The Perfect Instagram Video Length (Plus Tips for Sizing Done Right)

Okay, okay, maybe the “perfect” Instagram video length is subjective. But there are minimum and maximum video lengths for anything you post on Instagram, along with a variety of different video formats. 

Lucky for you, dear content creator, there’s no need to trouble yourself searching for these icky sizing constraints and confusing format requirements—we’ve done it all for you and compiled them below (with only partial sanity loss).

Read on to find the correct Instagram video lengths and recommended sizes for:

1. Instagram feed videos / IGTV
2. Instagram Story videos
3. Instagram Live videos
4. Instagram reel videos
5. Instagram video ad

How long can Instagram videos be?

In a perfect world, the length of an Instagram video would be a one-size-fits-all medium. ‘Tis not a perfect world, though, so…they’re not. But that’s okay! There is so much opportunity when it comes to making engaging Instagram videos.

Consider a couple of fast facts:

• 91% of Instagram users watch videos weekly.
• Instagram users visit over 200 million business accounts per day.
• Over half of Instagram’s users say they’re more interested in a brand after seeing its Story.

So if you’re ready to dive into video marketing for the first time or are just looking for a refresher, here’s a quick rundown on Instagram video lengths:

Now read on for the full spiel regarding video length, recommended resolution and aspect ratio, plus a few design tips for the above Instagram video types. 

Instagram feed videos / IGTV

You can find all of the feed / Instagram videos for an account on its profile page / Image: @oreo

Quick specs:

• Video length: Preview up to 60 seconds (15 if eligible for ads); full videos up to 60 minutes

• Resolution: 1080 x 1350 pixels (px

• Aspect ratio: 9:16

Instagram feed videos are ones that you throw on your Insta feed—in square, portrait, or landscape formats—and subsequently stop the scroll (because they’re so amazing, obviously).

The Instagram video length varies for these, because they can be longer than 60 seconds but scrollers will have to tap into the video to see the rest (note that if your video is eligible for ads, the preview time is considerably shorter—15 seconds).

You might’ve heard—IGTV is no more. Instead, it’s been combined with feed videos and lives under a video tab on your profile to make content creation easier. 

If you’d like to trim down your video to be under 60 seconds, you can easily do so with WeVideo’s Trim feature.

Just upload your video, then drag the playhead to where you want it. Click the scissor icon to splice your clip, then delete the footage you don’t need. Boom!

Of course, if you reallllly want to flaunt a longer-than-sixty-second feed video and skirt around the traditional Instagram video post length, there is a solution. Meet: the Instagram carousel post. The Instagram Gods allow you to post up to 10 images or videos in a carousel post. That’s 6 minutes worth of video time, if you want.

Netflix frequently uses carousel posts to spur engagement. 

More importantly, Instagram carousels are major story tellers. Split your video into 2…5…or 10 slides and use it as a way to engage your audience, promote a product line, share a process, etc.

Prep your carousel post in WeVideo the same way you’d trim a video. Just upload your video, customize, and split however many ways you want. Download each individual video file as an MP4, then upload to Instagram. Note that whatever video you select first will be the benchmark for resolution and aspect ratio—each additional clip will crop to the same dimensions (if needed). 

Instagram Story videos

Instagram Stories are a great place to inform, educate, and inspire, like Sprouts does with its “Cooking with Sprouts” content.

Quick specs:

• Video length: Up to 15 seconds

• Resolution: 1080 x 1920 px

• Aspect ratio: 9:16

Whereas Instagram feed videos often require a bit of finesse and planning, Instagram Stories can be spur of the moment, affording a sneak peek into what you’re doing in your day-to-day.

Think of them as real-time marketing opportunities. Who doesn’t like a brand or business that’s down-to-earth, friendly, and transparent?

The caveat, of course, is that Instagram Story video length maxes out at 15 seconds. That’s not a lot of real estate. So get out your proverbial scissors and trim what you don’t need. That 47 second video of yours? Maybe it would be more effective to split into three—or four—clips.

