Platform specs & rules
What each network actually accepts: video length, size and aspect ratio, caption and hashtag limits, safe zones and AI labels — taken from the platforms' own developer documentation, with the date we last checked.
Video thumbnail and cover sizes for every platform in 2026
Thumbnail and cover image rules for YouTube, Shorts, Instagram Reels, TikTok, Facebook and LinkedIn from their own docs — sizes, formats, crops — and why TikTok's cover is a frame of the video, not an image.
AI content labels in 2026: when YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and the EU AI Act require one
Which uses of AI need a label on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and Threads, where the platforms differ (voices, music, animation), how to add the label on each, and what the EU AI Act adds for businesses from August 2026.
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How many hashtags can you use? Limits by platform in 2026
The hashtag limits Instagram, YouTube, Threads and Snapchat actually document, what happens when you go over them, and the platforms that publish no number at all — with the caps we use when we publish.
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Social media character limits in 2026: captions, titles and the ones that reject your post
Caption and title limits for Threads, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Snapchat from the platforms' API docs — including the two that count bytes instead of characters, and the one that rejects a long post outright.
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Safe zones for TikTok, Reels and Shorts: where text gets covered (2026)
Which parts of a vertical video TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts cover with their own buttons and captions — measured on a 1080×1920 frame, with one safe area that works on all three.
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LinkedIn video specs in 2026: length, file size, captions and who can post
What LinkedIn accepts for a video posted through its API: 3 seconds to 30 minutes, 75 KB to 500 MB, MP4 only, caption files and thumbnails, and the difference between posting to a profile and a company page.
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Facebook Reels specs in 2026: length, resolution and posting limits
What Facebook accepts for a Reel published through its API: 3–90 seconds, resolution, frame rate, codecs and audio settings, the 30-per-day Page limit, and why Reels can only be scheduled to Pages.
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YouTube Shorts length and size in 2026: what makes a video a Short
When YouTube files a video as a Short, how long a Short can be, file and text limits, the copyright rule for Shorts over a minute, hashtags, and how scheduling a Short works through the API.
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Instagram Reels specs in 2026: size, length, cover and caption limits
What Instagram accepts for a Reel posted through a scheduler: format, codecs, bitrate, length, file size, the cover image rules, caption and hashtag limits, and how many posts an account can publish per day.
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TikTok video specs in 2026: size, length, format and the settings TikTok requires
What TikTok accepts when a video is posted through a scheduler: file format, codecs, resolution, length per account, caption length, photo posts, and the privacy and consent settings every TikTok post needs.
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Social media video specs for 2026: every network's limits on one page
Length, file size, resolution and format limits for YouTube, Shorts, TikTok, Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels and LinkedIn — from each network's developer docs — plus one tested export that fits all of them.
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