One vertical video for TikTok, Reels, and Shorts: 2026 specs

You shot one vertical video and want it on TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts without editing it three times. The specs rarely line up, and even one platform can give two answers: Instagram's help center says reels can run 20 minutes, then notes that reels over 3 minutes won't be recommended to new audiences.

Most of that disagreement comes from mixing two sets of limits. What you can upload by hand in the TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube app is not always what a scheduling tool can publish through the platform's official API, and the API limits are usually tighter. Build your file for the tighter set and one export covers all three.

The short answer

Export one 9:16 MP4 at 1080 x 1920 with H.264 video at 30 frames per second.
Keep it to 3 minutes or less and under 300 MB. Adding Facebook Reels? Meta's API caps those at 90 seconds.
Upload the clean export from your editor. Instagram shows watermarked reels less often, and TikTok counts someone else's watermark as unoriginal.
Keep text out of the top 14%, the bottom 35%, and 6% on each side (Meta's guidance for Reels ads).
Check your music. TikTok and Instagram limit what business accounts can use, and YouTube blocks Shorts over one minute that carry a copyright claim.
Write a YouTube title and a separate caption for each platform.

Video specs for TikTok, Reels, and Shorts as of October 2026

These figures come from each platform's help center and developer docs as they read on October 21, 2026. The first table covers uploading in the apps; the second covers what a scheduler can send through each official API.

What the apps accept

Platform	Shape	Resolution	Longest video	File
TikTok (Studio upload)	Not stated	720 x 1280 or higher	30 minutes	MP4 or WebM, under 10 GB
Instagram Reels	1.91:1 to 9:16	720 pixels minimum, 30 fps minimum	20 minutes (reels over 3 minutes won't be recommended to new audiences)	Not stated
YouTube Shorts	Square or vertical	Not stated	3 minutes	Not stated
Facebook Reels	No format restrictions	Not stated	No length restrictions	Not stated

What the official APIs accept

Platform	Shape	Resolution	Longest video	File
TikTok Content Posting API	Not stated	360 to 4,096 pixels per side, 23 to 60 fps	10 minutes; each account's own cap is 3, 5, or 10	MP4, WebM, or MOV; up to 4 GB
Instagram API (Reels)	0.01:1 to 10:1, 9:16 recommended	1,920 pixels wide maximum, 23 to 60 fps	15 minutes	MOV or MP4; up to 300 MB
YouTube Data API	Shorts not mentioned; YouTube decides	Not stated	Short: up to 3 minutes	Any video type; up to 256 GB
Facebook Reels API	9:16	1080 x 1920 recommended, 540 x 960 minimum	3 to 90 seconds	MP4 recommended

Caption and title lengths differ too. They are in our caption length guide, so they are not repeated here.

Where the app and the API disagree

TikTok Studio takes uploads up to 30 minutes, but the API stops at 10 minutes and 4 GB, and each account has its own cap. TikTok's docs say "All TikTok creators can post 3-minute videos, while some have access to post 5-minute or 10-minute videos."

Instagram lets you record and edit reels up to 20 minutes, while its API stops at 15 minutes and 300 MB. The API also caps width at 1,920 pixels, so a vertical 4K export (2,160 pixels wide) is too wide.

Meta said in June 2025 that "Reels on Facebook will also not have any length or format restrictions," yet its Reels publishing API still lists 3 to 90 seconds.

YouTube decides for itself what counts as a Short: videos uploaded after October 15, 2024 "with a square or vertical aspect ratio up to three minutes in length." A vertical video that runs 3 minutes and 5 seconds goes up as a regular video.

Build one master file

Edit on a 9:16 canvas at 1080 x 1920. Meta recommends that size for Facebook Reels, and it clears the 720-pixel minimum Instagram and TikTok Studio list.
Trim to 3 minutes or less: the Shorts ceiling, and the length every TikTok creator can post. Trim to 90 seconds if Facebook Reels is on the list.
Export an MP4 with H.264 video at 30 fps. TikTok recommends both, Instagram's API accepts H.264, and Instagram asks for at least 30 fps.
Check the size. Instagram's 300 MB is the lowest file limit any of these platforms states, so lower the bitrate if you are over.
Post that same export everywhere, not a copy saved out of one of the apps.

Keep text and buttons out of the way

Each app lays a username, caption, and buttons over the video. Meta publishes numbers for Reels ads: "Consider leaving at least 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom, and 6% on each side of your asset free from text, logos, or other important creative elements." On a 1080 x 1920 frame, 35% of the height is 672 pixels.

TikTok and Google publish their ad safe zones as downloadable image templates, not percentages. TikTok says its zone depends on the video's dimensions and caption length; Google's template for vertical YouTube ads, which can run in Shorts, uses a 1080 x 1920 frame. We found no separate safe zone for unpaid posts, so the ad guidance is the closest official reference.

