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Make three files for every ad
For almost every Meta campaign, export each ad in three sizes: 4:5 at 1440 x 1800 pixels for Facebook and Instagram Feed, 9:16 at 1440 x 2560 pixels for Stories and Reels, and 1:1 at 1080 x 1080 pixels for carousels. Those three cover the placements where most of your budget is spent.
Then keep the top 14%, bottom 35% and 6% on each side of every 9:16 file free of text, logos and faces. That is where Meta puts the profile name, caption and call to action. You can check your own files against these zones in our free Meta safe zone checker, and see how a finished ad will look in each placement with the Meta ads preview tool.
The rest of this guide gives the exact pixel sizes, file limits and text lengths from Meta's Ads Guide, placement by placement, plus the export settings we use so files upload cleanly the first time.
Image ad sizes by placement
Meta's recommended image sizes are larger than many older guides still say. 1440 pixels wide is now the recommendation for Feed, Stories and Reels. Larger files at the same ratio are fine.
| Placement | Ratio | Recommended size | Minimum | Max file |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Facebook Feed | 4:5 | 1440 x 1800 px | 600 px wide | 30 MB |
| Instagram Feed | 4:5 | 1440 x 1800 px | 500 px wide | 30 MB |
| Instagram Stories | 9:16 | 1440 x 2560 px | 500 px wide | 30 MB |
| Carousel (Facebook Feed) | 1:1 | 1080 x 1080 px or larger | 1080 x 1080 px | 30 MB |
Use JPG or PNG. Meta allows a small tolerance on ratios (1% on Instagram, 3% on Facebook Feed), so a file that is a few pixels out will still upload, but anything further gets cropped. Export at the exact size rather than relying on the crop.
Instagram Feed accepts ratios from 1.91:1 landscape to 4:5 portrait. Portrait 4:5 takes up more of the phone screen than square or landscape, which is why we use it as the default Feed size for both apps.
Video ad sizes and lengths
Video follows the same ratios as images. Upload MP4 or MOV.
| Placement | Ratio | Recommended size | Length | Max file |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Facebook Feed | 4:5 | 1440 x 1800 px | 1 second to 241 minutes | 4 GB |
| Instagram Feed | 9:16 listed, 4:5 works | 1080 x 1920 px | 1 second to 60 minutes | 4 GB |
| Facebook Stories | 9:16 | 1440 x 2560 px | 1 second to 3 minutes | 4 GB |
| Instagram Reels | 9:16 | 1440 x 2560 px | Up to 15 minutes | 4 GB |
The maximum lengths are technical limits, not targets. Facebook Stories splits anything over 15 seconds into separate cards, and most viewers decide in the first two or three seconds whether to keep watching. We cut most Stories and Reels ads to 15 to 30 seconds, with the product and the reason to care inside the first three seconds.
Captions and sound are optional in the spec, and we treat both as required. A lot of Feed viewing happens with the sound off, and Reels viewing with it on, so the same ad needs to work both ways.
Carousel ad specs
A carousel shows two to ten cards that people swipe through, each with its own image or video, headline and link.
- Ratio: 1:1, at least 1080 x 1080 pixels.
- Cards: 2 to 10.
- Files: JPG or PNG up to 30 MB, or MP4, MOV or GIF up to 4 GB and 240 minutes.
- Text: primary text around 80 characters, headline 20 characters and description 18 characters per card before they start to truncate.
- Link: a landing page URL is required.
Carousels work best when every card earns its swipe: one product per card for a range, or one step per card for a process. Put the strongest card first, because many people never swipe. If you are deciding how many variations to make, our guide to how many ad creatives to test covers how to size a test to your budget.
Safe zones for Stories and Reels
On 9:16 placements Meta overlays the account name at the top and the caption, buttons and call to action at the bottom. Anything you put there can be covered.
