Facebook Video Ad Specs and Sizes (2026)

Facebook video ad specs, as of October 2026: Feed ads are recommended at 4:5 (1440 × 1800), Stories and Reels at 9:16 (1440 × 2560), in-stream at 16:9 or 1:1, and Marketplace at 1:1, all as MP4 or MOV files up to 4 GB. Feed videos can run from 1 second to 241 minutes, Stories from 1 second to 3 minutes. Primary text is best at 50 to 150 characters and headlines at about 27.

Below is every spec by placement from Meta’s Ads Guide, the safe zones for vertical ads, and a simple way to make one video that works everywhere.

The short answer

As of October 2026, Meta’s Ads Guide recommends 4:5 at 1440 x 1800 for Facebook Feed video ads (1 s to 241 min), 9:16 at 1440 x 2560 for Stories (1 s to 3 min) and Reels, 16:9 or 1:1 for in-stream, and 1:1 for Marketplace. Files: MP4, MOV or GIF up to 4 GB, H.264 with stereo AAC audio.

Key takeaways

• Make two masters: 9:16 (1440 × 2560) for Stories and Reels, and 4:5 (1440 × 1800) for Feed.
• Maximum file size is 4 GB on every placement listed here.
• Keep text and logos out of the top 14% and bottom 20-35% of vertical ads.
• Stories ads of 15 seconds or less play in full; longer ones are split into cards.
• Captions and sound are optional but recommended by Meta.

Disclosure: we make QuickVeed and show how to do this in it, along with other ways. Details about other products come from their public pages, checked in October 2026 and linked at the end.

Facebook video ad specs by placement (October 2026)

These numbers come from Meta’s Ads Guide for each placement, checked in October 2026. Meta changes them from time to time, so check the guide before a large campaign.

File types are MP4, MOV or GIF for these placements. For Reels, Meta’s Reels page recommends 9:16 video with audio and key messages in the safe zone, and its Instagram Reels guide lists 1440 × 2560, MP4 or MOV, up to 15 minutes. Since Advantage+ placements often run the same ad on both Facebook and Instagram Reels, designing to the Instagram Reels spec is the safe choice. For organic Instagram sizes, see Instagram Reels dimensions and length.

Text limits and technical settings

Text

These are recommendations, not hard limits; longer text gets cut off with a “See more”. Put the main point in the first line. Meta also notes that for awareness and some performance objectives, the headline, description and button may not show in mobile Feed, so don’t rely on them to carry the message.

Encoding

Meta recommends H.264 compression, square pixels, a fixed frame rate, progressive scan and stereo AAC audio at 128 kbps or more, and says videos shouldn’t contain edit lists or special boxes in the file container. Most editors’ “H.264, high quality” export preset meets this. If you’re unsure about bitrate, our video bitrate calculator suggests one for the size and length; the 4 GB limit is far above what a 30-second ad needs.

Safe zones for vertical Facebook ads

In Stories and Reels, the profile name sits at the top and the call-to-action button and caption at the bottom. Anything important placed there gets covered.

The simplest rule: put faces, product shots, captions and on-screen text in the middle of the frame, roughly between 15% and 65% of the height. Meta offers safe zone templates for design tools, and Ads Manager’s preview shows each placement before you publish.

Captions are the element people most often get wrong. Burned-in captions placed low (where they sit on TV) collide with the Reels caption and button. Place them in the middle third instead. See the best caption styles for Reels and TikTok for sizes and styles that stay readable.

One video, every placement: a practical workflow

You don’t need five edits. Most advertisers make two or three versions of the same ad.

1. Shoot or generate vertical (9:16) first, keeping the subject in the centre. Vertical crops to 4:5 and 1:1 cleanly; widescreen doesn’t crop to vertical without losing the subject.
2. Export the 9:16 master at 1440 × 2560 (or 1080 × 1920 if your footage is 1080p) for Stories and Reels.
3. Crop a 4:5 version (1440 × 1800) for Feed. Check that text isn’t cut off at the top or bottom.
4. Crop a 1:1 version (1080 × 1080) for Marketplace and in-stream, if you use them.
5. Upload all versions to one ad and use placement asset customisation so each placement gets its own shape.

Our video aspect ratio calculator gives exact crop sizes, and the social media video size guide covers other platforms.

Length by goal

These are starting points, not Meta rules. Test two lengths of the same idea and let the results decide. Cutting a 30-second ad down to 15 seconds usually means keeping the hook, one product shot and the call to action.

