Best video length for TikTok, Reels and Shorts

Length limits by platform

Limits change often and roll out unevenly by account and region. Our video length limits tool keeps the current numbers in one place, and platform specs covers resolution and file size.

The right length by video type

Platform recommendations are a ceiling for ads, not a target for everything. Here’s where we’d aim, by what the video is trying to do:

Why shorter usually wins for ads

Short-form feeds measure how much of your video people watch. A 15-second video watched to the end looks better than a 60-second video abandoned halfway, and finished views are what the algorithm and the ad auction reward.

Short also forces clarity. If you can’t make the point in 20 seconds, you probably have two points. Split them into two videos and test both.

And short is cheaper to iterate. A 15-second edit with three hook variations is three ads. A three-minute edit is one.

When longer is better

• Education. A tutorial that actually teaches beats a teaser that doesn’t. People save and share useful videos.
• High-consideration products. Software, finance, expensive gear. Viewers who are close to buying want detail.
• Retargeting. People who already watched a short ad are ready for the longer review.
• Storytelling. A story with a real turn can hold a minute or more. A story without one can’t hold fifteen seconds.

Longer only works if the pacing stays tight. Cut every pause and false start (see how to remove silences) and add a visual change every few seconds.

Platform-by-platform notes

TikTok

TikTok went from 60 seconds to 3 minutes in 2021 and to 10 minutes in 2022 (NBC News, 2022), and has tested 60-minute uploads with a limited group of users in select markets (TechCrunch, 2024). Longer limits don’t change what short-form viewers do: most UGC still lives under a minute. For paid placements, TikTok’s TopView spec is 5 to 60 seconds with 9 to 15 recommended (TikTok Ads Help Center, 2026). If a brand runs your post as a Spark Ad, there’s no duration restriction (TikTok Ads Help Center, 2026), so the organic length is the ad length.

Instagram Reels

Reels moved from 90 seconds to 3 minutes in January 2025 (Social Media Today, 2025). Ads in Reels can run from 0 seconds to 15 minutes (Meta Ads Guide, 2026), but a Reels ad competes with the same fast-swiping feed as everything else. Keep it tight and front-load the point.

YouTube Shorts

Shorts can be up to 3 minutes in a square or vertical aspect ratio (YouTube Help, 2026). Shorts ads follow a stricter rule: they can be up to 3 minutes, but only the first 60 seconds play in the Shorts feed, and Google recommends 10 to 30 seconds for action-focused campaigns (Google Ads Help, 2026). Google also notes the call-to-action button appears 3 seconds into Performance Max ads and 10 seconds into Video View and Video Reach ads (Google Ads Help, 2026). Say your CTA after that point so the button is there when you ask.

One edit for all three

A 15 to 30 second vertical edit fits every limit and every ad recommendation above. If you post the same UGC to all three, that’s the length to build around. Then make a longer cut only where the content earns it.

How to cut a video to length

1. Plan the length before filming. Write the script to time. Our script length calculator turns words into seconds.
2. Cut silence first. Pauses, ums and restarts are often a big share of a raw take.
3. Cut the warm-up. Start on the hook. Delete greetings and “so, today…”.
4. Cut the second example. One strong proof point beats two average ones.
5. Make a cut-down. From a 30-second edit, pull a 15-second version: hook, single best proof, CTA.

Mimic does the first three cuts automatically: it removes pauses and false starts, starts on the hook, and keeps the pacing of the reference video you pick. Type “cut the intro” or “make it shorter” to go further.