Meta Ad Sizes and Specs: Facebook and Instagram Guide

Written by Ishant Sharma, Founder, Hustle Marketers | Published October 15, 2026

We manage Meta ad accounts every single day at Hustle Marketers, and the same problem keeps coming up. For example, you search for Facebook ad sizes, open four different guides, and then get four different answers. One says 1440 x 1800 for Feed, while another says 1080 x 1350. Meanwhile, a third only covers Facebook and ignores Instagram, Messenger and Audience Network entirely.

This page fixes that, because it is the reference sheet our own media buyers use before every creative handoff. In addition, the specs were rechecked against Meta’s Ads Guide on October 28, 2026. Meta does change these numbers, so open the Ads Guide for your placement before a large production run.

First, one quick naming note before we start. Facebook ad sizes and Meta ad sizes are the same thing. Since the company rebranded, Ads Manager runs placements across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Audience Network from a single campaign. So this guide covers all of them, not just Facebook.

What Size Should a Facebook Ad Be in 2027?

If you want the short version: build one 1080 x 1080 square, one 1080 x 1350 vertical (4:5) and one 1080 x 1920 full vertical (9:16), and you can run almost every placement Meta offers.

Key Observations

• The three sizes that cover nearly everything: 1080 x 1080 (1:1), 1080 x 1350 (4:5) and 1080 x 1920 (9:16).
• 1440 x 1800 is Meta’s recommended Feed size. 1080 x 1350 is the same 4:5 ratio at lower resolution, and it still clears Meta’s minimum.
• Stories and Reels ads are 9:16, with 1440 x 2560 recommended and 1080 x 1920 also fine, and safe zones at the top, bottom and sides you must respect.
• Image file size limit is 30MB, while the video file size limit is 4GB.
• Character limits before truncation: primary text 125 characters visible, headline 27, description 27. You can write more, but Meta cuts it off with “See more.”
• The old 20 percent text rule is retired, so text-heavy images are allowed, but we still keep overlay text light because it performs better.
• Meta ads also run in Threads feed and WhatsApp Status, so both now have their own sizes below.
• Grab the free one-page cheat sheet at the bottom of this page, then use the safe-zone guidance before previewing each placement.

Table of Contents

1. What Size Should a Facebook Ad Be in 2027?
2. All Meta Ad Sizes at a Glance
3. What Has Changed in Meta’s Ad Specs Recently?
4. Minimum vs Recommended vs Display Size: Why the Numbers Differ
5. What Are Facebook Ad Measurements in Pixels for Each Aspect Ratio?
6. Facebook Feed Ads
7. Stories and Reels Ads
8. Where Exactly Are the Safe Zones on a 9:16 Stories or Reels Ad?
9. Instagram Placements
10. Other Placements
11. What Are the Ad Sizes for Threads and WhatsApp Status?
12. Collection Ads and Instant Experience
13. Character Limits: Primary Text, Headline, Description
14. File Types, Sizes and Video Length Limits
15. What Happens If You Upload the Wrong Size
16. Which Format Performs Best
17. Download: One-Page Meta Ad Sizes Cheat Sheet
18. Treat These as Production Recommendations, Not Timeless Rules
19. FAQs
20. Need Meta Ads Managed?
21. Sources and Verification

All Meta Ad Sizes at a Glance

This is the master table, so bookmark it. It covers every placement across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Audience Network, with recommended size, minimum size, aspect ratio and file limits in one place.

Core specs were rechecked against Meta’s Ads Guide on October 28, 2026. Meta updates these periodically, so if you are reading this long after the update date at the top, re-check anything mission-critical inside Ads Manager. In addition, Threads, WhatsApp Status and Facebook Business Explore now have their own specs in the new-placements sections below.

One formatting note: you will see these dimensions written both ways online, without spaces as 1080×1080, 1080×1350, 1080×1920 and 1440×1800, or with spaces as in our table. Either way, the numbers and the specs are the same.

Want the whole table as a printable one-pager? Download the free cheat sheet here: Meta Ad Specs Cheat Sheet (PDF)

What Changed in Meta’s Ads Guide for 2027?

Meta’s Ads Guide now recommends 1440-pixel-wide files almost everywhere: 1440 x 1800 for 4:5 Feed placements and 1440 x 2560 for 9:16 Stories and Reels. The Stories and Reels safe zone has also grown to roughly 14% at the top, 35% at the bottom and 6% on each side. We rechecked every placement below in the Meta Ads Guide on October 28, 2026.

The 1080-pixel versions of the same ratios still work, because they clear every minimum below. So treat 1440 as your export target and 1080 as the fallback.

What Does Meta Recommend for Each Placement?

The table below lists what the Ads Guide recommends for each placement, including the minimum size and the text length Meta suggests. In other words, it is the source data behind the master table above, placement by placement.

Which Meta Ad Spec Changes Matter Most?