Remove watermarks before you cross-post

Instagram's help center lists the reels "you may see less often," including reels that "Contain borders, logos, or watermarks" and reels that "Are not original videos." In a May 2023 post on Instagram's blog, Adam Mosseri wrote that Instagram aims to make "low-resolution or watermarked reels" less visible. Followers still see those reels on your profile and in their feed; what drops is recommendations.

TikTok's Creator Academy, updated September 26, 2026, lists "Content with someone else's visible watermark or superimposed logo" as unoriginal and says unoriginal content "may be removed from the For You feed."

So post the export from your editor. A copy saved out of another app can carry that app's logo.

Music follows three different rulebooks

Once exported, the soundtrack is part of the file, and each platform checks it by its own rules.

TikTok says "Businesses cannot use the general music library for commercial usage" and points them to its Commercial Music Library of 1 million pre-cleared songs. For other licensed sounds, it tells businesses to consult their legal team.

Instagram says its licensed library "is intended for personal, non-commercial use" and that "certain business accounts and certain types of posts do not have access to the library." Meta's Sound Collection offers over 14,000 royalty-free songs and sounds that can be used commercially. If Instagram detects licensed audio in an upload, it re-attributes the reel to the artist and song.

YouTube blocks any Short over one minute with "an active copyright claim of any type" worldwide, with no penalty to your channel. Tracks from the YouTube Audio Library won't receive a Content ID claim.

For one file on all three, your own audio or a track licensed for commercial use everywhere you post is the low-risk choice. Trending sounds live inside each app, so using one means finishing that version in the app.

Write a title and caption for each platform

YouTube asks for a title and a description. Its Data API allows titles up to 100 characters and descriptions up to 5,000 bytes, without the characters < or >. TikTok Studio's upload screen has a Caption field and no title. An Instagram Reel takes one caption.

Here is how a bakery might word one 50-second video of shaping a loaf:

YouTube title: "How to shape a sourdough boule by hand"
TikTok caption: "Shaping today's first boule. Watch the tension build. #sourdough #bakery"
Instagram caption: "Every loaf is shaped by hand before we open. Fresh boules from 8 a.m. #sourdough"

The YouTube title describes the video for strangers. The captions talk to followers, with Instagram's useful detail first because only the opening shows before the cut.

Post one video to all three in eksis

eksis sends one post to several channels from the same composer. Three channels need a paid plan: Free includes one social account and Starter includes 20 (Compare plans).

Click Create post, then Add channel, and pick your TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube accounts.
Add the video once and write the shared caption on the All channels tab.
Open each channel's tab and set Content type: Video for TikTok, Reels for Instagram, Short for YouTube.
On the YouTube tab, fill in Title (100 characters at most) and answer Audience with Not made for kids or Made for kids. eksis won't schedule the post until both are done. Visibility offers Public, Unlisted, and Private.
On the TikTok tab, choose Who can watch this. It has no default, as TikTok requires, and lists only the options TikTok reports for that account. Under Allow on this post, Comments, Duet, and Stitch stay off until you tick them.
To reword the caption for one platform, type in that channel's tab. Reset to base caption restores the shared text.
Click Edit next to Publish time to schedule. Times follow your workspace time zone.

eksis checks each target before you schedule. A Reel must be vertical (9:16 or slightly taller) and 3 seconds to 15 minutes long. The Short option is greyed out for a video over 3 minutes or wider than it is tall. TikTok's Video option is greyed out past 10 minutes, and at publish time eksis also checks the TikTok account's own limit. For a Short, eksis adds #Shorts to the description if it is missing.

eksis publishes your file as it is. It does not trim, re-encode, add music, or remove watermarks, so the master file steps still apply.

Sources

All were read on October 21, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I post the same video to TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts?

Yes, if the file fits all three. A 9:16 MP4 at 1080 x 1920, 3 minutes or shorter and under 300 MB, fits the limits each platform publishes for its API as of October 2026.

What size should a vertical video be for all three?

Use 1080 x 1920 pixels in a 9:16 frame. It is above the 720-pixel minimum Instagram and TikTok Studio list. Skip vertical 4K if a tool publishes to Instagram for you, because Instagram's API caps width at 1,920 pixels.

Does Instagram limit reels with a TikTok watermark?

Instagram's help center lists reels that "Contain borders, logos, or watermarks" among those you may see less often. The limit applies to recommendations, not to your followers' feeds. TikTok may likewise keep videos with someone else's watermark out of the For You feed.

Why did my vertical video post as a regular YouTube video instead of a Short?

YouTube counts a video as a Short only when it is square or vertical and up to three minutes long. A clip that runs slightly over three minutes, or is horizontal, becomes a regular video. YouTube's upload API reference does not mention Shorts.

How long can a scheduled video be?

It depends on each platform's API. As of October 2026, every TikTok account can post 3 minutes through the API, Instagram's API takes Reels up to 15 minutes, and a YouTube Short ends at 3 minutes. Three minutes fits all three; Facebook's Reels API needs 90 seconds or less.

How to post one vertical video to TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts

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