Social media image and video sizes for 2026
In shortUse 1080 pixels wide as your base. Make square (1080 × 1080) or 4:5 portrait (1080 × 1350) images for feeds, 9:16 (1080 × 1920) for Stories and Reels, and 16:9 (1280 × 720) for YouTube thumbnails. Then check each platform's file size, photo count and video length limits below before you post.
By the Join Postly teamPublished Updated 7 min read
Every platform crops, compresses and limits media a little differently. A photo that looks sharp on Instagram can be rejected by Bluesky for being too heavy, and a Reel that is fine on Instagram can be too long for Facebook. This guide gives you the shapes to design for, then the hard limits per platform.
The limits in the tables are not copied from old blog posts. They are read from the same rules Join Postly uses to check a post before it is scheduled, so they match what actually gets accepted when you publish through a scheduler. Platforms change their rules, so treat this as a snapshot from the date at the top and check the platform's own help center for anything critical.
Which image sizes work on most platforms?
Four shapes cover almost everything: square, 4:5 portrait, 9:16 vertical and 16:9 landscape. Design at 1080 pixels wide for social feeds; uploading larger rarely helps, because platforms resize images for display anyway.
| Shape | Pixel size | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Square 1:1 | 1080 × 1080 | Instagram and Facebook feed posts, Threads, Bluesky, Telegram |
| Portrait 4:5 | 1080 × 1350 | Instagram feed (the tallest shape it allows), Facebook feed |
| Vertical 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 | Stories, Reels covers, TikTok, YouTube Shorts |
| Landscape 1.91:1 | 1200 × 630 | Link previews, Facebook link posts |
| Landscape 16:9 | 1280 × 720 | YouTube thumbnails |
| Pin 2:3 | 1000 × 1500 | Pinterest Pins |
These are practical sizes, not rules. The Join Postly Image Resizer has a preset for each of them, plus LinkedIn (1200 × 627) and X (1600 × 900), and it runs in your browser without uploading your photo.
Limits for the channels Join Postly publishes to today
Join Postly publishes to Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, Telegram, WordPress today. You can also connect Mastodon, Discord, Slack, Lemmy, Nostr. Here is what each accepts for a regular post.
| Platform | Photos per post | Photo file size | Video length | Video file size | Characters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 10 | 8 MB | No set limit | 300 MB | 2,200 | |
| Up to 10 | 10 MB | No set limit | 10 GB | 63,206 | |
| Threads | Up to 20 | 8 MB | Up to 5 min | 1 GB | 500 |
| Bluesky | Up to 4 | 2 MB | Up to 3 min | 100 MB | 300 |
| Telegram | Up to 10 | 10 MB | No set limit | 50 MB | — |
| WordPress | Up to 20 | 20 MB | No set limit | 200 MB | — |
| Mastodon | Up to 4 | 16 MB | No set limit | 40 MB | 500 |
| Discord | Up to 10 | 20 MB | No set limit | 20 MB | — |
| Slack | None | — | No video | — | 4,000 |
| Lemmy | None | — | No video | — | 10,000 |
| Nostr | None | — | No video | — | 5,000 |
"None" for photos means Join Postly sends text and links only to that channel. Slack and Nostr stay text-only because Join Postly deletes media after publishing, and those services link to media rather than storing a copy. Mastodon servers can set their own limits, so a smaller server may accept less than the figures shown.
One more limit sits on top of all of these: Join Postly accepts uploads of up to 1 GB per file. Platform limits above that, such as Facebook's, only matter when you upload in the platform's own app.
Feed photos must be JPEG and between 4:5 portrait and 1.91:1 landscape. A post or carousel holds up to 10 photos and videos, photos up to 8 MB each. Reels run 3 sec to 15 min with files up to 300 MB. A Story is one photo or one video of up to 60 sec, and Story videos can be up to 100 MB.
Page posts take up to 10 photos (up to 10 MB each) or one video. Facebook allows videos of up to 10 GB, though uploads to Join Postly stop at 1 GB. Facebook Reels must be vertical and 3 sec to 90 sec. Stories are one photo or a video of up to 60 sec.