Three changes matter most if you built creative to older guides. First, Feed exports should move from 1080 x 1350 to 1440 x 1800. Instagram Feed video now has a 9:16 recommendation rather than 4:5. Finally, the bottom safe zone on Facebook and Instagram Stories and Reels is 35%, not the 20% many guides still quote.

Two smaller details are also worth knowing. Meta allows a 3% aspect ratio tolerance on Facebook Feed images but only 1% on Instagram Feed, Stories and Reels images, so files that are slightly off ratio have far less room on Instagram. And the current Ads Guide image placement list does not include a Messenger inbox placement, so check Ads Manager before you build for it. Our guide on how to advertise on Facebook walks through where these placements are chosen in Ads Manager.

What Else Changed for Meta Placements Since 2026?

Meta also made several placement changes that affect creative planning, even though the core ratios stayed the same. Here is what we confirmed on Meta’s own pages in October 2026:

• Reels take images, too. The Ads Guide now lists 9:16 image specs at 1440 x 2560 for both Reels placements. So a static vertical can run there, too.
• Facebook Feed covers more surfaces. Meta’s Help Center says the Facebook Feed placement includes the Friends tab from March 2026. So Feed creative now shows in more places.
• Threads and WhatsApp Status are placements now. Both appear in Meta’s Help Center placement tables, and their sizes are in the Threads and WhatsApp Status section below.
• Threads profile rules relaxed. From September 2026, Threads ads no longer need matching Threads and Instagram usernames. However, the change is rolling out gradually.

Minimum vs Recommended vs Display Size: Why the Numbers Differ

This is the section that clears up most of the confusion online, so read it even if you skip everything else.

In fact, Meta publishes three different kinds of numbers for each placement, and most guides mix them up.

Minimum size is the smallest file Meta will accept without rejecting or flagging your upload, in other words the minimum resolution for the placement. For Facebook Feed images that is 600 x 600. Just because Meta accepts it does not mean you should use it. After all, minimum-size creative looks soft on modern phone screens, and blurry creative kills click-through rates.

Recommended size is what Meta suggests for good quality. For Feed, that is 1440 x 1800 at a 4:5 ratio, and 1080 x 1350 is the same ratio at lower resolution. Therefore, this is the number you should treat as your working standard.

Display size is how the ad actually renders on screen, which depends on the device. For example, a 4:5 Feed ad displays at roughly 500 x 625 points on many phones. So Meta downscales your upload to fit.

Why Do Some Guides Say 1440 x 1800 and Others 1080 x 1350?

So why do some big guides say 1440 x 1800 while others say 1080 x 1350? They are both right, and here is the reconciliation nobody spells out. In fact, both are the exact same 4:5 aspect ratio. 1440 x 1800 is the size Meta’s Ads Guide now recommends. 1080 x 1350 is a lower-resolution version of the same ratio and it is completely fine, but the larger file gives the compression algorithm more pixel data to work with, so fine text and product details survive compression better.

Our rule at the agency: export at 1440 x 1800 when the source design file supports it, and never go below 1080 on the short edge either way. Ratio matters more than resolution. In other words, get the ratio wrong and Meta crops your creative. However, get the resolution slightly low and it just softens a little.

What Are Meta’s Recommended Minimum Image Sizes?

Meta’s recommended minimum image sizes sit between the technical floor and the export target. For example, the Help Center suggests at least 1200 x 1200 for the right column. However, the Ads Guide accepts files as small as 254 x 133 there. So treat the Help Center figure as the smallest size that still looks sharp.

Because the two sources differ, the table compares them for image ads (checked October 2026):

Our takeaway is simple. If a file clears the Help Center column, it also clears the Ads Guide column. Even so, export at 1440 pixels when you can, because larger files keep fine text sharper.

What Are Facebook Ad Measurements in Pixels for Each Aspect Ratio?

Every Facebook ad measurement comes from one formula: height = width × (ratio height ÷ ratio width). At Meta’s recommended 1440-pixel width, that gives 1440 x 1440 for square, 1440 x 1800 for 4:5 and 1440 x 2560 for 9:16.

Then, to check a file you already have, divide its width by its height and compare the result with the third column. A 1200 x 1500 file gives 0.80, so it is 4:5. A 1200 x 628 file gives 1.91, so it is landscape and will not fill a vertical slot.

Round heights to the exact pixel rather than eyeballing them. After all, with only a 1% tolerance on Instagram Feed, Stories and Reels images, a file a few pixels off ratio can be cropped in ways you did not plan.

Facebook Feed Ads

The Feed is still the workhorse placement for most accounts we run, especially for e-commerce and lead generation.

