Key takeaways
- Instagram Reels can be up to 20 minutes long, recorded as one clip or several.
- Only reels of 3 minutes or less are recommended to people who don't already follow you.
- TikTok Studio takes uploads of up to 30 minutes and under 10 GB. TikTok has changed its limits before, so check the app before planning a long video.
- YouTube Shorts stop at 3 minutes too, so a vertical video of 3 minutes or less fits Shorts and keeps its Reels reach.
- At 150 spoken words a minute, a 60-second video needs about 150 words of script.
How long can TikTok videos be?
Up to 30 minutes, if you upload on a computer. TikTok's Help Center page on creator tools lists what TikTok Studio, its upload tool on the web, accepts: videos "up to 30 minutes in length", in MP4 or WebM format, at 720 × 1280 resolution or higher, and under 10 GB.
In the app, you choose a maximum length before you record. TikTok has raised its limits more than once over the years, so a number repeated in an old article or video can be out of date by the time you read it. For a long video, check what the app offers when you start a post.
The more useful question is how long your video should be, and that doesn't depend on TikTok's ceiling. A short-form feed shows one video at a time and the viewer decides with a thumb whether to stay, so an idea that earns every second at 40 seconds usually beats the same idea stretched to fill a limit.
If you edit somewhere else and upload the finished file, check what the upload screen accepts before you export, not after. Writing to length is easier than cutting a finished edit to fit.
Planning one video for several apps? Write it to the strictest rule you care about. For Instagram that is the 3-minute limit on recommendations; for YouTube Shorts it is the 3-minute maximum.
How long can Instagram Reels be?
Instagram Reels can be up to 20 minutes long. Instagram's help page on recording a reel says "You can record and edit videos up to 20 minutes with Instagram Reels", as one clip or several clips that add up to that total.
The limit that matters for growth is much shorter. The same page says "Reels over 3 minutes won't be recommended to new audiences", and Instagram's creator FAQ puts it the other way round: "We recommend videos to unconnected audiences that are 3 minutes or less." A longer reel can still be posted and watched; it just won't be suggested to people who haven't found you yet.
That limit used to be tighter. When Instagram's creators blog announced longer reels in January 2025, it explained that only reels of 90 seconds or less had been eligible to be recommended, and that "now reels up to 3 minutes will be eligible to be seen by non-followers in places like the Reels tab and Explore." Advice that says to keep reels under 90 seconds dates from before that change.
| Rule | Length |
|---|---|
| Longest reel you can record and edit | 20 minutes |
| Longest reel recommended to new audiences | 3 minutes |
| The recommendation limit before January 2025 | 90 seconds |
Aspect ratio and size for vertical video
Make the video 9:16 at 1080 × 1920 pixels. That fills a phone screen, it is the tallest shape Instagram accepts and the vertical frame of a YouTube Short, and it gives you one master file to post everywhere. Instagram's reel size page says "You can upload a reel with an aspect ratio between 1.91:1 and 9:16", and asks for at least 30 frames per second and a minimum resolution of 720 pixels.
There is no gain in going bigger. YouTube takes Shorts at up to 1080p, and 1080 × 1920 is well clear of Instagram's 720-pixel minimum, so one file satisfies both. If you are reframing footage from another shape, the aspect ratio calculator gives the exact 9:16 size for any width. For TikTok's current upload specs, check its upload screen or Help Center.
| Setting | Instagram Reels | YouTube Shorts |
|---|---|---|
| Aspect ratio | 1.91:1 to 9:16; 9:16 fills the screen | Vertical, 9:16 |
| Resolution | At least 720 pixels | Up to 1080p |
| Longest video | 20 minutes | 3 minutes |
| Cover or thumbnail | 420 × 654 pixels (1:1.55) | 2160 × 3840 pixels, verified channels only |
Keep text and faces in the middle of the frame. Vertical feeds lay buttons, captions and the account name over the edges of a video, so anything pressed against the bottom or the right-hand side is likely to be covered on someone's phone.
TikTok and Reels compared with YouTube Shorts
YouTube Shorts can be up to 3 minutes. YouTube's help page on creating Shorts describes "short-form videos that are up to 3 minutes long", and a vertical upload of that length or less is published as a Short. So 3 minutes is the number to remember for vertical video: it is the Shorts maximum and Instagram's recommendation limit.
| Where it's posted | Longest video | What to plan for |
|---|---|---|
| Instagram Reels | 20 minutes | 3 minutes or less, to be recommended to new audiences |
| YouTube Shorts | 3 minutes | 3 minutes or less, or it isn't a Short |
| TikTok | 30 minutes, uploaded in TikTok Studio | Check the app for the lengths it lets you record |
| A VidMyth Short | 60 seconds | A script of up to 1,000 characters, about 150 words |
How long YouTube Shorts can be covers the Shorts rules in full: size, thumbnails, titles and how to upload one.