Threads, Bluesky and Telegram
Threads allows up to 20 photos and videos in one post, mixed freely, with videos up to 5 min. Bluesky is the strictest on file size: 4 photos of up to 2 MB each, or one video of up to 3 min and 100 MB. Telegram albums take up to 10 items; photos up to 10 MB and videos up to 50 MB, which is the limit Telegram sets for bots.
WordPress
A scheduled WordPress post can carry up to 20 photos (20 MB each), and the first photo becomes the featured image. The size your theme shows for featured images depends on the theme, so check its documentation. Your host's own upload limit can also be lower than 200 MB for videos.
Limits for YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, X and Pinterest
Join Postly does not publish to YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), Pinterest, Google Business yet; they are marked "coming soon". Their limits are still useful when you plan content, and they are the rules Join Postly will check once each channel goes live.
| Platform | Photos per post | Photo file size | Video length | Video file size | Characters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube | None | — | No set limit | 20 GB | 5,000 |
| TikTok | Up to 35 | 20 MB | 3 sec to 10 min | 4 GB | 2,200 |
| Up to 20 | Not set | 3 sec to 30 min | 500 MB | 3,000 | |
| X (Twitter) | Up to 4 | 5 MB | Up to 2 min | 512 MB | 280 |
| Up to 1 | 20 MB | 4 sec to 15 min | 2 GB | 500 | |
| Google Business | Up to 1 | 5 MB | No video | — | 1,500 |
- YouTube: video only. Shorts must be vertical or square and up to 3 min. Thumbnails are usually made at 1280 × 720.
- TikTok: one video, or a photo post of up to 35 JPEG or WebP photos. Your account may have a shorter maximum video length than the platform's, and schedulers have to respect it.
- LinkedIn: up to 20 photos or one MP4 video in a post. Photos and video can't be mixed.
- X: up to 4 photos of 5 MB each, or one video.
- Pinterest: one image or one video per Pin, saved to a board. Pinterest recommends a 2:3 shape, such as 1000 × 1500, for standard Pins.
Which video shape and format should you export?
Export vertical 9:16 video at 1080 × 1920 for Reels, Stories, Shorts and TikTok, and save it as an MP4 file with H.264 video and AAC audio. That combination is the safest choice for social platforms.
- Length first. Facebook Reels stop at 90 sec, while Instagram Reels published through a scheduler can run much longer. If one video goes to both, cut it to the shorter limit.
- Keep text inside the safe area. Apps cover the top and bottom of vertical video with buttons and captions, so keep titles and faces away from the edges.
- Watch file size, not just length. A long, high-bitrate video can pass a length check and still exceed Bluesky's 100 MB or Telegram's 50 MB.
The free video validator reads a video's length, size and shape in your browser and tells you which platforms will accept it.
How to prepare one image for several platforms
Design once in the largest shape you need, keep the important part in the middle, and export a crop for each shape. That is faster than redesigning, and nothing important gets cut off.
- Start from a large original, at least 1080 × 1920 if you need a vertical version.
- Keep text and faces in the centre square, so the square and 4:5 crops still work.
- Export JPEG for Instagram. PNG is fine elsewhere but often heavier.
- Make a lighter copy for Bluesky so each photo stays under 2 MB.
- Add alt text that describes the image for people using screen readers. Join Postly lets you add it per photo.
Why does a platform reject or crop a file?
Most failures come from one of five causes: the wrong file type, an aspect ratio outside the allowed range, a file that is too large, a video that is too long or too short, or too many items in one post.
- File type: Instagram needs JPEG photos; TikTok photo posts take JPEG or WebP.
- Aspect ratio: an Instagram photo taller than 4:5 or wider than 1.91:1 is refused when published through the API.
- File size: Bluesky's 2 MB photo limit is the one people hit most.
- Video length: Facebook Reels must be 3 sec to 90 sec.
- Item count: Bluesky allows 4 photos, Instagram 10, Threads 20.
Cropping is different from rejection. Feeds often show a preview crop in the grid or timeline even when the full image is accepted, which is why keeping the subject centred matters. For every limit in one place, including daily posting caps, see the post and upload limits reference.