One vertical video can go to Instagram Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Facebook Reels, and it fails on at least one of them more often than it should, because the four networks do not accept the same file. The differences are small and easy to miss: Facebook Reels take at most 90 seconds, TikTok limits each creator to its own maximum, Instagram wants 23 to 60 frames per second and Facebook 24, and YouTube decides what a Short is from the shape of the file. This page gives the specification of the one file that passes all four, and then what still has to differ per network, from the rules Preflight enforces when it publishes, checked on 27 October 2026.
The file that passes all four
| Setting | What to export | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | Vertical, 9:16 | Facebook Reels must be vertical and warn below about 9:16; Instagram recommends 9:16; YouTube files a vertical or square video up to three minutes as a Short |
| Size | 1080 × 1920 pixels | TikTok takes 360 to 4,096 pixels each side; Facebook Reels need at least 540 × 960; Instagram takes a width up to 1,920 |
| Length | 3 to 90 seconds | The shortest allowed is 3 seconds on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook; the longest all four accept is Facebook's 90 |
| Frame rate | 30 fps (anything from 24 to 60) | Instagram and TikTok accept 23 to 60, Facebook 24 to 60 |
| Container | MP4 | Facebook Reels take MP4 only; the other three take it too |
| File size | Under 300 MB | Instagram Reels stop at 300 MB; TikTok allows 4 GB and YouTube 256 GB |
At 1080 × 1920 and 30 fps, a 90-second video under 300 MB leaves a bitrate of roughly 26 megabits per second at most, which is far more than a phone export uses, so the size limit rarely binds at this length.
How each network checks it
| Instagram Reel | TikTok | YouTube Short | Facebook Reel | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 3 seconds to 15 minutes | 3 seconds to 10 minutes, and each creator has a lower maximum, often 3 or 5 minutes | Up to 3 minutes to be a Short | 3 to 90 seconds |
| Size | 300 MB | 4 GB | 256 GB | Not capped by Preflight; a vertical file at least 540 × 960 |
| Frame rate | 23 to 60 | 23 to 60 | Not checked | 24 to 60 |
| Shape | 9:16 recommended; ratio 0.01:1 to 10:1 | 360 to 4,096 pixels on each side | Vertical or square | Vertical; a ratio under about 1.7 warns |
| Formats | MP4, MOV | MP4, MOV, WebM | MP4, MOV and most others | MP4 |
The frame rate is the failure nobody sees coming. TikTok checks it after processing, so a screen recording at 15 fps or a phone clip at 120 fps passes the upload and fails later, reported as "frame rate check failed", and Instagram applies the same 23 to 60 window. Export at 30 or 60 and the problem does not exist. The details of the TikTok errors are on TikTok API errors.
What still has to differ per network
- Caption length and rules. Instagram and TikTok allow 2,200 characters; Instagram refuses more than 30 hashtags and 20 mentions, TikTok refuses a link in the caption and advises five hashtags, and YouTube cuts a title at 100 characters and counts the description in bytes. The cross-network comparison is on TikTok vs Instagram limits.
- The title. YouTube has one, 100 characters, taken from the first line of a post unless you set it; Reels and TikTok do not.
- Privacy and audience. TikTok requires a privacy choice before the post is accepted, and a creator's options decide what is allowed. YouTube has public, unlisted and private.
- Disclosure. TikTok's branded-content label and YouTube's altered-content disclosure are per network settings, not part of the file.
- Daily caps. A Page can publish 30 reels a day from an app, Instagram's API counts 50 publishes a day per account, and YouTube allows a new API project 100 uploads a day, shared by everyone on the app.
Checking a draft before it goes out
A video can be tested in the browser with the video checker: it reads the length, size, frame rate and dimensions of the file locally and says which of the networks would refuse it and why. Preflight runs the same checks on every post before anything is uploaded, so the first sign of a 120 fps clip is a message in the composer, and not a failed post on a network at midnight. The per-network walkthroughs are Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Facebook, and the tables of every network's limits are on the limits page and YouTube Shorts limits.
Questions people ask
- What video specification works for Reels, TikTok, Shorts and Facebook Reels?
- A vertical 9:16 MP4 at 1080 × 1920 pixels and 30 frames per second, between 3 and 90 seconds and under 300 MB. That passes Instagram Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Facebook Reels. The 90 seconds is Facebook's limit; the 300 MB is Instagram's.
- What frame rate do Instagram Reels, TikTok and Facebook Reels accept?
- Instagram and TikTok accept 23 to 60 frames per second and Facebook Reels 24 to 60. A video at 120 fps or 15 fps passes the upload and is rejected after processing, so export at 30 or 60.
- How long can a Facebook Reel be?
- Three to ninety seconds, vertical, at least 540 × 960 pixels, MP4, at 24 to 60 fps. That is the tightest length limit of the four networks, so a video of up to 90 seconds fits all of them.
- What makes a video a YouTube Short?
- The shape and length of the file: a vertical or square video up to three minutes. The #Shorts hashtag does not decide it. Preflight warns when a post marked as a Short is longer than 180 seconds.
- Can I post the same caption to all four networks?
- Not always. TikTok refuses a link in the caption and advises five hashtags, Instagram refuses more than 30 hashtags and 20 mentions, and YouTube cuts a title at 100 characters and counts its description in bytes. A scheduler with a separate text per network lets one video go with four captions.