X video specs
Published 28 September 2026. Figures checked against X's developer documentation and X Business help on 28 September 2026. X's consumer help centre blocked our checks that day, so the organic limits come from X's developer docs, which say they match the app.
Short answer: X's developer documentation says video on a post can run from 0.5 seconds to 20 minutes and up to 8 GB on a standard account, or 125 minutes and 16 GB with Premium, and that these caps match the X app. Use MP4 with H.264 at 30 or 60 fps, in 16:9, 1:1 or 9:16. For video ads, X recommends 15 seconds or less and supports up to 2 minutes 20 seconds, in MP4 or MOV files up to 1 GB.
| Spec | Post | Video ad |
|---|---|---|
| Aspect ratio | Between 1:3 and 3:1; 16:9 and 1:1 recommended | 16:9, 1:1, 9:16, 1.91:1, 4:5 and 2:3 |
| Resolution | 1280 × 720, 720 × 1280 or 720 × 720 recommended; Premium accounts get 1080p playback | 1920 × 1080 (16:9), 1200 × 1200 (1:1); vertical ads 720 × 1280 to 1080 × 1920 |
| Length | 0.5 seconds to 20 minutes (Premium: 125 minutes) | 15 seconds or less recommended; up to 2:20 supported |
| File | Up to 8 GB (Premium: 16 GB); H.264 High Profile; AAC-LC audio | MP4 or MOV, up to 1 GB; under 30 MB recommended |
| Frame rate | 30 or 60 fps | 29.97 or 30 fps; up to 60 supported |
| Safe zone | Not published | Not published |
| Captions | Caption files supported (format not confirmed) | Closed captions or text overlays strongly recommended |
Length and size for posts
X's developer documentation on media uploads gives the limits for video on a post: 0.5 seconds to 20 minutes and up to 8 GB for a standard account, and up to 125 minutes and 16 GB for Premium or verified accounts. It says "Post-video caps match the X app." It recommends H.264 High Profile, 30 or 60 fps, AAC-LC audio in mono or stereo, and 1280 × 720 (landscape), 720 × 1280 (portrait) or 720 × 720 (square); subscribed users can upload 1080p and get 1080p playback, unsubscribed users get 720p. The aspect ratio must be between 1:3 and 3:1.
You'll still see "140 seconds" quoted in articles about X. Where does that come from? In the same documentation, 140 seconds is the limit for video sent in a direct message on a standard account; it isn't the limit for a post.
Video ad specs
X Business help recommends ads of 15 seconds or less and supports up to 2 minutes 20 seconds, with longer limits for some advertisers on request. Files are MP4 or MOV, up to 1 GB, though X strongly recommends keeping them under 30 MB. Frame rate should be 29.97 or 30 fps, with up to 60 supported; video is H.264 and audio AAC-LC. Videos under 60 seconds loop. Standalone video ads are recommended at 1920 × 1080 for 16:9 and 1200 × 1200 for 1:1, and vertical ads at 9:16 between 720 × 1280 and 1080 × 1920, with 4:5 (1440 × 1800) and 2:3 (1080 × 1620) also accepted.
Safe zones
X doesn't publish safe-zone measurements for posts or ads. Its ad guidance does suggest keeping branding persistent in the upper left corner. In X's apps the post text and buttons are drawn over the bottom of a full-screen vertical video, so keep words out of the lower part of the frame.
Captions and sound
For ads, X says "Closed captioning or text overlays are strongly recommended." Its developer documentation includes a subtitles upload type for attaching captions to video, but the accepted caption file format wasn't something we could confirm from an official page on the day we checked.
Where the official pages are vague or disagree
- The consumer help centre. X's help pages on video (help.x.com) blocked automated checks on 28 September 2026, so we couldn't compare them with the developer docs. The developer docs say their caps match the app.
- An old ads note. X's Ads API documentation still says the maximum promoted video length is 10 minutes with a file of 500 MB or less, in a list of notes that dates itself to 2015. The current X Business specs (2:20, or longer on request, and 1 GB) supersede it.
- Caption file format for organic posts isn't confirmed on any page we could reach.
How Launch Video Maker's formats map to X
All three of our formats fit: 16:9 at 1920 × 1080 matches X's recommended size for 16:9 ads, 9:16 at 1080 × 1920 is the largest vertical ad size, and 4:5 at 1080 × 1350 is the same shape as X's 4:5 ad size at a lower resolution. Files are MP4 (H.264 video, AAC audio) at 30 fps, and a 15-second reel matches X's recommended ad length. Our files are encoded at high quality, so a 30-second reel can be larger than the 30 MB X suggests for ads, while staying far under the 1 GB limit. X's docs say 1080p playback is for subscribed accounts, so on a standard account expect 720p.
A 15-second reel in one format is the Short, £9. The Bundle (£49) gives you 16:9, 9:16 and 4:5 from the same reel.
Questions
- How long can a video on X be?
- X's developer documentation gives 0.5 seconds to 20 minutes for video on a post from a standard account, and up to 125 minutes for Premium or verified accounts, and says these caps match the X app.
- What size should a video on X be?
- X recommends 1280 × 720 for landscape, 720 × 1280 for portrait and 720 × 720 for square, with 1080p playback for subscribed accounts. The aspect ratio must be between 1:3 and 3:1.
- How long can an X video ad be?
- X recommends 15 seconds or less and supports up to 2 minutes 20 seconds; some advertisers can request longer.
- What is the file size limit for X video ads?
- 1 GB, in MP4 or MOV, though X strongly recommends keeping files under 30 MB.
Sources
All checked on 28 September 2026.
- X Developer Platform: Media best practices (post video length and size, Premium limits, codec, frame rate, resolution, aspect ratio, DM limits)
- X Business: Creative ad specifications (video ad length, file, frame rate, sizes, captions, vertical ads)
- X Developer Platform: Ads API creatives (the older 10-minute, 500 MB note)
- X Help Center: How to share and watch videos on X (could not be loaded on 28 September 2026)