Checklist before you upload a Facebook video ad

Most problems with video ads aren’t rejections; they’re ads that run but look wrong: cropped text, black bars, a muted first line. Run through this list before you upload.

1. Right shape per placement. 4:5 for Feed, 9:16 for Stories and Reels. A 16:9 video in Feed shows as a thin strip on phones.
2. No black bars baked in. If you placed a 16:9 video inside a 9:16 frame with bars, crop or reframe it instead; bars waste most of the screen.
3. Safe zones clear. Check the first and last frames with a safe zone overlay; the call to action button covers the bottom of vertical ads.
4. Hook in the first second. Show the product, the problem or a face immediately. Logos and title cards at the start lose viewers.
5. Works muted. Watch it with the sound off. If the message is lost, add captions or on-screen text.
6. Works with sound. Reels plays with sound on by default, so music and voice levels matter there.
7. Text is short. On-screen text in a few words per line, large enough to read on a phone at arm’s length.
8. Under the length limit for the placement. Stories ads over 15 seconds are split into cards, so put the key message in the first card.
9. File settings. H.264 MP4 with AAC stereo audio, fixed frame rate, under 4 GB.
10. Claims you can prove. Prices, savings and results in the ad should match your landing page. Ads also go through Meta’s advertising standards review.

Why does my Facebook video ad look blurry?

Usually because a small file was upscaled, or the video was exported at a low bitrate and compressed again after upload. Export at the recommended size (1440 × 1800 or 1440 × 2560), or at least 1080 pixels wide, and use a high-quality H.264 preset. Text and fine product details suffer first, so check them on a phone in the Ads Manager preview.

Making Facebook-ready ads in QuickVeed

QuickVeed makes the pieces in the shapes these placements use:

• UGC-style ads come out in 9:16, ready for Stories and Reels: a fictional AI creator presents your product photo for 6 credits a second on Standard, plus 10 per ad and 2 for captions (132 credits for a 20-second ad with captions). See UGC video ads.
• AI-generated product shots from the AI video generator in 9:16, 1:1, 16:9 or 3:4 (on models that support it), 2-15 seconds long.
• Captions burned in at the middle or top of the frame, which keeps them out of the bottom safe zone, in one of 11 styles: 1.5 credits a minute to transcribe and 1 a minute to burn in (3 minimum).

QuickVeed doesn’t publish ads to Meta Ads Manager; you download the MP4 and upload it there. If you use AI-generated people in ads, Meta may show an “AI info” label in “About this ad”, and political or social-issue ads must disclose realistic AI content.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best size for a Facebook video ad?

For Feed, 4:5 at 1440 x 1800. For Stories and Reels, 9:16 at 1440 x 2560. If you make one video, make it 9:16 and crop a 4:5 version from it.

How long can a Facebook video ad be?

Feed and Marketplace allow 1 second to 241 minutes, Stories 1 second to 3 minutes, and in-stream 5 to 15 seconds on desktop or up to 10 minutes on mobile. Most ads work best under 30 seconds.

What is the maximum file size for Facebook video ads?

4 GB for Feed, Stories, in-stream and Marketplace, according to Meta’s Ads Guide.

What aspect ratio should Facebook Reels ads be?

9:16. Meta recommends vertical video with audio and key messages kept inside the safe zone.

Do Facebook video ads need captions?

Meta lists captions as optional but recommended. Many people watch with the sound off, so burn them in or upload a caption file.

Try it with your own video

Make a 9:16 product ad with captions in QuickVeed and upload it to Ads Manager. Upload a product photo or a video, add captions in a style you like, and judge the result for yourself. QuickVeed plans start at $18/month, and new accounts get a 14-day trial with 75 credits, no card needed. Sign up or see pricing.

Sources

Competitor details in this post were checked against these public pages in October 2026. Products and prices change, so confirm with each vendor before you decide.

• Meta Ads Guide: video ads on Facebook Feed
• Meta Ads Guide: video ads on Facebook Stories
• Meta for Business: Facebook and Instagram Reels ads
• Meta Ads Guide: video ads on Instagram Reels (size, length, safe zones)
• Meta Ads Guide: Facebook in-stream video ads
• Meta Ads Guide: video ads on Facebook Marketplace
• Meta: expanding generative AI transparency for ads (Feb 2025)