Instagram Reels ads are 1440 × 2560, not 1080 × 1920
Meta's ads guide sets Instagram Reels ads at 9:16 and 1440 × 2560, up to 15 minutes, with 44 characters of text. Where 1080 × 1920 comes from.
- Hristijan Jankulovski
- Updated October 28, 2026
- 8 min read
An Instagram Reels ad is 9:16 at 1440 × 2560 pixels, for image and video alike. Video runs from 0 seconds to 15 minutes and up to 4 GB; an image can be up to 30 MB. Keep roughly the top 14%, the bottom 35% and 6% of each side free of text and logos, and write primary text to 44 characters.
Those figures are from the Reels pages of Meta's ads guide. Our Reels video and Reels image spec pages draw the safe zone on the frame.
What size is an Instagram Reels ad?
| Spec | Image | Video |
|---|---|---|
| File type | JPG or PNG | MP4 or MOV |
| Aspect ratio | 9:16 | 9:16 |
| Resolution | 1440 × 2560 | 1440 × 2560 |
| Minimum width | 500 px | 250 px under 30 seconds; 500 px at 30 seconds or longer |
| Length | — | 0 seconds to 15 minutes |
| Maximum file size | 30 MB | 4 GB |
| Primary text | 44 characters | 44 characters |
| Aspect ratio tolerance | 1% | not stated |
The video page adds "H.264 compression, square pixels, fixed frame rate, progressive scan and stereo AAC audio compression at 128kbps+", and lists captions as "Optional, but recommended" and sound as "Optional, but strongly recommended". The 1% tolerance appears on the image page only.
Three of these numbers are easy to get wrong.
The resolution is 1440 × 2560. It is the same 9:16 shape as 1080 × 1920, a third wider and a third taller: 3.7 megapixels against 2.1. A master at 1080 × 1920 carries 56% of the pixels the guide recommends.
The minimum width for video depends on length. 250 px under thirty seconds, 500 px at thirty seconds and over. If you cut short and long versions from one timeline at a low resolution, the short ones can pass and the long ones fail.
Primary text is 44 characters. The Instagram Stories page recommends 125 for the same 9:16 frame. Meta sets the figure per placement, and Reels gets the tightest.
A carousel in Reels has its own page: 2 to 10 cards at 9:16, images up to 30 MB, and a resolution of "At least 1080 x 1080 pixels".
To check a finished file against all of this, drop it into the free ad size checker. It shows which placements the file fits and whether it reaches the recommended size.
Why do some Meta pages say 1080 × 1920?
Meta's help article Design requirements for Instagram Stories ads lists:
Recommended resolution: 1080 x 1920
Minimum: 600 x 1067
The ads guide's Instagram Stories pages, for image and video, say "Resolution: 1440 x 2560 pixels", with a minimum width of 500 px for images and 250 px for video. Several carousel pages use 1080 × 1920 as a floor: the Instagram Stories, Facebook Stories and Facebook Reels carousel pages ask for "At least 1080 x 1920 pixels". The Instagram Reels image and video pages say 1440 × 2560.
Both sizes are 9:16, so either uploads without cropping. Where the two pages disagree, the ads guide is the one organized by placement, and the one the Reels help article sends you to "for a complete list of design and text recommendations, and technical requirements". Master at 1440 × 2560 and you meet both.
Where is the safe zone on a Reels ad?
The Reels image page says:
Consider leaving roughly 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom, and 6% on each side of your asset free from text, logos, or other key creative elements to avoid cropping key elements or covering them with the profile icon or call-to-action.
The video page asks for "at least 14%" rather than "roughly", and gives one more reason: elements "placed too close to the edges of devices with screens taller than a 9:16 aspect ratio."
Meta's help article on text overlays and the safe zone explains what happens on those screens: "we may either zoom the creative to better fill the whole screen (which can crop areas outside the safe zone), or show the creative in its original 9:16 aspect ratio and use a black background to fill any extra space." Its diagram adds a block in the bottom-right corner, 21% of the width and 40% of the height. And one line covers legal copy: "If you're including disclaimers on your Reels ads, you should leave the bottom 40% of your ad free from text, logos and other key creative elements."
