As video become more and more a part of the social experience, Facebook video sees greater and greater consumption. More than 8 billion videos and 100 million hours of video are consumed on Facebook every day. And, according to WordStream, an impressive 45% of Facebook users consume 1+ hour of video per week.
In short, posting videos on Facebook is a proven way to increase your followers on Facebook and reach a wider audience. Those are a lot of eyes.
Bottom line: video is a big part of your Facebook marketing and, as such, you want to do it right.
But, of course, it’s not quite that simple. Facebook video goes far beyond the standard portrait or landscape (or – gasp! – square!) considerations today, offering an array of video and video ad options, each with their own requirements. Rule of thumb: avoid running afoul by sticking close to each.
Don’t get called on a Facebook foul; stick to these updated Facebook video specs and make the most of your video (and ad bucks)
And that’s where video specs come in: What are the recommended dimensions, pixels, and aspect ratios for your Facebook video? As of early 2019:
Facebook video specs: Facebook shared video
The first type of video we’ll discuss is Facebook shared video, which is unsponsored video you organically share to your page. Though reach is difficult with this type of video, it’s free and, done well, it can go viral (or, at least, be shared to wider audiences).
Here’s what you’re looking at:
- Facebook video dimensions: 1280 x 720 pixels
- Minimum width: 600 pixels
- Aspect ratio: 16:9 (landscape) or 9:16 (portrait)*
- Format (recommended): .mp4 and .mov
- Video length: Max 120 minutes
- Video size: Max 4GB
- Video frames: Max 30 fps
*Note: On mobile, both landscape and portrait video is rendered at a 2:3 aspect ratio.
Additionally, you’ll run across limits to the posts that accompany your video:
- Headline max: 25 characters
- Link description: Max 30 characters
- Post limit: Max 2,200 characters
- Recommended post length: 90 characters + link
And, if you’re a savvy marketer, you’ll also note that Facebook 360 Video – those every-which-way videos (that appear a bit like photos) that offer complete 360º views – have their own requirements:
- Facebook 360 video dimensions: 4096 x 2048 pixels
- Minimum 360 video width: 600 pixels
- 360 video aspect ratio: 2:1
- Format (recommended): .mp4
- Video length: Max 40 minutes
- 360 video size: Max 1.75 GB
- Video frames: Max 60 fps
Currently, post character limits for Facebook 360 video are the same as for standard video, outlined above.
Facebook video specs: Facebook video ads
Screenshot via Facebook from Moo.com
Beyond organic video, there is Facebook video ads – an opportunity that more than 5 million advertisers have taken, and one of the best Facebook ads for B2B advertising.
Here’s the rub, though: Facebook video specs differ by video ad type. You really need to know what you’re doing, or you’re almost throwing your advertising dollars down the drain. And no one wants that.
Facebook video specs: desktop news feed link video
Facebook Desktop News Feed Link Video are all those sponsored videos that live in user feeds. It can be either landscape or square (no portrait); these Facebook specs also hold true for right-column video:
- Recommended video dimensions: 1280 x 720 pixels
- Minimum dimensions: 600 x 315 (1.9:1 landscape) or 600 x 600 (square)
- Aspect ratio: 16:9 (landscape) or 1:1 (square)
- Format (recommended): .mp4 and .mov
- Video length: Max 120 minutes
- Video size: Max 4GB
- Video frames: Max 30 fps
Character limits:
- Headline max: 25 characters
- Link description: Max 30 characters
- Post limit: Max 2,200 characters
- Recommended post length: 90 characters + link
Facebook video specs: Facebook carousel video ads
Facebook Carousel Video Ads are designed to showcase multiple videos or image slideshows, within your audience’s Facebook feed. Over time, carousel video has grown quite popular – and, an estimated 10 times more effective than standard social media ads – thanks to its unique scrolling feature, which enables users to preview information before they click on your link.