Pro tip: When shooting an Instagram Story on your phone, keep it vertical to maintain the 9:16 aspect ratio. If you ever need to adjust your video’s aspect ratio, you can quickly do so in the WeVideo editor.

Instagram Live videos

Open the Instagram app, then click the + icon on the top to start an Instagram Live video.

Quick specs:

• Video length: Up to 4 hours

• Resolution: 1080 x 1920 px

• Aspect ratio: 9:16

Let’s do it live! That video length isn’t a joke—you can live stream for up to 4 hours, or submit a pre-recorded video.

It gets better: Instagram Live Rooms launched in March 2021, which allows you to have up to three people (and yourself) on a single Instagram Live video. 

Yeah…get that next thought-provoking conversation ready, and tell your followers all about it. That’s another beauty of Instagram Live—it affords you opportunities to post in other video formats on the Gram. After all, you want to get the word out, right?

Your Instagram Live video might be in the moment, but why not create anticipation via an Instagram Story…or two…or a week’s worth? That way your followers are ready to watch when it comes time to stream. 

Instagram reel videos

Click the Play button on the bottom bar of your Instagram app to access Instagram Reels / Image: Florian Olbrechts

Quick specs:

• Video length: Up to 30 seconds

• Resolution: 1080 x 1920 px

• Aspect ratio: 9:16

Reels are all the rage. They’re shorter than posts, but longer than Stories. Still a pretty tight space to work in. Instagram offers its own in-app editor for reels, but you can also use our Instagram video editor to make something that pops.

How you share a reel depends on your account. Public accounts can share to their feeds and a dedicated section under the Explore tab. Private accounts are limited to feeds only. 

Instagram video ads

Quick specs:

• Video length: Up to 2 minutes (feed and Stories)

• Resolution: 1080 x 1080 px (feed); 1080 x 1920 px (Story)

• Aspect ratio: 4:5 (feed); 9:16 (Story)

With ads, you have options: single image, carousel, and Story. Each one comes with its own resolutions/aspect ratios, but the video length stays the same.

2 minutes. That’s what ya got. Make it count. How? Ads that speak to your brand, product, event, etc. and turn heads. 

Instagram ads are an especially powerful resource for small businesses. Even better—as of March 3, 2022, WeVideo Professional and Business subscribers can post video content directly to their Instagram Business accounts without ever leaving the editor.

Boost your Instagram video ad designs with text, overlays, nifty transitions, and music. Then share right to Insta. It’s that easy.

Lasting Instagram video length tips

1. Use hashtags to your advantage

Use Instagram’s search feature to see what hashtags are associated with a topic.

And beyond that—optimize them. Hone in on hashtags that relate to your topic. Lots of Instagram users follow specific hashtags, so using them is a great way to connect with new followers and get your content discovered.

2. Try out different Instagram video formats

Social formats are an endless grab bag of “this size” and “that size.” If you’ve made it this far, then you know Instagram is no different. Don’t be afraid to varietize your offerings. Running Instagram ads concurrent with engaging video posts or little bite-sized Stories is totally warranted.  

3. Use text as a complement

In our Halloween-themed post, a simple caption complements the video.

Some Instagrammers scroll with their sound off, which makes text an important component of any video design. That said, keep things concise, informative, and intentional. A one-liner that introduces your content or reinforces your points? Sure thing. A paragraph of 10 pt text? Probably not the best idea.

4. Test to find what works best

How did that Instagram Story of yours do? How about your last Instagram ad campaign? If you have an Instagram Business account, there are several tools available to you in order to track engagement metrics and iterate as needed. Don’t fret if something doesn’t do well. Try something new, compare, and go from there. 

5. Need a hand? Start with a video template

If you’re just dipping your toes into the video marketing pool, why not call in a favor from one of WeVideo’s video templates? They’re easy to use and entirely customizable.

No matter what you decide, we wish you well in creating your next great Instagram video. Abide by the correct sizes and Instagram video lengths, market to your audience, and make something that is reflective of your brand. We can’t wait to see what you create.