In this guide · 8 sections
Short answer
Meta's Ads Guide currently recommends 4:5 at 1440 x 1800 px for Facebook and Instagram feed images, and 9:16 at 1440 x 2560 px for Stories and Reels, keeping roughly 14% top, 35% bottom and 6% each side free of text. Images can be up to 30 MB; videos up to 4 GB.
Image ad sizes by placement (October 2026)
These are the recommended figures from Meta's Ads Guide, checked placement by placement on 21 October 2026. 'Recommended' means best results; the technical minimums are lower.
| Placement | Ratio | Recommended size | Text recommendations | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Facebook Feed | 4:5 | 1440 x 1800 px | Primary text 50-150 characters; headline 27 | 30 MB; min width 600 px |
| Instagram Feed | 4:5 | 1440 x 1800 px | Primary text 125; headline 40; up to 30 hashtags | 30 MB; min width 500 px |
| Facebook Stories | 9:16 | 1440 x 2560 px | Primary text 125; headline 40 | 30 MB; min width 500 px |
| Instagram Stories | 9:16 | 1440 x 2560 px | Primary text 125 | 30 MB; min width 500 px |
| Instagram Reels (image) | 9:16 | 1440 x 2560 px | Primary text 44 | 30 MB; min width 500 px |
Instagram Feed accepts shapes from 1.91:1 landscape to 4:5 portrait. Facebook Feed allows a 3% aspect ratio tolerance; most other placements allow 1%. A design that is slightly off will be cropped, so export at the exact ratio.
Video ad specs by placement
Meta's video pages recommend H.264 compression, square pixels, a fixed frame rate, progressive scan and stereo AAC audio at 128 kbps or more. Captions and sound are optional but recommended, and 'strongly recommended' for Reels.
| Placement | Ratio | Recommended size | Duration | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Facebook Feed | 4:5 | 1440 x 1800 px | 1 second to 241 minutes | 4 GB; MP4, MOV or GIF |
| Instagram Feed | 9:16 | 1080 x 1920 px | 1 second to 60 minutes | 4 GB; MP4, MOV or GIF |
| Instagram Reels | 9:16 | 1440 x 2560 px | 0 seconds to 15 minutes | 4 GB; MP4 or MOV; min width 250 px under 30 s, 500 px for 30 s or more |
Safe zones for Stories and Reels
In 9:16 placements, the profile name sits at the top and the call-to-action button and caption sit at the bottom. Meta's guidance for Stories and Reels is to leave roughly 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% on each side free of text, logos and key elements.
| Area of a 1440 x 2560 px canvas | Keep clear | Approximate pixels |
|---|---|---|
| Top | 14% | About 358 px |
| Bottom | 35% | About 896 px |
| Each side | 6% | About 86 px |
| Usable centre | Remainder | About 1268 x 1306 px |
The bottom third is the trap. Prices, phone numbers and 'Book now' text placed there end up behind the button or caption. Put the message in the middle and let the bottom be background.
Carousel ads
Meta's Instagram carousel specs allow 2 to 10 cards, each with its own link.
- Ratio: 4:5 for carousels with only images. For carousels containing videos, only 1:1 is currently supported.
- Resolution: at least 1080 x 1080 px.
- Files: images up to 30 MB; videos up to 4 GB and 1 second to 2 minutes.
- Text: primary text 125 characters; landing page URL required.
- Order: Meta may show the card a person is most likely to respond to first, but the overall order stays the same.
Export checklist: one design, three shapes
Most small businesses design one ad and resize it badly. Plan for three shapes from the start: 4:5 for feeds, 9:16 for Stories and Reels, and 1:1 for carousels with video and other places that need square.
Before you upload
Ads can also be rejected for content rather than size. Meta's Advertising Standards apply to every placement, and our guide to fixing rejected Meta ads covers the common reasons.
Tools for producing the sizes
Canva, Adobe Express and Figma all have Meta size presets, and AI image tools can extend a photo to a taller shape. Our comparison of Canva AI, ChatGPT images and Firefly covers which is best for social posts. Whatever you use, check the exported pixel size against the tables above; presets are sometimes a step behind Meta's latest recommendations.
Do it yourself or get help?
With a template set up once, resizing for each placement takes minutes. Where businesses lose time is redesigning from scratch for every campaign and getting rejections for text placement or music.
Our Extra Ad Creative Pack (S$290 per pack) gives you 6 static ad designs from your photos, each exported in 1:1, 4:5 and 9:16 (18 files), plus 3 headline and 3 primary text variants, checked against platform text and image rules before delivery, with editable source files. You can swap 2 static designs for one 15-second video edit from your clips. IT Sorted is a Singapore-based team of developers with over 10 years of experience; you pay upfront, send the brief in writing and follow progress on your order page.
Frequently asked questions
Meta's Ads Guide recommends a 4:5 ratio at 1440 x 1800 pixels for Facebook Feed images, as JPG or PNG up to 30 MB, with a minimum width of 600 pixels. For Facebook Stories, it recommends 9:16 at 1440 x 2560 pixels. Checked on 21 October 2026; Meta updates the guide from time to time.
Meta recommends 9:16 at 1440 x 2560 pixels for Instagram Stories image ads, with up to 30 MB per file. Leave roughly 14% at the top, 35% at the bottom and 6% on each side free of text and logos so the profile icon and call-to-action button do not cover them.
Meta's Ads Guide lists a video duration of 0 seconds to 15 minutes for Instagram Reels ads, up to 4 GB, at 9:16 with 1440 x 2560 pixels recommended. Shorter is usually better for attention, and Reels ads must not use licensed music, face effects, GIFs or product tags.
Meta recommends 27 characters for Facebook Feed headlines and 40 characters for Instagram Feed and Facebook Stories. Primary text is recommended at 50 to 150 characters for Facebook Feed, 125 for Instagram Feed and Stories, and 44 for Instagram Reels. Longer text is allowed but may be cut off.
You can, but it will be cropped or padded. Better results come from supplying a 4:5 version for feeds and a 9:16 version for Stories and Reels, with key text in the safe area. When building the ad, check whether Ads Manager lets you swap in placement-specific media for your chosen format.