Instagram and Facebook Reels ad specs (2026)

Instagram Reels ads vs Facebook Reels ads: sizes, length, files

Instagram and Facebook Reels ads share a 9:16 shape, a recommended resolution of 1440×2560 px, a 4 GB file limit and the same safe zone; they differ on length and file types. Each has its own page in Meta's Ads Guide, Instagram Reels ads and Facebook Reels ads. Neither page shows an update date; we checked both on 25 September 2026.

Instagram's page adds a minimum width: 250 px for ads under 30 seconds and 500 px for ads of 30 seconds or more. Where the two pages differ, Instagram is the stricter one, with a 15-minute cap and no GIF, so a file made to Instagram's spec runs on both: a 9:16 MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio at 128 kbps or more.

1440×2560 or 1080×1920?

Either works. Meta's spec pages recommend 1440×2560 px for both Reels placements, while many guides still give 1080×1920. Both are 9:16, and 1080 px is far above Instagram's 250–500 px minimum width, so Meta takes either without cropping. Choose by your source and by where the file goes next:

• Export 1440×2560 when your source is sharper than 1080p, such as 4K footage or high-resolution product photos, and the file won't also be posted as a YouTube Short.
• Export 1080×1920 when your source is 1080p anyway, since upscaling adds pixels, not detail, or when the file doubles as a YouTube Short (see the questions below).

The Reels safe zone: 14% top, 35% bottom, 6% sides

Both Reels spec pages ask advertisers to keep text, logos and other key elements out of the top 14%, the bottom 35% and 6% on each side of the frame (Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels). In pixels, that leaves this much room:

That's just over half the frame's height. On a 1080×1920 video, key elements belong between 269 px and 1,248 px from the top and between 65 px and 1,015 px from the left edge. What that means for a product ad:

• Captions: the classic subtitle position near the bottom edge sits inside the 35% zone. Place burned-in captions in the middle band, above 1,248 px on a 1080×1920 frame.
• Product and logo: keep them in the central box for the whole video, not just the opening shot.
• End card: the offer and the call-to-action text on the last frame follow the same rule.
• Preview before you publish: look at the ad in the Reels placement preview on a phone-sized screen, not only in your editor.

How long can organic Reels be?

On Instagram, a Reel's clips can add up to 20 minutes, but Reels over 3 minutes “won't be recommended to new audiences” (Instagram: Reels, no date shown). For Facebook we couldn't confirm the organic limit: Meta's Help Center pages didn't render for our check on 25 September 2026 and no other official page we read states it, so we don't quote a number.

• Organic Instagram Reel: clips add up to 20 minutes; over 3 minutes, not recommended to new audiences.
• Instagram Reels ad: 0 seconds to 15 minutes.
• Facebook Reels ad: no maximum limit.
• Organic Facebook Reel: not confirmed on an official page.

The 3-minute line comes from Instagram's page about organic Reels; the ad spec sets its own range. Keep a product video under 3 minutes and it can work as both a post and an ad, and a product ad rarely needs more than a fraction of that.

“Ads on Facebook Reels” is a separate 1:1 format

“Ads on Facebook Reels” is not a full-screen Reels ad. It's an overlay banner shown on Facebook Reels, with its own spec page and a square format (Meta Ads Guide: Facebook Reels overlay):

A 9:16 video doesn't fit it. If you want the placement, make a separate square cut of 4 to 15 seconds with the product centered. And if a search for “ads on Reels” brought you here, check which of the two formats you're buying before you export.

AI info labels on Reels ads

Meta requires advertisers to disclose AI-created or altered images, video or audio in ads about social issues, elections or politics (Meta Help Center, updated around June 2026). On other ads, Meta applies an “AI info” label when its own generative AI ad tools make a significant edit or add a photorealistic AI-generated person (Meta Newsroom, 3 February 2025).

• Minor edits need no label: Meta's examples are resizing and color correction (Meta Help Center).
• Where the label shows: in the “About this ad” menu, and sometimes next to “Sponsored” (Meta Help Center).
• Other AI tools: Meta says it detects industry signals such as C2PA metadata in content made elsewhere (Meta Newsroom).

So a product ad made with a third-party AI tool may or may not get a label from Meta. Don't leave it to detection: say in the ad's primary text that the video was made with AI. TikTok has its own disclosure rule for ads (see TikTok ad specs), and Do you have to label AI-generated video ads? covers YouTube, the FTC and the EU AI Act.

Reels-ready videos from a product link

ProductToReel makes 12–20-second 9:16 product videos at 1080×1920, as an H.264 MP4 with AAC audio, from a product link or photos, with AI voice-over, burned-in captions, music and a call-to-action end card. The file meets the first table's shape, size, length and format rows for both full-screen Reels placements, but not the safe-zone row yet: our captions sit lower, and the end card's call to action higher, than Meta's safe zone, so check both in the Reels preview before you publish. Every video carries C2PA Content Credentials marking it as AI-generated; don't rely on Meta to label from them, and say it in the ad text. Storyboards are free without sign-up. See the AI Reels generator.