How long should a TikTok or Reel be?
As long as the idea needs and no longer, which for most ideas is well under a minute. There is no magic length. What holds on every vertical feed is that a viewer decides in the first seconds whether to stay, and again at every beat after that, so each line has to earn the next.
Control the length through the script. At 150 words a minute, 15 seconds is about 38 words, 30 seconds about 75 and a minute about 150. Paste a draft into the script timer to see how long it runs before you record or render anything, and see how many words per minute for longer formats.
| Video length | Words, at 150 a minute | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| 15 seconds | 38 | One fact, one punchline, one before-and-after |
| 30 seconds | 75 | A single tip or one surprising idea |
| 60 seconds | 150 | A short story or a two-step how-to |
| 90 seconds | 225 | A tutorial with three or four steps |
| 3 minutes | 450 | The most a Short holds, and Instagram's recommendation limit |
Open on the line that makes people stay: the result, the surprise or the question. Cut the introduction and any sentence that repeats the one before it. Viewers in a vertical feed came for the payoff, not for a hello.
Posting one video to TikTok, Reels and Shorts
You can post the same video to all three; upload the original file each time. Export one clean 9:16 master with no app's watermark burned into it, and post that master everywhere instead of a copy saved from another app. Instagram's tips for improving your reach say it is less likely to recommend "content with noticeable watermarks", and also "less likely to recommend reposts of a reel that's already on Instagram."
- Keep it to 3 minutes or less, so it counts as a Short on YouTube and stays eligible for recommendations on Instagram.
- Burn the captions into the video, so it still works for people watching with the sound off.
- Write a caption and hashtags for each app instead of pasting one block everywhere. The caption and hashtag generator writes them for Instagram and TikTok.
- Pick each cover when you post. Instagram recommends a 420 × 654 pixel cover for a reel; a custom Shorts thumbnail is set in YouTube Studio on a computer.
Making TikToks and Reels from a script
If you would rather write than film, VidMyth turns a script into a finished vertical video. Paste up to 1,000 characters, pick a look, and 6 AI agents (the Director, Writer, Artist, Voice, Editor and Composer) plan the scenes, draw them, narrate, caption, score and cut a 9:16 video of up to 60 seconds. That is inside YouTube's Shorts limit and Instagram's recommendation limit.
- AI TikTok video generator: one script, cut as a vertical video for TikTok.
- AI Instagram Reels generator: the same video, captioned for a muted first watch.
- Stick figure animation and whiteboard animation: two looks that read well on a phone screen.
Questions
How long can TikTok videos be?
Up to 30 minutes when you upload through TikTok Studio on a computer, according to TikTok's Help Center: MP4 or WebM, under 10 GB. In the app, you pick the length before you record. Whatever the ceiling, most videos that hold a feed are far shorter.
How long can Instagram Reels be?
Up to 20 minutes, recorded and edited as one clip or several. Reels over 3 minutes won't be recommended to new audiences, so 3 minutes is the practical limit if you want reach.
Why isn't my reel being shown to non-followers?
If it runs over 3 minutes, that alone keeps it out of recommendations. Instagram also says it is less likely to recommend content with noticeable watermarks, or reposts of a reel that's already on Instagram.
What aspect ratio should an Instagram Reel be?
9:16, at 1080 × 1920 pixels, fills the screen. Instagram accepts reels between 1.91:1 and 9:16, at a minimum resolution of 720 pixels and at least 30 frames per second.
Can I post the same video on TikTok, Reels and YouTube Shorts?
Yes. Export one clean 9:16 master without a watermark and upload it to each app. Keep it to 3 minutes or less, so it counts as a YouTube Short and stays eligible for Reels recommendations.
How many words is a 60-second TikTok?
About 150 words at a natural pace of 150 words a minute, and a 30-second video about 75. The script timer shows how long any draft will run.
How long can a vertical video made with VidMyth be?
Up to 60 seconds in 9:16, from a script of up to 1,000 characters (about 150 words). Long-form videos are 16:9 and up to 10 minutes.