and it sits inside the range each one publishes: Instagram Reels accept 1.91:1 to 9:16, YouTube counts a square or vertical video of up to three minutes as a Short, Facebook’s Reels API specifies 9:16, and TikTok’s ad specifications recommend vertical 9:16. TikTok’s Help Center names no shape for a post, only at least 720 × 1280 for a web upload. A video taller than 9:16 is outside Instagram’s range.

Written by the Mellow team · Updated October 10, 2026, sources read October 10, 2026

What each network publishes

Read on 10 October 2026, from each network’s own pages:

Network	Shape	Pixels	Source
Instagram Reels, in the app	1.91:1 to 9:16	At least 720 pixels, 30 frames per second; cover 420 × 654	Instagram Help
Instagram Reels, through the API	9:16 recommended; 0.01:1 to 10:1 accepted	Up to 1920 pixels wide	Meta for Developers
TikTok, web upload	No shape named	At least 720 × 1280	TikTok Help
TikTok, in-feed ads	Vertical 9:16; 16:9 and 1:1 also allowed	At least 540 × 960 for vertical	TikTok Ads Manager
TikTok, API	No shape named	360 to 4096 pixels each way	TikTok for Developers
YouTube Shorts	Square or vertical, up to 3 minutes	No pixel size given	YouTube Help
Facebook Reels, API	9:16	1080 × 1920 recommended, at least 540 × 960	Meta for Developers
Threads, API	9:16 recommended; 0.01:1 to 10:1 required	Up to 1920 pixels wide	Meta for Developers
Pinterest video Pin	9:16 to fill the screen; 1:2, 2:3, 3:4, 4:5 and 1:1 also listed	1080 × 1920	Pinterest Help
LinkedIn	1:2.4 to 2.4:1	256 × 144 to 4096 × 2304	LinkedIn Help
X, API	16:9 (landscape or portrait) or 1:1; 1:3 to 3:1 allowed	720 × 1280 portrait	X Developer Platform
Bluesky	No shape named; the upload needs the video’s aspect ratio	Not stated	Bluesky documentation

“No shape named” means the page we read gives none. Instagram’s Help Center and its API differ: the app’s range is the narrower, and it ends at 9:16.

Is 1080 × 1920 inside every range?

A 1080 × 1920 file is 0.56 wide for every 1 tall, which is 9:16. Instagram’s app range runs from 1.91:1 down to 9:16, so 9:16 is exactly its tallest edge. LinkedIn’s range runs down to 1:2.4 (0.42), X’s to 1:3 (0.33) and Threads’ to 0.01:1. All of those reach further than 9:16, so all take it.

Now take a screen recording of 1080 × 2400. It is 0.45 wide for every 1 tall, taller than 9:16. LinkedIn, X and Threads take it. Instagram’s Help Center lists nothing taller than 9:16, so a recording like that is outside what it lists. Crop it to 9:16 before you post.

One file for several networks

If the same video goes to Reels, TikTok and Shorts, 1080 × 1920 at 9:16 is the shape none of them objects to. Length is a separate limit: see how long a Reel can be, TikTok’s length limits and Shorts’ three minutes.

Keep words and faces clear of the edges, where each app draws its buttons and captions. The free safe zone checker draws the figures Meta and Google publish for ads; TikTok gives its zone only as downloadable templates.

Posting one video to several networks with Mellow Hub

Hub sends one video to Instagram Reels, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook Reels, Threads and Pinterest in one post. It checks the item count and caption for each, and doesn’t measure the file’s shape: each network judges it when it fetches the video. The free video checker checks a file’s length, shape, resolution and size against each network’s limits first.

Hub is paid: plans start at $19 a month (Solo), after a 7-day trial with a card on file that costs nothing if you cancel before it ends, and a monthly plan's first month is 20% off. Publishing is unlimited on every plan, under a fair-use ceiling that stops automated floods (900 publications a month on Solo). One publication is one post on one account, so a post sent to five networks counts as five. There are no automatic overage charges.

Questions people also ask

Is the aspect ratio for Reels and TikTok the same?

Both are full-screen vertical feeds, and 9:16 at 1080 × 1920 is the shape each recommends or accepts. Instagram’s Help Center accepts 1.91:1 to 9:16 for a Reel; TikTok’s ad specifications recommend vertical 9:16, and its Help Center names no shape.

What is the aspect ratio of a YouTube Short?

YouTube asks that it be square or vertical, and up to three minutes. It gives no pixel size or ratio beyond that, so 9:16 is the shape that fills a phone screen.

Can I post a horizontal video to Reels or TikTok?

A horizontal shape is inside Instagram’s listed range, since 1.91:1 is landscape, and TikTok’s ad specifications list 16:9 for non-Spark ads. Neither page says how a horizontal video is fitted to a vertical screen.

Is a taller video than 9:16 allowed on Instagram?

Instagram’s Help Center lists Reels between 1.91:1 and 9:16 and nothing taller. Its API accepts a wider range, from 0.01:1 to 10:1, but 9:16 is the shape it recommends.

What is the minimum resolution for a Reel or a TikTok?

Instagram asks for at least 720 pixels at 30 frames per second. TikTok’s web upload asks for at least 720 × 1280. Facebook’s Reels API recommends 1080 × 1920 and takes at least 540 × 960.

Sources

Other companies’ features change. Every statement about them rests on these pages, as they read on the date above.