Instagram Reel Size: Video Limits and Cover Ratios
For Instagram Reel size through the publishing API, Meta lists a maximum video width of 1920 pixels and a maximum file size of 300 MB. Its Reel cover guidance recommends a 9:16 ratio, with a central 1:1 crop for the feed. Keep the video export and cover image checks separate, and apply these limits to the API publishing route rather than assuming they describe every Instagram upload option.
Checked October 2026. Sources are listed at the end of the page.
Start by identifying what you need to size: the moving video, its cover image or the file you upload through a scheduling tool. These are separate checks. This guide covers Meta's published Reel API specifications and cover cropping guidance, with a workflow for preparing an asset and checking it before publishing. It does not treat a maximum width as a recommended export preset.
| Asset or setting | Specification | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Video width | Maximum 1920 columns of pixels | A width ceiling, not a complete width-by-height export size |
| Video container | MOV or MP4 | Check the exported file, not just the editing project |
| Video codec | H264 or HEVC | Check the codec separately from the container |
| Video frame rate | 23-60 fps | Keep the export within the API range |
| Video duration | 3 seconds minimum, 15 minutes maximum | Apply this to API publishing, not every upload route |
| Video file size | 300 MB maximum | Your publishing tool may have a separate upload limit |
| Reel cover | 9:16 recommended | Meta uses the middle-most 9:16 rectangle when cropping |
| Cover in the feed | Middle-most 1:1 crop | Preview the centre of the cover as well as the full image |
Instagram Reel Size: Video Limits and Cover Ratios
Choose the publishing route before exporting
Decide whether you will upload in Instagram or publish through a connected tool. Use the table for the API route. If a tool displays its own upload restriction, check that too. Do not assume meeting Meta's file limit also means a file will fit the upload window in your chosen tool.
Check the video export settings
In your video editor, inspect width, container, codec, frame rate and duration. For API publishing, use MOV or MP4 with H264 or HEVC, keep the width within 1920 pixels and use a frame rate within 23-60 fps. Open the exported file and review it rather than relying only on the project settings.
Prepare and preview the cover separately
Choose a cover image and preview both the recommended 9:16 shape and the central 1:1 feed crop. As a layout check, place the product and the words needed to understand the cover where both previews keep them visible. The free Instagram Reels Resizer helps prepare a photo or video still as a cover; use a video editor for the moving footage itself.
Review file size and the complete asset
Check the final video against the API's 300 MB maximum, then check the upload limit in the tool you will use. Watch the whole export and inspect the cover before sending it. If you revise the file, repeat the review on that revised export so you do not approve an earlier version by mistake.
Use Infinall AI when you also need to make the content
For a new animated asset, Infinall AI Motion lets you choose a brand, shape, length and quality, then describe the scenes in a prompt. When the card says Video ready, click Export MP4 to create the downloadable file. Check that export against your publishing requirements. Motion is available on Free and Pro; making the video uses credits, while exporting and downloading do not.
Instagram Reel size in pixels versus cover ratio
Meta's Reel API specification gives a maximum of 1920 columns of pixels for the video. That is not a complete canvas size, and it should not be read as an instruction to make every Reel that wide. The cover guidance is more specific about shape: it recommends 9:16 and describes a central 1:1 crop for the feed. Keep those cover rules labelled as cover rules rather than using them as proof of a video resolution requirement.
Choose a resizer for a cover, an editor for footage
If you already have a finished video and only need a cover, the free Instagram Reels Resizer is the more direct starting point than generating a new asset. It resizes a photo or video still into a Reel cover and previews the square feed crop. For changes to the footage itself, work in your video editor and inspect the resulting export. Infinall AI Motion fits a different job: creating animated text, logos and scenes from a prompt. It is not an in-place editing workflow for an existing motion video; a changed prompt makes a new video.
Do not confuse platform limits with Infinall upload limits
The Infinall Social Hub calendar upload window accepts files up to 25 MB each. That is a separate limit from Meta's 300 MB Reel API maximum, so a file that fits the platform specification can still be too large for that upload window. Both Free and Pro accounts can plan and schedule in the calendar. Automatic publishing needs a connected account, and connecting social accounts is a Pro feature; without a connected account, scheduled posts use reminders.
Frequently asked questions
What Instagram Reel size ratio should I use for a cover?
Meta recommends 9:16 for the Reel cover through its publishing API. Its guidance describes using the middle-most 9:16 rectangle and a middle-most 1:1 crop in the feed. Review both cover previews before approving the layout.
What is the Instagram Reel video file size limit?
Meta's Reel publishing API specification lists 300 MB. This is an API limit, not a promise that every app or scheduler accepts files that large. Infinall's calendar upload window has a separate 25 MB limit per uploaded file.
Does this Instagram Reel size guide cover every upload option in 2026?
No. The table covers the publishing API and its Reel cover guidance. If you upload directly in Instagram, check the requirements shown for that workflow rather than assuming an API duration or file limit applies there too.
Do I need Infinall AI to prepare a Reel?
No. Keep your existing video editor if you only need to adjust footage and export settings. Use the free cover resizer for a photo or still. Infinall AI Motion is useful when you also want to create a new animated video from your brand and a prompt.
Sources and checks
Every price, rating and number on this page comes from the source pages below, checked October 2026. Prices and plans change often, so confirm on the vendor's own page before you buy.
- Meta Instagram media reference: Reel video and cover specifications, checked October 2026
- Infinall Instagram Reels Resizer, checked October 2026
- Infinall platforms, file types and sizes, checked October 2026
- Infinall Motion: what it makes and who can use it, checked October 2026
- Infinall Motion creation controls, checked October 2026
- Infinall Motion export and download, checked October 2026
- Changing an Infinall motion video, checked October 2026
- Infinall calendar uploads, scheduling and connected accounts, checked October 2026