How Long Can Instagram Reels, TikTok & YouTube Shorts Be? (2026)

Instagram Reels can be up to 20 minutes (uploaded video, rolling out) — 3 minutes if recorded in-app, TikTok videos up to 60 minutes (uploaded from device) — 10 minutes if recorded in-app, and YouTube Shorts up to 3 minutes — but the number that actually matters depends on how you’re posting, not just which app you’re using.

This guide gives the current, source-verified figure for each platform, one section at a time, plus a free checker for each — so you’re never relying on a blog post that hasn’t been updated since the last time these platforms changed their rules.

Instagram Reels Length Limit

Instagram Reels can be up to 20 minutes (uploaded video, rolling out) — 3 minutes if recorded in-app, with a minimum of 3 seconds.

• Reels recorded directly in the in-app camera are capped at 3 minutes; the 20-minute ceiling only applies to video you upload from your device, and is still rolling out account by account.
• Reels longer than 3 minutes are not eligible for the Reels tab or Explore — they still post, but only reach your existing followers, not new viewers.

For the full breakdown and a clip-count calculator, use our free Instagram Reel Length Limit Checker.

TikTok Video Length Limit

TikTok videos can be up to 60 minutes (uploaded from device) — 10 minutes if recorded in-app, with a minimum of 3 seconds.

• Videos recorded directly in the TikTok app camera are capped at 10 minutes; the 60-minute ceiling only applies to video uploaded from your device gallery.
• Attaching a licensed sound before you record or upload restricts your video to that sound's own length, which can be shorter than the platform maximum.

For the full breakdown and a clip-count calculator, use our free TikTok Video Length Limit Checker.

YouTube Shorts Max Length

A YouTube Short can be up to 3 minutes — YouTube hasn’t published a separate minimum.

• Most licensed music can be used for up to 90 seconds within a 3-minute Short; some tracks are restricted to 60 or 30 seconds by the rights holder.
• A Short longer than 60 seconds with an active copyright claim is blocked worldwide and ineligible for monetization, regardless of the claim type.

For the full breakdown and a clip-count calculator, use our free YouTube Shorts Max Length Checker.

Length Limits Compared at a Glance

Repurposing across all four platforms, including Facebook Reels? See our full Facebook Reels length limit breakdown too.

How Many Clips Can You Cut From One Episode?

Once you know the target length for each platform, the next question is simple math: how many clips does your source episode actually make? Every length checker page above includes a free clip-count calculator — enter your episode length in minutes and it instantly shows how many 15s, 30s, 60s, and 90s clips you’d get.

Skip the Manual Cutting

Checking length limits and counting clips by hand works, but it doesn’t scale if you’re publishing regularly. Pod2Reels automates the whole workflow: paste a podcast episode or long-form video, and it identifies the most viral moments and cuts them into correctly-sized, captioned clips for Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts automatically — no manual trimming, no length-limit lookups required.

Frequently Asked Questions