Image

• Recommended: 1440 x 1800 (4:5), or 1080 x 1350 at lower resolution
• Also supported: 1080 x 1080 (1:1)
• Minimum: 600 x 600
• Ratio: 1:1 or 4:5
• File types: JPG or PNG
• Max file size: 30MB

So use 4:5 wherever you can. It occupies noticeably more vertical space on a mobile screen than a square, and Meta’s own guidance leans 4:5 for mobile Feed. Still, we keep 1:1 versions on hand for the placements that favor square, such as Marketplace and Right Column.

Video

• Recommended: 1440 x 1800 (4:5), or 1080 x 1350 at lower resolution; 1080 x 1080 (1:1) also runs
• Ratio: 1:1 or 4:5
• File types: MP4 or MOV preferred, H.264 codec
• Max file size: 4GB
• Length: 1 second to 241 minutes, though almost nothing we run goes past 60 seconds
• Sound: optional, but design for sound-off with captions

Feed video often autoplays muted, so if your message only works with audio, it does not work. Instead, burn captions in or use Meta’s caption tool.

Desktop is the exception to the 4:5 rule. On desktop Facebook Feed, Meta shows video at 1:1, according to its Help Center (checked October 2026). So a 4:5 file can pick up black bars on either side. For that reason, keep text and logos inside the center square of every 4:5 video.

Carousel

• Card size: 1080 x 1080
• Ratio: 1:1 for all cards
• Cards: 2 to 10
• Max file size: 30MB per image, 4GB per video card
• Headline per card: 20 characters recommended (description 18, primary text 80)

Every card in a carousel must share the same aspect ratio. In fact, mixing ratios is one of the most common upload errors we see when auditing accounts. Overall, carousels are our default for catalog-driven e-commerce. If you run Shopify product ads, pair this format with a clean feed using our Meta catalog sync for Shopify setup guide, because catalog errors break carousel rendering faster than any sizing mistake.

Instagram is the exception to the square rule. In Meta’s Ads Guide, image-only Instagram Feed carousels use 4:5, while carousels with video still use 1:1. Instagram carousel videos also cap at 2 minutes, compared with 240 minutes per card on Facebook.

So if one carousel serves both apps, square cards are the safe choice. Then build a 4:5 version for image-only Instagram carousels. Also, our Meta Advantage+ catalog ads guide shows how many unique products a catalog carousel needs.

Stories and Reels Ads

Specs

• Recommended: 1440 x 2560 (1080 x 1920 also works)
• Ratio: 9:16
• Minimum width: 500 pixels for Stories images, 250 pixels for Stories video, and for Instagram Reels 250 pixels under 30 seconds or 500 pixels at 30 seconds or longer
• File types: JPG or PNG for Story images, MP4 or MOV for video
• Max file size: 30MB image, 4GB video
• Stories image display time: not stated in Meta’s current Ads Guide, so make the message readable in the first second
• Reels: full-screen vertical video, and Meta’s Ads Guide now lists 9:16 image specs for Facebook and Instagram Reels too

Stories and Reels share the same 1080 x 1920 canvas, so one well-built vertical asset covers Facebook Stories, Instagram Stories, Messenger Stories, Facebook Reels and Instagram Reels. In other words, that is five placements from one export.

Video length is the one Stories spec where Meta’s own pages disagree. The Ads Guide lists 1 second to 3 minutes for Facebook Stories video. However, the Help Center lists 1 to 120 seconds (both checked October 2026). So keep Stories videos under 2 minutes, and they will clear both limits.

Safe Zones

This is where most vertical ads go wrong, because Meta overlays its own interface on your creative. For example, the profile name and icons sit at the top, while the call-to-action, primary text and engagement UI sit at the bottom.

So keep the top roughly 14 percent, the bottom roughly 35 percent and about 6 percent on each side of the frame free of logos, text and CTAs. On a 1080 x 1920 canvas that means keeping critical elements out of the top ~269 pixels, the bottom ~672 pixels and ~65 pixels on each side, inside a centered safe area of about 950 x 979.

We built transparent PNG overlays you can drop straight into Figma, Canva or Photoshop to check your Stories and Reels creative before export. Download them free here: Safe-Zone Overlays (coming with the cheat sheet)

If you spend any real budget on 9:16, use them. After all, we have audited plenty of accounts where the CTA button covered the offer text on every single Story ad, and nobody had noticed. It is also worth checking what competitors do in vertical placements. Our guide on how to spy on competitors’ ads shows you how to pull their live Stories and Reels creative from the Ad Library.

Where Exactly Are the Safe Zones on a 9:16 Stories or Reels Ad?

Meta’s Ads Guide asks you to keep roughly 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% of each side free of text, logos and other key elements on Facebook and Instagram Stories and Instagram Reels. On a 1440 x 2560 file, that leaves a safe area of about 1267 x 1306 pixels in the middle of the frame.

In contrast, Messenger Stories uses a smaller zone in the Ads Guide: roughly 14% (250 pixels) at the top and 20% (340 pixels) at the bottom. That is where the 250 and 340 pixel figures in many older guides come from.

