Every network's video length limit
Two columns, because they differ: what the network's own app lets you post, and what scheduling and posting tools can send through the network's API. Each limit links to the page it comes from.
| Network | In the app | Posted through other apps |
|---|---|---|
| Instagram Reels | Up to 20 minutes; only Reels of 3 minutes or less are recommended to new viewers | 3 seconds to 15 minutes |
| Instagram Stories | 60 seconds per story; longer videos are split into clips | 3 to 60 seconds |
| YouTube Shorts | Up to 3 minutes, square or vertical | Same |
| YouTube videos | 15 minutes; up to 12 hours once your account is verified | Same |
| TikTok | Set per account; TikTok Studio shows yours when you upload | 3 minutes for every creator, 5 or 10 minutes for some |
| No length limit since June 2025; every video posts as a Reel | 3 to 90 seconds for Reels | |
| X (Twitter) | 2 minutes 20 seconds on a free account; longer with Premium | 20 minutes (longer for Premium) |
| 15 minutes; at least 3 seconds | Check the tool you use | |
| Threads | 5 minutes | 5 minutes |
| Bluesky | 10 minutes since August 2026 (was 3) | Check the tool you use |
| 4 seconds to 5 minutes | Check the tool you use | |
| Snapchat | 3 minutes recorded, 5 minutes uploaded | Check the tool you use |
Instagram Reel length limit
In the Instagram app you can record and post Reels of up to 20 minutes. The catch is reach: Instagram says Reels over 3 minutes won't be recommended to new audiences, so a long Reel mostly reaches people who already follow you.
Posting through a scheduling tool, the limit is 15 minutes, because that's what Instagram's API accepts. Many guides still say 90 seconds or 3 minutes; both are out of date.
YouTube Shorts length limit
A YouTube Short can be up to 3 minutes long, as long as it's square or vertical. YouTube raised the limit from 60 seconds in October 2024, so any guide still saying 60 seconds is out of date.
You don't have to upload Shorts from your phone. YouTube Studio on a computer takes them too: here is how to upload YouTube Shorts from a PC. Regular YouTube videos can run 15 minutes, or up to 12 hours once your account is verified.
TikTok video length limit
TikTok sets video length per account, and TikTok Studio shows your limit when you upload. TikTok's own help pages don't list one number for everyone.
For videos posted through other apps, TikTok's developer documentation is clear: every creator can post videos of up to 3 minutes, and some accounts can post up to 5 or 10 minutes. A scheduling tool should check your account's limit before it uploads.
Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Threads and Bluesky
- Facebook: since June 2025 there's no length limit, and every video you post becomes a Reel. Apps posting through Facebook's Reels API are still held to 3 to 90 seconds.
- X: 2 minutes 20 seconds on a free account, longer with Premium. Apps posting through X's API can send up to 20 minutes.
- LinkedIn: 15 minutes, and at least 3 seconds from a computer.
- Threads: 5 minutes.
- Bluesky: 10 minutes since August 2026, up from 3, with files up to 300 MB.
Why the app and other apps have different limits
Networks open new features in their own app first. The API that scheduling tools use often catches up later, or keeps a lower limit on purpose. That's why a 20-minute Reel posts fine from your phone but a tool can only send 15, and why a long Facebook video works in the app but a tool posting it as a Reel is held to 90 seconds.
If you post one video to several networks, cut it to the shortest limit you need, or keep a short version for the networks that need one.
Where PersonaXpand fits
Disclosure: PersonaXpand is our product. When you upload a video, it checks the length against each network's limit for posting through apps and tells you which ones need a trim before anything is sent. Videos of 3 minutes or less that are square or vertical post to YouTube as Shorts.