- Recommended video dimensions: 1080 x 1080 pixels
- Minimum dimensions: 600 x 315 (1.9:1 landscape) or 600 x 600 (square)
- Aspect ratio: 16:9 (landscape) or 1:1 (square)
- Format (recommended): .mp4 and .mov
- Video length: Max 30 seconds (or 90 seconds, on continuous loop)
- Video size: Max 2.3GB
- Video frames: Max 30 fps
Character limits:
- Headline max: 40 characters
- Link description: Max 20 characters
- Post limit: Max 2,200 characters
- Recommended post length: 90 characters
Facebook video specs: Facebook collection video ads (mobile)
Screenshot via Facebook from Thrive Causemetics
Facebook collection ads are a pairing of main video + multiple images, ideal for showcasing multiple products or various iterations (e.g. colors, sizes, etc.) of a single product or product line.
- Recommended video dimensions: 1280 x 628 pixels
- Minimum dimensions: 600 x 315 (1.9:1 landscape) or 600 x 600 (square)
- Aspect ratio: 16:9 (landscape) or 1:1 (square)
- Format (recommended): .mp4 and .mov
- Video length: Max 120 minutes
- Video size: Max 4GB
- Video frames: Max 30 fps
Character limits:
- Headline max: 25 characters
- Link description: Max 30 characters
- Post limit: Max 2,200 characters
- Recommended post length: 90 characters + link
Facebook video specs: Facebook canvas video ads (mobile + news feed)
Facebook is constantly rolling out new features for advertisers and one of its newest are Canvas Ads, an interactive ad type that engages with paid content. If you haven’t seen or used it yet, the basic idea is that users swipe right/left/down to see more content – to request a more in-depth story, before they commit with a click.
That said, Canvas Ads are a tricky ball of wax, as there are technically two distinct types of Canvas Ads. The first is for mobile video in the news feed when users first interact with your ad. (See below, for the second type.) There are no character or text limits for this type of Canvas Ad.
- Recommended video dimensions: 1280 x 628 pixels
- Minimum dimensions: 600 x 315 (1.9:1 landscape) or 600 x 600 (square)
- Aspect ratio: 16:9 (landscape) or 1:1 (square)
- Format (recommended): .mp4 and .mov
- Video length: Max 120 minutes
- Video size: Max 4GB
- Video frames: Max 30 fps
Facebook video specs: Facebook autoplay video in canvas ads (mobile)
Once users have entered your Canvas Ad, you can activate certain autoplay videos for when users swipe through your story (ad) and reach a certain point.
- Recommended video resolution: 720p
- Minimum dimensions: 600 x 315 (1.9:1 landscape) or 600 x 600 (square)
- Aspect ratio: 16:9 (landscape) or 1:1 (square)
- Format (recommended): .mp4 and .mov
- Video length: Max 120 minutes
- Video size: Max 4GB
- Video frames: Max 30 fps
Facebook video specs: Facebook slideshow video ads
If your typical audience has a slower internet connection, then you’ll appreciate Facebook slideshow video ads, which deliver the video experience with the lower-res requirements of images: a rotating, video- like slideshow of 3-10 optimized images, accompanied by [optional] music (.mp3, .wav, .flac, .m4z, or OGG).
- Recommended video dimensions: 1200 x 720 pixels
- Minimum dimensions: 600 x 315 (1.9:1 landscape) or 600 x 600 (square)
- Aspect ratio: 16:9 (landscape) or 9:16 (portrait)*
- Format (recommended): .mp4 and .mov
- Video length: Max 120 minutes
- Video size: Max 4GB
- Video frames: Max 30 fps
* Note: If your portrait video includes a link, aspect ratio will always be 16:9.
Character limits:
- Headline max: 25 characters
- Link description: Max 30 characters
- Post limit: Max 2,200 characters
- Recommended post length: 90 characters
Get more eyes on your Facebook videos
You can help grow your reach and engagement with our series of guides on Facebook marketing, including our post on how to pin a post on a Facebook profile.
The quickest way to get more eyes – more shares, more clicks, more buys! – on your Facebook videos and video ads? Take 5 minutes to install our Facebook Follow Button, then sit back and watch your Facebook following grow overnight!