Above all, the bottom zone is the one that catches people out. More than a third of a 9:16 frame sits under the caption, call to action and engagement buttons, so put the offer and the logo in the upper middle. If you make one vertical master for every placement, design to the Facebook and Instagram zone, because it also clears the smaller Messenger zone. Faceless and voiceover creative built this way also ports straight into paid placements, as our faceless Instagram marketing guide explains.

Instagram Placements

Instagram placements run from the same Ads Manager campaign, so the specs mostly mirror Facebook. Still, a few differences are worth knowing:

• Instagram Feed image: 1440 x 1800 recommended (4:5), with ratios from 1.91:1 to 4:5 accepted and a minimum width of 500 pixels. That floor is lower than Facebook’s, but stay at 1080 pixels or more on the short edge so the image stays sharp.
• Instagram Feed video: 1080 x 1920 at 9:16 is what Meta’s Ads Guide now recommends, with a 250-pixel minimum width. So Feed video now uses the same vertical canvas as Stories and Reels.
• Instagram Stories: 1440 x 2560 recommended (1080 x 1920 also works), 9:16, with the same safe zones as above.
• Instagram Reels: 1440 x 2560 recommended (1080 x 1920 also works) at 9:16, for images as well as video. Reels is where Meta is pushing inventory, and CPMs are often cheaper than Feed in the accounts we manage.
• Instagram Explore: 1440 x 1800 (4:5) for images and 1080 x 1920 (9:16) for video, which matches Feed. Explore reuses your Feed creative, so there is nothing extra to build.

As a result, if your Facebook creative follows the three-size system (1:1, 4:5, 9:16), Instagram is already covered.

Other Placements

These placements get less attention, even though Advantage+ placements put your ads here whether you designed for them or not.

Marketplace

1080 x 1080 or larger at 1:1, the ratio Meta recommends for both images and video here. As a result, your square Feed asset covers it. Marketplace ads sit next to organic listings, so product-on-clean-background creative tends to blend well here.

Right Column

1080 x 1080 recommended, minimum 254 x 133, desktop only. However, Meta’s Help Center suggests at least 1200 x 1200, so export at that size if you can. It displays small, so avoid fine text. Instead, treat it as a cheap retargeting placement, not a storytelling one.

In-Stream Video

1080 x 1080, ratio 1:1 or 16:9, plays inside other publishers’ videos. Viewers are mid-content and did not choose your ad, so front-load the brand and the message in the first two seconds.

Length rules also depend on the device. Meta’s Ads Guide lists 5 to 15 seconds on desktop and 5 seconds to 10 minutes on mobile. Even so, the limit may vary by objective. As a result, a 15-second cut is the safest single edit for this placement.

Messenger

Messenger Inbox takes a 1080 x 1080 square that appears between conversations. Meanwhile, Messenger Stories takes your standard 1080 x 1920 vertical. So no extra assets are needed if you built the core three sizes.

One caveat for 2027, though: Messenger Inbox no longer appears in the Ads Guide placement list. Still, Meta’s Help Center lists a 1200 x 1200 recommended minimum for it. So check that Ads Manager still offers the placement before you build an inbox-only asset. Meanwhile, Messenger Stories video runs 1 to 60 seconds, with about 14% (250 pixels) clear at the top and bottom.

Audience Network

Native, banner and interstitial units accept 1080 x 1080 with a 398 x 208 minimum. Rewarded video, by comparison, is 1080 x 1920 at 9:16. In other words, Audience Network runs your ads inside third-party apps. We often exclude it for lead gen campaigns and keep it for broad awareness, but that is a strategy call, not a spec one.

Search Results

1080 x 1080, 1:1. These ads show in Facebook search results and Marketplace search. Small placement, but it pairs interestingly with organic visibility work. If you care about being found in search more broadly, our Facebook SEO guide covers how Pages and public posts rank both inside Facebook search and on Google.

What Size Are Facebook Business Explore Ads?

Facebook Business Explore ads use 1.91:1 to 1:1 images at 1080 x 1080 or larger, according to Meta’s Ads Guide (checked October 2026). The minimum is 600 x 600, with a 3% ratio tolerance. Video, in contrast, runs at 1:1, or 4:5 on mobile only, for up to 241 minutes.

In Business Explore, people browse ads and organic posts from related businesses on topics such as beauty or fitness. Its text guidance is tighter than Feed, though: 125 characters of primary text, a 27-character headline and a 27-character description. So your square Feed asset fits as is, as long as the headline stays short.

What Are the Ad Sizes for Threads and WhatsApp Status?

Threads feed and WhatsApp Status are the newest Meta placements. Both run from the same Ads Manager campaigns as Facebook and Instagram, so most Facebook ad sizes carry over. For Threads, Meta’s Help Center recommends 1440 x 1440 for images and 1440 x 1800 for video. In contrast, WhatsApp Status works best at 9:16 (both checked October 2026).

