Can Instagram Reels be longer than 3 minutes?

Yes. Instagram started allowing uploads of up to 20 minutes in 2025 and extended in-app recording to 20 minutes in November 2025. But Instagram prioritizes recommending Reels under three minutes, so longer Reels mostly reach people who already follow you. Keep discovery content under three minutes.

How long can a TikTok video be?

Up to 10 minutes if you record it in the TikTok app, and up to 60 minutes if you upload it. If you pick a sound before recording, the sound's length sets the video's length. Long uploads have rolled out gradually, so some accounts may still see a lower limit.

How long can a YouTube Short be?

Up to 3 minutes, as long as the video is square or vertical. YouTube raised the limit from 60 seconds on October 15, 2024. A vertical video longer than 3 minutes is treated as a regular YouTube video, not a Short.

How long can an Instagram Story be?

60 seconds per Story. If you post a longer video from the app, it's split into several Stories. Scheduling tools that publish through Instagram's API are limited to video Stories of 3 to 60 seconds and 100 MB.

How Long Can Instagram Reels Be? (Plus TikTok, Shorts)

Instagram Reels can be up to 20 minutes long in 2026, TikTok videos up to 60 minutes when uploaded (10 minutes when recorded in the app), and YouTube Shorts up to 3 minutes. The maximum isn't the target, though: Instagram prioritizes recommending Reels under three minutes, and a video under 3 minutes is the only kind you can publish unchanged on all three platforms.

If you repurpose short videos across Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, here are the current limits for each format, with dates and sources, and the practical length to aim for.

Video length limits at a glance

Format	Recorded in the app	Uploaded	Through scheduling tools (API)	Format
Instagram Reels	Up to 20 min	Up to 20 min	3 s to 15 min, 300 MB	9:16 recommended
Instagram Stories	60 s per Story	60 s per Story	3 to 60 s, 100 MB	9:16 recommended
TikTok	Up to 10 min	Up to 60 min	Per-account limit set by TikTok	Vertical 9:16
YouTube Shorts	Up to 3 min	Up to 3 min	Up to 3 min	Square or vertical

Limits roll out gradually, so your account may temporarily show a different maximum.

How long can Instagram Reels be?

Instagram has raised the Reels limit several times:

January 2025: from 90 seconds to 3 minutes, announced by Instagram head Adam Mosseri (MediaNama).
2025: uploads of up to 20 minutes started rolling out.
November 25, 2025: the Reels camera can record up to 20 minutes as well (PetaPixel).

There's a catch. As PetaPixel notes, Instagram has repeatedly said it prioritizes recommending Reels under three minutes: longer videos can be posted, but they're less likely to be shown to people who don't follow you. Use long Reels for tutorials, interviews or behind-the-scenes content your existing audience wants, and keep discovery content short.

If you schedule Reels with a tool, Instagram's API accepts MP4 or MOV files from 3 seconds to 15 minutes, up to 300 MB (Meta for Developers).

How long can Instagram Stories be?

Each Story can last 60 seconds. When you share a longer video from the app, Instagram splits it into several consecutive Stories. Through the API, video Stories must last between 3 and 60 seconds and weigh up to 100 MB.

How long can TikTok videos be?

According to TikTok's Help Center:

Recorded in the TikTok app: up to 10 minutes.
Uploaded: up to 60 minutes.
With a sound selected first: the sound's length sets the video's length.

Scheduling tools publish through TikTok's Content Posting API, where each creator has their own maximum: the API returns a max_video_post_duration_sec value per account, because "different users have different maximum video-duration privileges" (TikTok for Developers).

How long can YouTube Shorts be?

Since October 15, 2024, YouTube Shorts can last up to 3 minutes, up from 60 seconds, as long as the video is square or vertical (YouTube Help). A vertical video longer than 3 minutes counts as a regular video.

One recent change for music and clips: since September 24, 2026, new Shorts between 1 and 3 minutes with an active Content ID claim are no longer automatically blocked and may remain playable.

Which length should you aim for?

The limits tell you what's possible; your goal decides what's useful.

For reach on all three platforms, stay under 3 minutes. It's the Shorts maximum and the length Instagram prioritizes for recommendations, and TikTok accepts it easily.
Hook viewers in the first seconds. On every short-video feed, people decide almost instantly whether to keep watching.
One video, one idea. If you need 8 minutes to cover a topic, publish a long YouTube video and cut 60- to 90-second highlights for Reels, TikTok and Shorts.
Film vertically at 1080 × 1920. That's the native format everywhere (see our Instagram size guide).

Captions have limits too: check them all in our guide to social media character limits, or paste your text into the free character counter.

Publish one video to Reels, TikTok and Shorts

Once your video fits all three limits, you can post it everywhere at once. In Wavnil, upload the video once, adapt the caption for each channel, and schedule it on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube from the same calendar, at the best time for each audience. TikTok's peak hours aren't Instagram's, so check the best time to post on TikTok as well.

Summary: the length to aim for

Reels can run 20 minutes, TikToks 60 and Shorts 3, but under 3 minutes is the sweet spot for reach and cross-posting. Try Wavnil free for 7 days to schedule your short videos everywhere from one place.

Sources

PetaPixel, Instagram Updates Camera So You Can Film 20-Minute Reels, November 25, 2025.
MediaNama, Instagram Extends Reels To 3 Minutes, January 2025.
Meta for Developers, Instagram Platform: IG User Media reference.
TikTok Help Center, Camera tools.
TikTok for Developers, Query Creator Info.
YouTube Help, Understand three-minute YouTube Shorts.