Ad specs / YouTube
YouTube audio ad specs
YouTube audio ad specs: you give Google a link to a 16:9 YouTube video of up to 30 seconds, with no separate audio file. Up to 15 seconds it runs non-skippable, from 16 to 30 seconds skippable. Google lists resolutions from 426 × 240 to 3840 × 2160, a 128 GB limit, and recommends a still image or simple animation under the voice.
| What you upload | 'A link to your YouTube video (make sure to upload the video to YouTube)' (Google's audio ads page) |
|---|---|
| Length | 'Maximum: 30 seconds' (Google's audio ads page) |
| Serving | 'Creatives up to 15 seconds will be served as a non-skippable ad and creatives 16-30 seconds will be served as a skippable ad.' (Google's audio ads page) |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9; 'if 4:3, black bars are added on the sides of the image or animation' (Google's audio ads page) |
| Resolution | 426 × 240, 640 × 360, 854 × 480, 1280 × 720, 1920 × 1080, 2560 × 1440 or 3840 × 2160 (Google's audio ads page) |
| Maximum file size | 128 GB (Google's audio ads page) |
| File type | Not stated on Google's audio ads page, which takes a YouTube link. For video ads: .MPG (MPEG-2 or MPEG-4) recommended; .WMV, .AVI, .MOV, .FLV, .MPEG-1, .MP4, .MPEGPS, 3GPP, WebM, DNxHR, ProRes, CineForm and HEVC (H.265) also accepted; audio-only files (MP3, WAV, PCM) can't be used (Google's video ad specs page) |
| Picture | Google calls a still image or a simple animation 'the recommended visual component', and says to 'use assets with light animation or a static image with a call-to-action' (Google's audio ads page) |
| Script length | 'For a 30 second ad, aim for 60-80 words when using a voiceover in the ad.' (Google's audio ads page) |
| Loudness, sample rate, bitrate | Not stated: the sound travels inside the video (Google's audio ads page) |
| Where it runs | 'on audio surfaces and in listening-first states on both YouTube and YouTube Music' (Google's audio ads page) |
| Campaign setup | Brand awareness and reach goal, Video campaign type, Audio subtype, Target CPM bid (Google's audio ads page) |
| In the US | 'SiriusXM Media is the exclusive Audio ads representative for YouTube in the United States'; auction campaigns there stopped serving on November 5, 2026, and other countries keep auction access (Google's Display & Video 360 notice) |
Source: Google Ads Help — Create YouTube audio ads, as of . Each row names the Google page it quotes. Platforms revise specs without notice; check the source before you build a template on it.
Related reading
Check a file against this size in the free ad size checker. Terrads makes 15- and 30-second audio ads with an MP3, an image and 9:16, 1:1 and 16:9 videos of the spot.