The table sums up both placements, so you can see where your existing Feed and Stories files already fit:

How Should You Size Ads for Threads?

Because Threads crops anything taller than 4:5 back to 4:5, your 4:5 Feed export already fits without extra work. In addition, a 1:1 square works, since Threads supports every ratio from 1.91:1 to 9:16. However, a 9:16 Story file would lose its top and bottom, so do not rely on it for Threads.

Copy rules differ, too. Meta recommends 80 to 160 characters of primary text and a 40-character headline, with up to 30 hashtags. However, URLs are not supported in the primary text. Also, call-to-action buttons do not render on Threads video ads yet, so put the offer in the creative itself.

Finally, some formats do not deliver to Threads at all. Meta’s Help Center lists collection ads, slideshows, dynamic creative and Advantage+ creative among them. So check those settings if Threads never spends.

How Should You Size Ads for WhatsApp Status?

Meta groups WhatsApp Status with Stories and Reels and recommends 9:16 for both images and video. Its Help Center also lists a 500 x 320 recommended minimum image and video up to 60 minutes (checked October 2026). So your 1440 x 2560 Stories asset is the natural fit.

However, Meta’s Ads Guide does not yet publish a WhatsApp Status page or safe zone. Until it does, keep text inside the 14% top, 35% bottom and 6% side margins you use for Stories. Then preview the placement in Ads Manager before launch.

Collection Ads and Instant Experience

Collection ads pair a cover image or video with product cards below it, and tapping opens a full-screen Instant Experience.

• Cover image or video: at least 1080 x 1080, at 1.91:1 to 1:1 in Feed and up to 9:16 in Reels and Explore
• Minimum: not listed for Facebook, and 500 x 500 on Instagram Feed and Stories
• Product cards: pulled from your catalog at 1:1
• Instant Experience images: 1080 wide recommended, they render full-width on mobile
• Instant Experience video: up to 2 minutes recommended per video component

Across the brands we audit, Collection is badly underused. After all, it is effectively a mobile landing page inside Meta, with no load-time drop-off. For seasonal pushes, then, it is a strong format. That is why we lean on it heavily in Q4, and our Black Friday marketing strategies guide covers how we structure those campaigns.

Character Limits: Primary Text, Headline, Description

Sizes get all the attention, but text truncation quietly damages more ads than wrong dimensions do. So primary text, headline and description character limits deserve the same respect as pixel specs.

Where Does Meta Cut Off Ad Text?

Key truncation notes:

• Meta accepts long primary text, but on mobile it cuts at roughly 125 characters with a “See more” link. So your hook must land inside those 125 characters. That is why we write the first sentence as if it is the whole ad.
• In Facebook Feed, headlines past 27 characters can get cut with an ellipsis, so front-load the value.
• The description field is also the least reliable. It shows on some placements and not others, so never put essential information there.
• Stories and Reels trim visible text even harder because the UI overlays eat space. So keep primary text short for vertical placements.

Similarly, in regulated or sensitive niches, tight text limits collide with compliance requirements, which makes copywriting genuinely hard. We wrote about handling that balance in our weight loss ads guide, where every claim has to fit policy and still hook in 125 characters.

What Is the Facebook Ad Headline Character Limit?

Meta recommends a 27-character headline in Facebook Feed and 40 characters in most other placements (Ads Guide, checked October 2026). These are display recommendations rather than hard caps, so a longer headline still runs, but it may be cut off. The table groups each recommended headline length by placement:

Primary text works the same way. Meta suggests 50 to 150 characters in Facebook Feed, 125 in most other placements and about 40 to 44 in Reels. Its Help Center also advises keeping primary text to one to three lines at most.

So write the headline first, then trim the primary text until the hook fits in the first line. For hook ideas, our direct response advertising guide breaks down what stops the scroll on Meta.

File Types, Sizes and Video Length Limits

Two practical notes from our production workflow. First, just because the cap is 4GB does not mean you should upload 4GB. Heavier files take longer to process and gain you nothing after compression. Instead, a clean 1080p H.264 export at a sensible bitrate is all Meta needs.

Second, export video with a fixed frame rate. Otherwise, variable frame rate footage straight off a phone screen recorder is a common cause of stuttery processed ads.

Finally, a note on video duration: the 241-minute ceiling is mostly theoretical. Almost everything we run sits between 15 and 60 seconds, because the first three seconds decide whether anyone keeps watching, and shorter cuts consistently win in Feed and Reels.

How Long Can a Facebook Video Ad Be?

