Social Media Image & Video Upload Guidelines for 2026
Nothing kills a content workflow faster than a rejected upload. Aspect ratio too narrow, file too large, video a few seconds too short — every platform has its own rules, and they change often. This guide consolidates the exact media specifications for Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube so you can prepare your creative assets right the first time.
All values below reflect the requirements enforced by each platform's API as of early 2026. PinPost automatically validates your media against these rules before you publish — but knowing them upfront helps you plan shoots, edit exports, and batch-produce content that passes every check.
Before any platform-specific validation kicks in, PinPost checks the file extension and MIME type of every file you upload. Only the following types are accepted:
Image Files
| Property | Accepted |
|---|---|
| Extensions | .jpg, .jpeg, .png |
| MIME types | image/jpeg, image/png |
Video Files
| Property | Accepted |
|---|---|
| Extensions | .mp4 |
| MIME types | video/mp4 |
Files with any other extension or type — including .gif, .webp, .mov, .avi, and .webm — will be rejected at the upload step. If your editor exports in a different format, convert to MP4 (for video) or JPG/PNG (for images) before uploading.
Facebook supports both image posts and video posts, including the dedicated Reels format. Video requirements differ depending on whether your content is published as a standard video or a Reel.
Image Posts
| Property | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Supported formats | JPEG / JPG, PNG |
| Animated GIFs | Not supported |
| Max file size | 10 MB |
Video Posts (Regular)
| Property | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Supported formats | MP4 |
| Max file size | 4 GB (4,096 MB) |
| Duration | 1 second – 241 minutes |
| Minimum resolution | 120 × 120 px |
| Aspect ratio range | 9:16 (portrait) to 16:9 (landscape) |
Facebook Reels
| Property | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Format | MP4 |
| Duration | 3 – 90 seconds |
| Aspect ratio | 9:16 (vertical, required) |
| Minimum resolution | 540 × 960 px |
| Frame rate | 24 – 60 FPS (recommended) |
Pro tip: If your video meets Reels requirements but not regular video requirements (or vice-versa), PinPost will warn you so you can decide how the content will be distributed. Keep your aspect ratio within the 9:16 to 16:9 window to avoid unexpected cropping or letterboxing across Facebook surfaces.
Instagram supports image posts (up to 10 photos in a carousel) and single-video posts (Reels). The platform is strict about aspect ratios and will reject uploads that fall outside the accepted range.
Image Posts
| Property | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Supported formats | JPEG / JPG, PNG |
| Max file size | 8 MB per image |
| Items per post | 1 – 10 photos (carousel) |
| Width range | 320 – 1,440 px |
| Aspect ratio range | 4:5 (portrait) to 1.91:1 (landscape) |
Images narrower than 320 px will be scaled up (with quality loss), and images wider than 1,440 px will be scaled down by Instagram.
Video Posts (Reels)
| Property | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Supported formats | MP4 |
| Max file size | 300 MB |
| Duration | 3 seconds – 15 minutes |
| Width range | 320 – 1,920 px |
| Aspect ratio range | Broadly accepted (see recommendation below) |
| Recommended aspect ratio | 9:16 (vertical) |
| Frame rate | 23 – 60 FPS (recommended) |
Pro tip: Instagram accepts a wide range of video aspect ratios, but 9:16 vertical is strongly recommended. Non- 9:16 videos may be cropped or displayed with blank space in the Reels feed, significantly reducing their visual impact.
TikTok supports both video posts and image carousel posts (up to 35 images). Video requirements are relatively flexible, but hitting the recommended specs ensures the best viewer experience.
Video Posts
| Property | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Recommended format | MP4 (other containers accepted) |
| Max file size | 500 MB |
| Duration | 3 seconds – 10 minutes |
| Min short-edge resolution | 540 px (recommended) |
| Aspect ratio range | 9:16 to 16:9 (recommended) |
| Frame rate | 24 – 60 FPS (recommended) |
| Videos per post | 1 |
Image Posts (Carousel)
| Property | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Supported formats | JPEG / JPG, PNG |
| Max file size | 20 MB per image |
| Max images per post | 35 |
| Max dimension | 1,080 × 1,080 px |
Pro tip: TikTok is lenient with video codecs and containers, but H.264 video in an MP4 container with AAC audio is the safest combination for maximum compatibility. If your editing software offers an "Export for Web" preset, it usually produces exactly this.
