Facebook Video Format, Size, and Specs: Complete 2026 Guide

Facebook accepts a wide range of video formats, but uploading outside the recommended specs results in compression artifacts, black bars, or slow processing times. This guide covers every placement — Feed, Stories, Reels, Live, and Ads — so you know exactly what to export.

Quick Reference: Facebook Video Specs 2026

| Placement | Aspect Ratio | Resolution | Max Size | Max Length | |-----------|-------------|------------|----------|------------| | Feed (landscape) | 16:9 | 1280×720 | 10 GB | 240 min | | Feed (square) | 1:1 | 1080×1080 | 10 GB | 240 min | | Feed (portrait) | 4:5 | 1080×1350 | 10 GB | 240 min | | Stories | 9:16 | 1080×1920 | 4 GB | 60 sec | | Reels | 9:16 | 1080×1920 | 4 GB | 90 sec | | In-Stream Ads | 16:9 | 1280×720 | 4 GB | 5–15 sec | | Live | 16:9 | Up to 1080p | — | 8 hours |

Recommended Format and Codec

Facebook's official recommendations:

Container: MP4 (preferred) or MOV

Video codec: H.264

Audio codec: AAC, 128 kbps stereo or mono

Frame rate: 30 fps (24–60 fps accepted)

Bitrate: No strict requirement; H.264 at 5–8 Mbps for 1080p is typical

Avoid: AVI, WMV, FLV, and older container formats. While Facebook says it accepts them, upload failures and compression issues are common with non-MP4 files.

Facebook Feed Videos

Feed videos appear in the main News Feed and on your Page or profile. Facebook recommends:

Aspect ratio: 4:5 (portrait) for mobile-first content, 1:1 (square) as a universal option, 16:9 (landscape) for cinematic or desktop-optimized content

Resolution: Minimum 1280×720 for landscape; 1080×1350 for 4:5 portrait; 1080×1080 for square

File size: Up to 10 GB (practical max: keep under 4 GB for faster upload)

Length: Up to 240 minutes; optimal engagement is under 3 minutes

Frame safe zone: Facebook crops the thumbnail and preview area differently on mobile vs. desktop. Keep important text and subjects within the center 80% of the frame.

Facebook Stories

Stories disappear after 24 hours and play full-screen on mobile:

Aspect ratio: 9:16 (vertical, full screen)

Resolution: 1080×1920 (1080p vertical)

File size: 4 GB maximum

Maximum length: 60 seconds (longer videos are split into 15-second segments automatically)

Safe zone: Keep text and logos between 250px from the top and 500px from the bottom (Facebook's UI elements appear at the top and bottom)

Facebook Reels

Reels are Facebook's short-form vertical video format, competing directly with TikTok and Instagram Reels:

Aspect ratio: 9:16

Resolution: 1080×1920 recommended; minimum 540×960

Maximum length: 90 seconds

File size: 4 GB

Frame rate: 24–60 fps

Reels get significantly more algorithmic reach than regular Feed posts in 2024–2025. Prioritize Reels for content you want to grow organically.

Facebook In-Stream Ads

If you run video ads inside other people's content:

Duration: 5 to 15 seconds (some placements allow up to 10 minutes)

Aspect ratio: 16:9 landscape recommended

Resolution: 1280×720 minimum

No silent autoplay issue: Facebook autoplay is muted, so design your first 3 seconds to work without sound

Facebook Live

Live streams have different requirements since they use RTMP streaming protocols:

Resolution: Up to 1080p (720p is more stable on slower connections)

Frame rate: 30 fps recommended; 60 fps supported

Bitrate: 4,000 kbps for 1080p; 2,500 kbps for 720p

Duration: Up to 8 hours

Encoding: H.264 video, AAC audio

After the stream ends, the recording saves to your Page as a regular video with standard specs.

How to Export Videos for Facebook with VideoConvert

VideoConvert handles all Facebook-specific conversions:

Feed Video (4:5 Portrait — Highest Engagement)

Upload your source video

Select 4:5 aspect ratio

Select MP4 format

Choose 1080p resolution

Quality: Medium (CRF 23) — Facebook re-encodes everything, so extremely high quality is unnecessary

Stories and Reels (9:16 Vertical)

Upload your horizontal or square source video

Select 9:16 aspect ratio

Choose Fill mode to crop to vertical, or Fit mode to add letterbox bars

Select 1080p resolution

Output: MP4, quality Medium

Converting Existing Landscape Content to Vertical

If you have 16:9 footage you want to repurpose as Reels:

Fill mode: Zooms and crops to fill the 9:16 frame. Works well for footage with centered subjects.

Fit mode: Adds blurred/black bars on top and bottom. Preserves the full frame but shows letterboxing.

Blur fill: Some converters can fill the bars with a blurred version of the video — visually cleaner than black bars.

Common Facebook Video Upload Errors

"Your video couldn't be processed": Usually caused by unsupported codecs, corrupted files, or files over 10 GB. Convert to H.264 MP4 and retry.

Video looks blurry after upload: Facebook heavily compresses videos in the first few hours after upload; quality improves after processing completes. If it's still blurry after 30 minutes, re-export at a higher bitrate (6–8 Mbps) and upload again.

Audio out of sync: Common with variable frame rate (VFR) footage from screen recorders or webcams. Convert to constant frame rate (CFR) at 30 fps before uploading.

Video rejected for ads: Ad videos have stricter rules. Ensure no stock footage, no misleading thumbnails, and length between 5–15 seconds.

Thumbnail Recommendations

Facebook lets you choose a custom thumbnail (or it auto-generates one):

Recommended size: 1200×675 pixels for landscape, 1080×1080 for square

Format: JPG or PNG

Text rule: Facebook's 20% text rule for ads still applies. Thumbnails with over 20% text area may see reduced distribution.

Comparing Facebook to Other Platforms

| Platform | Preferred Aspect | Max Length | Typical Reach | |----------|-----------------|------------|---------------| | Facebook Reels | 9:16 | 90 sec | High organic | | Facebook Feed | 4:5 or 1:1 | 240 min | Moderate organic | | Instagram Reels | 9:16 | 90 sec | High organic | | TikTok | 9:16 | 10 min | High organic | | YouTube Shorts | 9:16 | 60 sec | Growing |

A single 9:16 video can be cross-posted to Facebook Reels, Instagram Reels, and TikTok with the same file. Use VideoConvert to convert any landscape source to 9:16 once and distribute across all three platforms.