A Facebook video ad can run up to 241 minutes in Feed and Marketplace. However, most other placements set far shorter limits, such as 15 seconds for Ads on Facebook Reels. The table lists each limit from Meta’s Ads Guide and Help Center (checked October 2026):

Even so, the maximum is rarely the right target. As noted above, almost everything we run sits between 15 and 60 seconds. After all, the first three seconds decide whether anyone keeps watching. Then test each cut as a system rather than a guess, as our guide on how to improve ROAS explains.

What Happens If You Upload the Wrong Size

Three scenarios, in increasing order of pain.

Wrong ratio, Advantage+ placements on. Meta’s Advantage+ creative system auto-crops or letterboxes your asset to fit each placement. For example, upload only a square, and Meta will center-crop it to fill 9:16 for Stories, which can slice off logos, faces and text at the edges. Auto-cropping is convenient, but it optimizes for coverage, not composition.

The fix is simple, though: supply placement-specific assets. Ads Manager lets you assign a different crop or a different file per placement group within one ad. So use it.

Below recommended, above minimum. Your ad runs, but Meta upscales or heavily compresses it, and it looks soft next to competitors’ sharp creative. After all, feeds are a side-by-side comparison whether you like it or not.

Below minimum. In that case, Meta rejects the asset or blocks the placement. For example, a 400-pixel-wide image cannot serve to Instagram Feed, because the minimum width there is 500 pixels.

The professional standard, and what we enforce on every account including the accounts we run for other agencies through our white label Meta ads service, is the three-asset system: 1:1, 4:5 and 9:16 versions of every concept, each composed for its frame rather than cropped from one master.

Why Does Meta Crop an Ad That Is Already the Right Size?

Meta can still crop or pad a correctly sized file, because each placement and device frames it differently. For example, Meta’s Help Center says it may zoom a vertical ad to fill phones taller than 9:16. That zoom can crop anything outside the safe zone. Similarly, the desktop version of Facebook Feed shows video at 1:1, so a 4:5 video can pick up black bars.

Automated settings add another layer, and they are widely used. On its Q2 2025 earnings call (July 30, 2025), Meta said nearly 2 million advertisers were using its video generation features. Those tools, Image Animation and Video Expansion, sit in its Advantage+ creative suite.

As covered above, Advantage+ creative can also reframe media for each placement. So a 4:5 upload may appear in a different crop than the one you exported. To keep control, review the creative enhancements before you publish. Then assign your own file to each placement group and preview every placement in Ads Manager.

Once each placement looks right, our guide to Meta conversion campaigns explains why distinct creative concepts beat near-copies.

Why does Ads Manager ask for 1:1 when Meta recommends 4:5 for Feed?

Ads Manager’s upload flow still asks for 1:1, 9:16 and 1.91:1 versions, while Meta’s placement guidance recommends 4:5 for Feed. Upload a 4:5 image or video for Feed and a 9:16 version for Stories and Reels, and use the per-placement crop in Ads Manager to check how each one is shown. A 4:5 asset takes more of the mobile screen than a square one.

Why do Meta ad images look blurry?

• Export at the exact recommended size instead of letting Meta scale your file up or down.
• Use PNG for images with text or logos, since JPG compression softens small text.
• Keep text out of the safe zones, where buttons and captions cover it in Stories and Reels.

Which Format Performs Best

Specs tell you what fits. However, they do not tell you what wins. Here is our honest read after years of buying Meta traffic.

4:5 beats 1:1 in Feed for most accounts. The reason is mechanical: a 4:5 asset occupies more of the mobile screen, which means more attention per impression. Meta’s own creative guidance, in fact, recommends 4:5 for mobile Feed placements. That is why it sits in the recommended column, not just the supported one.

9:16 is not optional anymore. Stories and Reels inventory is where Meta keeps adding supply, and vertical-native creative consistently outperforms cropped or letterboxed horizontal creative there. Cropped landscape video in a Reels slot looks like an ad, whereas native vertical looks like content.

Both points come back to the same principle: build mobile-first creative. Nearly every impression you buy on Meta lands on a phone, so compose for the phone screen first and make the opening frame thumb-stopping, because you get about a second before the scroll moves on. In short, desktop is the afterthought, not the starting point.

Format follows the placement mix, and the placement mix follows results. For example, we rebuilt creative around properly composed placement-specific assets for a fitness app client, alongside structural and targeting changes. The fitness app Meta ads case study shows what changed.

For an e-commerce example, see how we built creative to spec for every placement a skincare client ran in. Creative dimensions alone did not produce those numbers, but sloppy dimensions would have capped them.

Finally, one more performance lever has nothing to do with pixels: your tracking. After all, the best-sized ad in the world underperforms if Meta cannot see conversions properly. If you have not set up the Conversions API, start with our enhanced conversions and Meta CAPI setup guide.

