— Product video ads · Guide
Product video ad sizes for Instagram Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Shopify
Published 27 October 2026 · Sources read 27 October 2026
Short answer
Make product ads vertical, 9:16. Meta recommends 9:16 for Instagram Reels and Stories at 1440 × 2560 pixels,[1][2] TikTok recommends 9:16 at 540 × 960 or larger,[4] and YouTube treats square or vertical uploads of up to 3 minutes as Shorts.[5] For Shopify product pages, Shopify recommends 16:9, 9:16, 4:3, 3:4 or 1:1.[6]
The sizes at a glance
Each platform publishes its own specification, and they change. These are the figures from each platform's own documentation on the date at the top of this page; check the linked source before a big campaign.
- Instagram Reels ads: 9:16, recommended 1440 × 2560 pixels, MP4 or MOV, H.264 with stereo AAC audio at 128 kbps or more; from 0 seconds to 15 minutes; up to 4 GB.[1]
- Instagram Stories ads: 9:16, recommended 1440 × 2560 pixels; 1 second to 60 minutes; up to 4 GB.[2]
- Instagram Feed video ads: Meta now recommends 9:16 at 1080 × 1920 pixels; 1 second to 60 minutes; up to 4 GB.[3]
- TikTok in-feed ads (non-Spark): vertical 9:16 at 540 × 960 or larger is recommended; 16:9 (960 × 540 or larger) and 1:1 (640 × 640 or larger) are accepted; up to 10 minutes; up to 500 MB; bitrate at least 516 kbps.[4]
- YouTube Shorts: a square or vertical video of up to 3 minutes.[5]
- Shopify product pages: 16:9, 9:16, 4:3, 3:4 or 1:1 recommended; MP4, MOV or WEBM; up to 1 GB and 10 minutes.[6]
Why vertical 9:16 is the default for ads
The short-video placements are built for phones held upright. Meta describes Reels ads as fullscreen vertical ads placed between organic Reels,[1] and Stories ads as full-screen vertical ads between Stories.[2] TikTok marks vertical as its recommended dimension for in-feed ads.[4] One 9:16 master therefore covers Reels, Stories, TikTok and Shorts without re-cutting.
Resolution is where the platforms differ. Meta's recommendation for Reels and Stories is 1440 × 2560; 1080 × 1920 is the figure it gives for Feed video.[1][3] TikTok's minimum is 540 × 960.[4] Exporting at 1080 × 1920 or higher meets the minimums on all three, and keeps files a manageable size.
Keep text and price inside the safe zone
Vertical placements put the platform's own interface on top of your video: the account name, captions, buttons and the call to action. For Reels and Stories, Meta suggests leaving roughly 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% on each side free of text, logos and other key elements.[1][2] TikTok also publishes safe-zone templates for in-feed ads, which depend on the dimension and caption length.[4]
- Put the product name and price in the upper-middle part of the frame, not along the bottom edge.
- Keep logos away from the corners, where profile icons and buttons sit.
- Preview on a real phone before publishing; TikTok notes the ad preview can differ slightly from the live version.[4]
How long should a product video ad be?
The platforms allow long videos: up to 15 minutes for Reels ads,[1] up to 10 minutes for TikTok in-feed ads,[4] and up to 3 minutes for a Short.[5] Being allowed is not the same as being watched. For a single product, a short clip that shows the product, its name and its price in the first seconds is easier to test than a long one.
One platform detail is worth knowing: Instagram plays Stories ads shorter than 16 seconds in full, while ads of 16 seconds or longer may be split into separate Stories cards.[2] If you want a Stories ad to play as one piece, keep it under 16 seconds.
A practical export plan: one product, four shapes
If you sell on Shopify and advertise on social, these four shapes cover nearly every placement covered above:
- 1
- 2
- 3
3:4 portrait
A good fit beside portrait product photos in a Shopify gallery; on Shopify's recommended list.[6]
- 4
Use H.264 video and AAC audio: both Meta and Shopify list them,[1][6] so one export works in both places. Keep the extension honest, too. A file renamed from .mov to .mp4 can fail on Shopify.[7]
Common mistakes with product video sizes
- Cropping a wide video to vertical. Cutting a 16:9 clip down to 9:16 keeps only about the middle third of the frame, so the product, the logo or the price can fall outside it. Make the vertical version as its own layout instead.
- Text along the bottom edge. On Reels and Stories the bottom 35% is where Meta suggests keeping text out, because the caption and call to action sit there.[1][2]
- Exporting below the minimum. TikTok's minimum for vertical in-feed ads is 540 × 960,[4] and Meta sets a minimum width for Reels ads of 250 pixels under 30 seconds and 500 pixels from 30 seconds.[1] Small exports from old phone edits can fall short.
- Uploading a 4K master everywhere. Shopify accepts up to 1 GB per video,[6] and TikTok up to 500 MB.[4] A well-compressed 1080p file is easier to upload, and Shopify processes incoming videos and picks the streaming quality automatically.[6]
- Using a Shorts link on Shopify. Shopify does not accept youtube.com/shorts/ URLs as product media; change the link to the standard watch format.[7]
Making every shape from product photos
Re-framing one filmed video into four shapes means cropping, and cropping cuts off the product. Building each shape from the product's own photos avoids that, because each layout is made for its frame. Shaewoo, our own Shopify app, makes each product's video from its photos, title and price, and makes vertical, square, 4:5, 3:4 and wide versions in one run.[8] It also makes versions A, B and C of each product to test against each other.[8]
See how to add a video to a Shopify product page for the product-page side, or the bulk product video maker for whole catalogs.
Questions
- What size should an Instagram Reels ad be?
- Meta recommends 9:16 at 1440 × 2560 pixels, as MP4 or MOV, with H.264 video and stereo AAC audio at 128 kbps or more. Files can be up to 4 GB.[1]
- What size is a TikTok video ad?
- For non-Spark in-feed ads TikTok recommends vertical 9:16 at 540 × 960 pixels or larger, and also accepts 16:9 and 1:1. Videos can be up to 10 minutes and 500 MB.[4]
- Does a YouTube Short have to be vertical?
- No. YouTube counts a square or vertical video of up to 3 minutes as a Short.[5]
- Which aspect ratio should I use for a Shopify product page video?
- Shopify recommends 16:9, 9:16, 4:3, 3:4 or 1:1.[6] Square or 3:4 usually sits best next to product photos.
Every shape, for every product
Shaewoo turns each Shopify product's photos, title and price into a video, in vertical, square, 4:5, 3:4 and wide shapes in one run. The Free plan makes 10 videos a month with a watermark.
Disclosure: Shaewoo is our own app, made by Misimi Corp, which publishes this site.
Sources
Every fact in this guide links to one of these, read on 27 October 2026. Shaewoo is named only where it is relevant; nothing here is a review, a rating or a promise about results.
- Meta Ads Guide: Instagram Reels video ad specs
- Meta Ads Guide: Instagram Stories video ad specs
- Meta Ads Guide: Instagram Feed video ad specs
- TikTok Ads Manager Help: TikTok auction in-feed ads (specifications)
- YouTube Help: Upload YouTube Shorts
- Shopify Help Center: Uploading and managing files (video file requirements)
- Shopify Help Center: Adding product media (troubleshooting uploads)
- Shopify App Store: Shaewoo listing