CLClipLint

Updated October 2026

Instagram Reels safe zone

Meta publishes one Reels safe zone for ads: 14% of the height at the top, 35% at the bottom, and 6% of the width on each side. On a 1080×1920 export that is 269 / 672 / 65 / 65. There is no separate measured organic set in the rules file, because the October 2026 research pass did not find a second number with a source worth drawing.

The spec check next to the overlay is the other half. Reels wants at least 30 fps. A 24 fps AI clip can look fine and still fail the Help Center rule.

Drop a clip

MP4, MOV, WebM, or a thumbnail. Duration, resolution, aspect, fps, codec, and file size are read here. Nothing is uploaded.

What to do with it

  • The bottom 35% is the largest keep-out. Captions that sit on the lower third of a 9:16 frame are inside it.
  • 16:9 is inside the accepted aspect window (9:16 through 1.91:1) but it will not fill the player. 9:16 is the recommended shape.
  • The in-app length cap is 20 minutes. Past 3 minutes, Instagram does not recommend the Reel to new audiences.
  • The API file cap is 300 MB. The app itself has not published a size limit, so ClipLint warns instead of failing.

Instagram Reels specs

Reels can run 20 minutes, but anything past 3 minutes is a poor bet for new audiences. The Help Center wants at least 30 fps.

CheckValueIf missedConfidenceVerifiedSource
In-app length20 minfailCited2026-10-19Instagram Help — Reels
Length for new audiences3 minwarnCited2026-10-19Instagram Help — Reels recommendations
API minimum length3 swarnCited2026-10-19Instagram Reels length and size limits (Postminion, citing Help Center)
Narrowest aspect9:16failCited2026-10-19Instagram Reels length and size limits (Postminion)
Widest aspect1.91:1failCited2026-10-19Instagram Reels length and size limits (Postminion)
Recommended aspect9:16warnCited2026-10-19Instagram Help — Reels
Minimum resolution720pxfailCited2026-10-19Instagram Reels length and size limits (Postminion)
Recommended frame1080×1920warnCited2026-10-19Instagram Help — Reels
API file size300 MBwarnCited2026-10-19Instagram Reels length and size limits (Postminion)
Minimum frame rate30 fpsfailCited2026-10-19Instagram Help — Reels
API maximum frame rate60 fpswarnCited2026-10-19Instagram Reels length and size limits (Postminion)
Video codecH.264 or HEVCwarnCited2026-10-19Instagram Reels length and size limits (Postminion)
Audio codecAACwarnCited2026-10-19Instagram Reels length and size limits (Postminion)
ContainerMP4warnCited2026-10-19Instagram Reels length and size limits (Postminion)
Fast startmoov before mdatwarnCited2026-10-19Instagram Reels length and size limits (Postminion)

Official safe zone, 1080×1920

269 top / 672 bottom / 65 left / 65 right

14% top, 35% bottom, 6% each side of a 1080×1920 frame (269 / 672 / 65 / 65), from Meta's Reels ads guide. The Help Center pages cover length and frame rate; the ads-guide percentages were recorded in the 2026-10-19 research pass and are also cited by https://postminion.com/blog/instagram-reels-length-and-size-limits.

Cited · 2026-10-19 · Instagram Help — Reels

Measured safe zone, 1080×1920

No separate measured margin is stored for this platform.

Questions

What are Reels safe zone margins?

14% top, 35% bottom, 6% left, 6% right. At 1080×1920 that is 269, 672, 65, and 65 pixels. The source is Meta's Reels ads guide, recorded 19 October 2026 and cited from Instagram's Help Center pages.

Is 24 fps allowed on Reels?

The Help Center figure used here is 30 fps minimum. ClipLint fails Instagram when the container reports less than that. Facebook's cited range starts at 24, which is why the same file can warn on one and fail on the other.

Where do I download the template?

Open the overlay, leave the mode on official, and use Download PNG. The file is a transparent 1080×1920 guide you can drop into CapCut, Premiere, or DaVinci.