YouTube is the most generous platform when it comes to file size and duration limits. It is a video-only platform — each post contains exactly one video.
Video Posts
| Property | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Recommended format | MP4 (other containers accepted) |
| Max file size | 256 GB |
| Max duration | 12 hours |
| Frame rate | 24 – 60 FPS (recommended) |
| Videos per post | 1 |
YouTube processes and re-encodes every upload, so almost any modern video file will work. However, starting with an MP4 / H.264 source minimises processing artefacts and ensures your video goes live faster.
Bookmark this table for a side-by-side comparison you can reference every time you export from your editor.
Video Comparison
| Spec | TikTok | YouTube | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Format | MP4 | MP4 | MP4 (rec.) | MP4 (rec.) |
| Max size | 4 GB | 300 MB | 500 MB | 256 GB |
| Duration | 1 s – 241 min | 3 s – 15 min | 3 s – 10 min | Up to 12 h |
| Aspect ratio | 9:16 – 16:9 | Any (9:16 rec.) | 9:16 – 16:9 | Any |
| FPS | 24 – 60 | 23 – 60 | 24 – 60 | 24 – 60 |
| Reels ratio | 9:16 (strict) | 9:16 (rec.) | — | — |
Image Comparison
| Spec | TikTok | YouTube | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formats | JPEG, PNG | JPEG, PNG | JPEG, PNG | N/A |
| Max size | 10 MB | 8 MB | 20 MB | — |
| Max per post | Multiple | 10 | 35 | — |
| Aspect ratio | — | 4:5 – 1.91:1 | ≤ 1080 × 1080 | — |
In addition to each platform's own rules, PinPost enforces upload limits based on your subscription plan. These limits apply at upload time, before your media is sent to any social platform.
Files Per Upload
For video posts, every plan allows exactly 1 video file per post — this is a hard limit across all platforms. For image posts, you can upload up to 10 images per request on every plan (Free, Pro, and Enterprise). The actual maximum images per post may be further constrained by the target platform (e.g. Instagram caps at 10, TikTok at 35).
Per-File Size Limits
| Plan | Max Image Size | Max Video Size |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 5 MB | 25 MB |
| Pro | 10 MB | 500 MB |
| Enterprise | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Note that platform limits still apply on top of plan limits. For example, even on the Enterprise plan an Instagram image cannot exceed 8 MB, because that is Instagram's own cap.
Monthly Upload Volume
| Plan | Monthly Volume Limit |
|---|---|
| Free | 1 GB |
| Pro | 500 GB |
| Enterprise | Unlimited |
This is the total volume of media you can upload in a calendar month across all brands and posts. If you hit this limit, you'll need to wait until the next billing cycle or upgrade your plan.
- Export once, publish everywhere. If you produce a single video, aim for MP4 / H.264, 9:16 aspect ratio, under 300 MB, and 3 – 90 seconds. This "safe zone" satisfies Facebook Reels, Instagram Reels, and TikTok simultaneously.
- Keep images under 8 MB. That is the strictest limit (Instagram). JPEG at quality 80-85 usually stays well within this while looking great.
- Stick to 30 or 60 FPS. Both values sit inside the recommended range for every platform.
- Use 1080 × 1920 for vertical video. This resolution is supported everywhere and is large enough for sharp playback on modern phones without inflating file size.
- Always use H.264 + AAC. This codec combination is universally accepted and minimises re-encoding delays.
- Validate before publishing. PinPost checks every file against the target platform's rules before you hit publish, so you'll never waste time on a rejected upload.
Let PinPost Handle the Details
Remembering every spec for every platform is tedious. With PinPost, you upload your media once and the editor automatically validates it against each selected platform's requirements in real time. You get clear error messages if something is wrong and actionable warnings when your media could be optimised further — all before a single API call is made.
Focus on creating great content. Let PinPost worry about the specs.
Ready to streamline your social media?
Start scheduling your posts with PinPost today. Free forever for 1 brand.
Sign In→