Facebook Reels video specs
Published 28 September 2026. Every figure checked against Meta's own Business Help Centre and Facebook Ads Guide on 28 September 2026; Meta changes these often, so follow the links in Sources before you rely on one.
Short answer: make Facebook Reels vertical, 9:16, at 1080 × 1920 or more. Meta says organic Reels can be any length or orientation, and recommends 1080p, .mp4, H.264 or H.265 and 24 to 60 frames per second. For Reels ads it recommends 9:16 at 1440 × 2560, files up to 4 GB, and keeping about 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% of each side clear of text and logos.
| Spec | Organic Reel | Reels ad (video) |
|---|---|---|
| Aspect ratio | Any orientation; no ratio required | 9:16 recommended |
| Resolution | 1080p recommended | 1440 × 2560 |
| Length | Any length; no minimum or maximum | No maximum; minimum not published |
| File | .mp4 recommended; H.264 or H.265 recommended (VP9 and AV1 supported); size not published | MP4, MOV or GIF; up to 4 GB; H.264, fixed frame rate, progressive scan |
| Frame rate | 24 to 60 fps recommended | Fixed frame rate; no number given |
| Audio | Stereo AAC, 44.1 or 48 kHz, 128 kbps or more | Stereo AAC over 128 kbps; sound optional but strongly recommended |
| Safe zone | Not published | About 14% top, 35% bottom, 6% each side; bottom 40% if the ad carries a disclaimer |
| Captions | Not published | Optional but recommended; no auto-captioning for this placement |
How long can a Facebook Reel be?
Meta's Business Help Centre says Reels can be any length or orientation, and its page about Facebook Reels adds that there's no minimum or maximum length. The Reels ads spec says the same for video ads: no maximum. That's freedom, not advice. A launch reel still works best at 15 or 30 seconds, because people are scrolling past, not settling in.
Size, shape and file
For organic Reels, Meta recommends 1080p, an .mp4 file, H.264 or H.265 video (VP9 and AV1 are supported too), 24 to 60 frames per second, a closed GOP of two to five seconds, 4:2:0 chroma subsampling, square pixels and progressive scan, with stereo AAC audio at 44.1 or 48 kHz and 128 kbps or more. It doesn't publish a file-size limit for organic Reels.
For Reels ads, the Facebook Ads Guide recommends 9:16 at 1440 × 2560 pixels, in MP4, MOV or GIF, up to 4 GB, with H.264 compression, square pixels, a fixed frame rate, progressive scan and stereo AAC audio above 128 kbps. It also says files shouldn't contain edit lists.
Safe zones
Meta publishes a safe zone for Reels ads, and it's generous: leave roughly 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% of each side free of text, logos and other key elements. On a 1080 × 1920 frame that's about 269 pixels at the top, 672 at the bottom and 65 at each side. If the ad carries a disclaimer, Meta says to keep the bottom 40% clear instead. For organic Reels there's no published figure, but the same buttons and captions sit over the frame, so the ad margins are a sensible guide.
Captions and sound
For Reels ads, Meta calls captions optional but recommended, and says auto-captioning isn't supported for this placement, so burn your key words into the video. Sound is optional but strongly recommended. Not everyone scrolls with the sound on, so the video should make sense silently.
Where the official pages are vague
- File size for organic Reels isn't published on the requirements page we checked.
- Codecs differ between pages. The organic page recommends H.264 or H.265; the ads guide specifies H.264.
- The bottom safe zone is 35% on the ads guide but 40% for ads with disclaimers, and the general safe-zone help page gives no percentages at all.
- A minimum ad length and a numeric frame rate for ads aren't stated.
- Meta's older video requirements chart doesn't list Reels at all, so figures quoted from it are out of date.
How Launch Video Maker's formats map to Facebook Reels
Our vertical format is 9:16 at 1080 × 1920, exported as MP4 (H.264 video, AAC audio) at 30 frames per second, which matches Meta's organic recommendations. For ads, Meta lists 1440 × 2560; ours is 1080 × 1920, so check the Ads Manager preview. Every reel is checked so its essential words sit inside a safe area of 60 pixels on the left, 120 on the right, 220 at the top and 360 at the bottom. That's tighter than Meta's ad margins at the top and bottom, so for a Reels ad, look at where the headline lands in the preview before you publish. The music and sound effects are generated for each video, so there's no track to license for ads.
A 15-second vertical reel is the Short, £9. The Bundle (£49) adds a 4:5 cut for the Facebook and Instagram feeds and a 16:9 cut for YouTube.
Questions
- How long can a Facebook Reel be?
- Meta says Reels can be any length or orientation, with no minimum or maximum. Its Reels ads spec also gives no maximum length.
- What size should a Facebook Reel be?
- Vertical 9:16. Meta recommends 1080p for organic Reels and lists 1440 × 2560 for Reels ads.
- What is the Facebook Reels ad safe zone?
- Meta's ads guide says to leave roughly 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% of each side free of text, logos and key elements, or the bottom 40% if the ad has a disclaimer.
- What is the file size limit for Facebook Reels ads?
- 4 GB, in MP4, MOV or GIF, according to the Facebook Ads Guide.
Sources
All checked on 28 September 2026.
- Meta Business Help Centre: Requirements for Facebook Reels (length, orientation, resolution, format, codecs, frame rate, audio)
- Meta Business Help Centre: About Facebook Reels (no minimum or maximum length)
- Facebook Ads Guide: Video ad specs on Facebook Reels (ratio, resolution, file, size, length, captions, safe zone)
- Meta Business Help Centre: About text overlays and the safe zone for ads in Stories and Reels (40% with disclaimers)