Meta's Instagram Stories and Reels specs say to keep 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% of each side free of text, logos and key creative. On a 1440 x 2560 file that is about 360 pixels at the top, 896 pixels at the bottom and 86 pixels on each side. On 1080 x 1920 it is about 270, 672 and 65 pixels.
The Facebook Stories video spec still lists a smaller bottom zone of 20%. Because the same file usually runs in both apps, we design every vertical file to the stricter 14/35/6 zones. Your headline and offer then sit in the middle of the frame, which is where people look anyway.
Feed placements have no official safe zone, but the bottom of a Feed video can be covered by captions and the progress bar. We keep text slightly in from the edges there too.
Drop your file into our safe zone checker to see exactly what gets covered, and download templates at the right size.
Text lengths that show without truncating
Meta lets you write long primary text, but the Feed shows only the first lines before "See more". These are the lengths Meta recommends:
| Placement | Primary text | Headline |
|---|---|---|
| Facebook Feed | 50 to 150 characters | 27 characters |
| Instagram Feed | 125 characters | 40 characters |
| Facebook Stories | 125 characters | 40 characters |
| Instagram Stories | 125 characters | Not listed |
| Instagram Reels | 44 characters | Not shown |
| Carousel cards | 80 characters | 20 characters per card |
Write the first line as if it is the only line. Put the offer, the product or the problem it solves there, and use the rest for detail. On Reels, where only about 44 characters show, the words on the video itself do most of the work.
On Awareness campaigns and some reach goals, Facebook Feed on mobile doesn't show the headline, description or button at all. Don't rely on the headline alone to carry the offer.
Export settings that upload cleanly
Most upload problems come from export settings rather than size. For video we export:
- Codec: H.264, in an MP4 or MOV container.
- Frame rate: fixed, not variable. Phone footage is often variable, so re-export it.
- Scan and pixels: progressive scan and square pixels.
- Audio: stereo AAC at 128 kbps or higher.
- Container: no edit lists or special boxes. A straight export from Premiere, Final Cut, CapCut or DaVinci Resolve is fine; files straight out of some screen recorders are not.
For images, export sRGB JPG at high quality for photos, and PNG for graphics with sharp text. Keep files well under the 30 MB limit so they load quickly.
In Ads Manager, upload the 4:5 file first, then use the placement customisation option to swap in your 9:16 file for Stories and Reels. Check each placement in the preview before you publish. Our creative testing pipeline shows how we organise these files so every new concept ships in all three sizes.
Questions we get about Meta ad sizes
What is the best size for a Meta ad in 2026?
4:5 at 1440 x 1800 pixels for Facebook and Instagram Feed, and 9:16 at 1440 x 2560 pixels for Stories and Reels. Add a 1:1 version at 1080 x 1080 if you run carousels.
Is 1080 x 1920 still OK for Reels and Stories?
Yes. Meta now recommends 1440 x 2560, but 1080 x 1920 is the same 9:16 ratio and uploads and displays well. Use the larger size when your source footage supports it.
Can I use one square image for every placement?
You can, but Meta will add space around it in Stories and Reels and it takes up less of the screen in Feed than 4:5. Making a 4:5 and a 9:16 version usually costs a few minutes and gives each placement a full-screen ad.
What are the Meta safe zones for Reels?
Keep the top 14%, the bottom 35% and 6% on each side free of text, logos and faces. On a 1080 x 1920 file that is about 270 pixels at the top, 672 at the bottom and 65 on each side.
What is the maximum file size for Meta ads?
30 MB for images and 4 GB for video.
Sources
- Meta Ads Guide: Facebook Feed image specs
- Meta Ads Guide: Instagram Feed image specs
- Meta Ads Guide: Instagram Stories image specs
- Meta Ads Guide: Facebook Feed video specs
- Meta Ads Guide: Facebook Stories video specs
- Meta Ads Guide: Instagram Reels video specs
- Meta Ads Guide: Instagram Feed video specs
- Meta Ads Guide: Carousel specs