TikTok Video Dimensions: Optimal Video Sizes for Best Quality

TikTok automatically resizes videos in an attempt to standardize the viewing experience. This can lead to poor crop jobs and blurry, stretched, or pixelated videos, each of which can dramatically impact viewer engagement and enjoyment.

Here are the right TikTok video dimensions, formats, and specs to make sure your content uploads properly.

What’s the Best TikTok Video Size for High-Quality Content?

TikTok uses specific video specifications to provide the best viewing experience, no matter what device they’re using. As a creator, matching those sizing guidelines is the best way to keep content looking good on every screen, without any blurring, distortion, or cropping. 

So what does TikTok video size actually mean? Here are some specs that affect a video’s size:

• TikTok resolution and dimension — A post’s dimension, or resolution, is its exact width and height measured in pixels (PX), which are the tiny colored dots that make up an image on a screen. The best dimensions for TikTok videos are 1080 by 1920 PX — the standard portrait size of most smartphone screens.
• TikTok aspect ratio — A video’s aspect ratio describes the relationship between its width and its height, which determines the shape. TikTok recommends an aspect ratio of 9:16 because that’s what fills most phone screens. It also allows 1:1 (square) and 16:9, but they appear with black bars around the edges to fill the screen. 
• Video file size — File size is how much space a digital file takes up, or how much data a file contains. For social media content, you’ll usually measure file size in megabytes (MB) or gigabytes (GB). TikTok caps video file sizes at 72 MB for Android devices and 287.76 MB for iOS devices. If you’re using the website, the maximum file size is 1 GB. These sizes are all different because Android and iOS have different default video formats.

Portrait or Landscape: What’s Better for TikTok Videos?

TikTok technically allows both landscape (horizontal) and portrait (vertical) orientations, but the app functions in portrait mode. If you post a horizontal video, users must turn their phone to watch it — but the app won’t automatically update to a landscape design, meaning the description and other buttons will be sideways. 

Because of this, filming and posting videos in portrait orientation makes it easier for most viewers to watch comfortably. Although the occasional horizontal video might be a fun change from vertical content, it’s best to stick to portrait mode.

How Long Should a TikTok Video Be?

There’s no concrete length. You just have to make sure they don’t hit the platform’s length limit, which is 10 minutes. 

Originally, videos on the app were 15 seconds long, but it’s now experimenting with up to 15-minute videos. Because this video length is in the testing phase, only people in certain regions have access. 

Within the 10-minute limit, the ideal length for a TikTok video depends on the content you post and your audience’s preferences. Here are some things to consider for each duration:

• 15–60 seconds — Shorter videos are generally more engaging and align with the platform's original emphasis on fast, captivating content. This length is great for trends, challenges, and videos that quickly grab attention.
• 1–4 minutes — To explore more in-depth content, videos that are a few minutes long suit tutorials, storytimes, and anything that needs more explanation, like how-to videos.
• 5–10 minutes —The longer video format, including up to the 10-minute video option, provides more space for in-depth content. Use this for longer tutorials, interviews, or storytelling formats requiring more detail. Just keep in mind it might be hard to keep users’ attention for that long since they’re used to shorter content.

What’s the Best TikTok Video Format?

"Format" refers to the type of file you use to save and upload your videos. Using the correct format is essential because TikTok only lets you upload certain file types: MP4 and MOV. 

MP4 is preferred because it’s good quality and a smaller file size. MOV — the native file format for Apple — is typically larger, so if you use it, you might have to compress the video before uploading. 

Whatever file format your phone or camera uses, you can reduce the file size using the Captions Compress tool. All you have to do is:

1. Go to captions.ai/compress.
2. Drag and drop to upload your file. You can select up to five files at once.
3. Adjust the resolution, frame rate, and video quality to your needs. You’ll be able to see the estimated file size and change it accordingly. At this stage, you can convert the video to your format of choice. Keep in mind that TikTok recommends MP4.
4. Hit the “Compress Videos” button.
5. Log into your account and download your video(s). 

TikTok Ad Specs

If you’re creating content for a brand or want to boost your own videos, paid advertising can help you reach more people. You’ll have to create a TikTok Ads Manager account, and from there you can run and manage ad campaigns. 

Ads Manager has a selection of different ad types, so when you upload an image or video for this purpose, you have to make sure it’s the right size and format. These are the specifications:

• Image ads — Accepted file types include JPG, JPEG, and PNG with image resolutions of 1200 by 628 PX, 640 by 640 PX, or 720 by 1280 PX. The maximum file size for each is 100 MB. 
• Video ads — Accepted TikTok ad formats for videos include MP4, MOV, MPEG, 3GP, and AVI, with a maximum file size of 500 MB. Acceptable aspect ratios are 9:16, 1:1, or 16:9. The resolution should be 540 by 960 PX, 640 by 640 PX, 960 by 540 PX, 720 by 1280 PX, or 1280 by 720 PX. You should also keep in mind the platform recommends that ads are 5–60 seconds long to capture viewers’ attention. 

TikTok Ad Formats

When you choose to post an ad on TikTok, there are several different ad formats to choose from:

1. In-feed ads — These primarily appear in users' feeds. The platform's algorithm places paid in-feed video ads between content on the For You Page (FYP) and from accounts users follow. These ads should follow the look and feel of organic content so they integrate with the feed and encourage interaction.
2. Carousel ads — These are ads of 2–10 images on users' feeds to showcase more information at once.
3. Spark ads — TikTok lets you promote videos you’ve already posted on your profile as ads. That way, you don’t have to rely on the algorithm pushing content to people’s feeds — TikTok will boost it as an ad, for a fee. 
4. Playable ads — If you’re promoting a mobile app, TikTok lets you showcase it as an interactive ad. The ad appears just like your app so users can preview it. Then they can tap a button to go to their phone’s app store automatically. This is the best way to give users a preview and give them an easy opportunity to download it. 

Refine Your TikTok Videos With Captions

Following TikTok's recommended dimensions keeps videos looking crisp and clear — and that means viewers can better focus on your content and understand its message. 

With Captions AI, you can easily scale your videos to the right dimensions. While you’re at it, seamlessly compress files, convert videos to TikTok’s file format, and export them with the resolution you need for faster production.