Download: One-Page Meta Ad Sizes Cheat Sheet

Two free assets, no email gate:

1. Meta Ad Sizes Cheat Sheet (PDF): the master table from this page on a single printable sheet. Download the cheat sheet
2. Stories and Reels Safe-Zone Templates (PNG overlays): transparent 1080 x 1920 overlays marking the top and bottom UI zones, ready to drop into your design tool. Download the overlays

Then print the cheat sheet, pin it next to your designer, and stop having the “what size again?” conversation.

Treat These as Production Recommendations, Not Timeless Rules

Meta changes placements, crops and interface overlays over time. So maintain three master ratios for most campaigns: 1:1, 4:5 and 9:16. Keep essential text, products and faces away from interface-heavy edges, then preview every active placement in Ads Manager before publishing.

However, a compliant dimension is not automatically a good creative. So review thumb-stop rate, three-second video views, click-through rate, landing-page conversion and cost per business outcome by placement and asset. Re-check Meta’s current tools whenever a new placement or format appears.

That is the difference between fitting the slot and earning the result. Learn how our PPC agency approaches the work, then compare the method with the evidence in our fitness app Meta Ads case study.

FAQs

What is the best size for a Facebook ad in 2027?

For Feed placements, 1440 x 1800 at a 4:5 ratio is the size Meta’s Ads Guide recommends, and 1080 x 1350 is the same ratio at lower resolution. For Stories and Reels, Meta recommends 1440 x 2560 at 9:16, and 1080 x 1920 works too. If you can only produce one asset, make it 1080 x 1080 square, because it is accepted almost everywhere, but the three-size system performs better.

What size are Facebook ads in pixels?

The core pixel sizes are 1080 x 1080 for square, 1080 x 1350 for vertical Feed, 1080 x 1920 for Stories and Reels, and 1200 x 628 for landscape link ads. Minimums are lower, for example 600 x 600 for Feed images, but staying at or above 1080 pixels on the short edge keeps creative sharp.

Is 1:1 or 4:5 better for Meta Feed ads?

4:5 is generally better in mobile Feed because it fills more screen and Meta recommends it for mobile placements. 1:1 is still needed for placements that only accept square, such as Marketplace, Right Column and carousel cards. We build both for every concept.

What size is a 9:16 Facebook ad?

Meta’s Ads Guide recommends 1440 x 2560 pixels for a 9:16 ad, and 1080 x 1920 is the same ratio at lower resolution. This covers Facebook Stories, Instagram Stories, Messenger Stories, Facebook Reels, Instagram Reels and Audience Network rewarded video. Keep key content out of the top ~14 percent, the bottom ~35 percent and ~6 percent on each side to avoid Meta’s interface overlays.

What is the maximum Facebook ad image file size?

30MB for images across Meta placements. In practice a properly exported JPG or PNG at 1080 to 1440 pixels rarely exceeds a few megabytes, so the cap is not something you should ever hit with normal creative.

What is the maximum video file size for Meta ads?

4GB per video file. As with images, the cap is far above what you need. A clean 1080p H.264 MP4 export is what Meta’s processing pipeline is built for, and lighter files process faster.

What aspect ratio do carousel ads use?

Carousel cards use 1:1, with each card at 1080 x 1080. Every card in the carousel must use the same aspect ratio, and you can run 2 to 10 cards per ad with either images or videos on each card.

Does the 20 percent text rule still apply?

No. Meta retired the rule that penalized images with more than 20 percent text coverage. You can now run text-heavy images without reduced delivery. That said, we still keep overlay text minimal because clean visuals with the message in the primary text field consistently outperform text-crammed images in our testing.

Are Facebook and Meta ad sizes different?

No. Meta is the parent company name, and Facebook is one platform within it. When people say Meta ad sizes they mean the specs across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Audience Network, all of which are managed from the same Ads Manager and covered in the master table above.

What are the character limits for primary text, headline and description?

Primary text shows about 125 characters before “See more” truncation, headlines show 27 characters, and descriptions show 27 characters where they display at all. Meta technically accepts much longer text, up to 3,000 characters of primary text, but only the visible portion does the selling.

What happens if my image is smaller than the minimum size?

Meta will reject the asset or make the placement unavailable. If the image is above the minimum but below the recommended size, it will run but may be upscaled and look soft, which hurts click-through rates. Always export at or above 1080 pixels on the short edge.

Do the same specs apply to Instagram placements?

Mostly yes. The core sizes (1:1, 4:5, 9:16) carry across both platforms, which is why the three-asset system works. The main differences are in the details: Instagram Feed accepts images as narrow as 500 pixels wide and ratios from 1.91:1 to 4:5, and Meta now recommends 9:16 for Instagram Feed video.

What size should my Facebook ad be so it does not get cropped on Instagram?

Use 1080 x 1350 (4:5) for Feed placements and 1080 x 1920 (9:16) for Stories and Reels, and assign each asset to its placement group in Ads Manager. Cropping happens when Meta auto-fits one ratio into a different slot, usually a square or landscape file forced into a vertical placement. Supply the right ratio per placement and nothing gets cut off.