In pixels:
| Canvas | Top 14% | Bottom 35% | Each side 6% | Corner block (21% × 40%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1440 × 2560 | 358 px | 896 px | 86 px | 302 × 1024 px |
| 1080 × 1920 | 269 px | 672 px | 65 px | 227 × 768 px |
The percentages hold at any 9:16 size; the pixels don't carry over, which is why Meta states safe zones as percentages. The free safe zone checker draws these areas over your own image or video frame.
What can't a Reels ad contain?
The Reels video page lists what "Reels ads should not contain":
- Reels published before October 15, 2021
- Licensed music (Meta points to original audio or the royalty-free tracks in its Sound Collection instead)
- Media that has a face or camera effect
- Media with a GIF
- Media with product tags
- Videos that contain edit lists or special boxes in file containers
The help article Create Instagram Reels ads in Meta Ads Manager repeats the music, date, effects, GIF and product-tag rules, and recommends that the video "includes music or sound to better fit the Reels placement."
How long can an Instagram Reels ad be?
Fifteen minutes. The guide's technical requirements say "Video Duration: 0 seconds to 15 minutes", and the description on the same page says "Similar to organic Reels, ads can be up to 15 minutes." The Ads Manager help article agrees: "Your video creative can be up to 15 minutes and should be in the fullscreen, vertical format." That is a ceiling. For what Meta recommends on length and sound, see Meta's video ad best practices.
Are ads on Facebook Reels the same thing?
No. A Reels ad plays full screen between reels. "Ads on Reels" on Facebook is a separate placement: "Facebook overlay ads appear as banners on a creator's reels." Meta's About ads on Reels page also says "Starting in November 2025, post-loop ads on Reels will no longer be available. You can still deliver to Ads on Reels placement using the reels overlay ads." Further down, the same page still tells you to select "overlay and post-loop ads on Reels" when choosing placements manually. The Reels ads glossary entry sorts out the other placements with Reels in the name.
A Reels export that meets every figure
- Export 9:16 at 1440 × 2560, H.264 with stereo AAC at 128 kbps or more, under 4 GB.
- Keep text and logos inside the middle 51% of the height and 88% of the width, and out of the bottom-right corner block. With a disclaimer, keep the bottom 40% clear.
- Use original or royalty-free audio, and add captions.
- Write primary text to 44 characters.
Sources
- Meta Ads Guide: video ad specs on Instagram Reels — Meta (accessed October 28, 2026)
- Meta Ads Guide: image ad specs on Instagram Reels — Meta (accessed October 28, 2026)
- Meta Ads Guide: carousel ad specs on Instagram Reels — Meta (accessed October 28, 2026)
- Meta Ads Guide: image ad specs on Instagram Stories — Meta (accessed October 28, 2026)
- Meta Ads Guide: video ad specs on Instagram Stories — Meta (accessed October 28, 2026)
- Meta Ads Guide: carousel ad specs on Instagram Stories — Meta (accessed October 28, 2026)
- Meta Ads Guide: carousel ad specs on Facebook Stories — Meta (accessed October 28, 2026)
- Meta Ads Guide: carousel ad specs on Facebook Reels — Meta (accessed October 28, 2026)
- Design requirements for Instagram Stories ads — Meta Business Help Center (accessed October 28, 2026)
- About text overlays and the safe zone for ads on Facebook and Instagram — Meta Business Help Center (accessed October 28, 2026)
- Create Instagram Reels ads in Meta Ads Manager — Meta Business Help Center (accessed October 28, 2026)
- About ads on Reels — Meta Business Help Center (accessed October 28, 2026)
Meta revises these pages without notice, so check the placement page before building an export preset around any of these numbers.
Terrads makes 9:16 video ads with captions on screen and a preview of what the Reels buttons cover.