Why does my Facebook ad look blurry after I upload it?

The most common cause is uploading below the recommended resolution, so Meta upscales or heavily compresses the file. Export at 1080 pixels or more on the short edge, use JPG or PNG for images and a clean 1080p H.264 MP4 for video, and avoid screenshots or files that were already compressed once. If a sharp file still looks soft, check that Advantage+ is not stretching a small asset into a larger placement.

How long should my Facebook video ad be?

Aim for 15 to 30 seconds for most campaigns, even though Meta allows a video duration of up to 241 minutes on many placements. Shorter videos hold attention better in Feed and Reels, and the first three seconds decide whether anyone stays. Put the hook and the brand up front and treat everything after 30 seconds as optional.

Can I just make one image and use it for every Facebook ad placement?

You can, if it is 1080 x 1080 square, because that size is accepted almost everywhere. But you will leave performance on the table: 4:5 fills more of the mobile screen in Feed, and Stories and Reels look best with native 9:16 creative. The three-asset system (1:1, 4:5 and 9:16) is a small amount of extra work for a meaningful gain.

What is the smallest image size Facebook will accept for an ad?

Meta’s Ads Guide lists a minimum width of 600 pixels for Facebook Feed images (750 pixels tall at 4:5) and 500 pixels wide for Instagram Feed. Meeting the minimum only means your ad will not be rejected. It will still look soft next to competitors’ creative, so treat 1080 pixels on the short edge as your real floor.

Do Reels ads need a different video than Stories ads?

No. One 1080 x 1920 vertical video covers Facebook Stories, Instagram Stories, Messenger Stories, Facebook Reels and Instagram Reels. The only caveat is safe zones: keep text, logos and CTAs out of the top roughly 14 percent, the bottom roughly 35 percent and about 6 percent on each side so Meta’s interface does not cover them.

What size should a Facebook Reels ad be in 2027?

Meta’s Ads Guide recommends 9:16 at 1440 x 2560 pixels for Facebook Reels, for both images and video, with no maximum video length listed. A 1080 x 1920 file is the same ratio and also works. Keep the 14% top, 35% bottom and 6% side margins Meta gives for Stories and Instagram Reels, and keep primary text near 40 characters and headlines near 55.

What are the Instagram ad sizes for 2027?

Meta’s Ads Guide recommends 1440 x 1800 (4:5) for Instagram Feed and Explore home images, 1440 x 2560 (9:16) for Stories and Reels, and 1080 x 1920 (9:16) for Instagram Feed video. The minimum image width is 500 pixels, and Feed images can run from 1.91:1 landscape to 4:5 vertical. Primary text of about 125 characters fits most Instagram placements.

What is the aspect ratio for Facebook ads?

Facebook Feed accepts 1.91:1, 16:9, 1:1 and 4:5, and Meta’s Help Center recommends 4:5 for both images and video there. Stories and Reels, by contrast, are built for 9:16. So a 4:5 Feed file plus a 9:16 vertical covers most Facebook placements. Meanwhile, 1:1 stays the safe fallback for square slots.

Can you run image ads in Facebook and Instagram Reels?

Yes, because Meta’s Ads Guide now lists image specs for both Reels placements: 9:16 at 1440 x 2560 pixels, up to 30MB. Facebook Reels images need at least 600 x 600. Instagram Reels images, by comparison, need a 500-pixel minimum width and allow only 1% ratio tolerance. So export the static at exactly 9:16 and keep text inside the safe zone.

Does Meta still accept 1200 x 628 Facebook ads?

Yes, because a 1200 x 628 image is a 1.91:1 landscape, and Facebook Feed still accepts that ratio. So do Search Results and Business Explore. However, Meta now recommends 4:5 for Feed, so a landscape file fills far less of a phone screen. Use 1200 x 628 for legacy link creative, and build a 4:5 version for new campaigns.

What is the Facebook ad size in inches or centimeters?

Meta sets ad sizes in pixels, not inches or centimeters, because every screen displays them at a different physical size. However, a 1080-pixel edge printed at 300 pixels per inch comes out at 3.6 inches, or about 9.1 cm. So build your design file in pixels, and use inches only for print proofs.

Need Meta Ads Managed?

Specs are the easy part. By comparison, making creative that converts inside those specs is where accounts are won.

If you would rather have a team that lives in Ads Manager handle it, from creative sizing to tracking to scaling, we do exactly that for brands and for agencies. Take a look at our Meta ads case studies or reach out to Hustle Marketers for a free account review. And if you are also working on organic visibility, start with our companion guide on Facebook SEO.

Sources and Verification

Facts that can change were rechecked on October 28, 2026 against these primary sources:

• Meta for Business: Reels ads
• Meta for Business: Advantage+ placements
• Meta for Business: carousel ads
• Meta Ads Guide: ad format specs and recommendations