Facebook Reels Specs: Size, Length and Limits (2026)

#How long can a Facebook Reel be?

In the app, there is no limit. Meta's business help page says there is no minimum or maximum length requirement and that a Reel can be any length you want. It also explains why: in June 2025 Facebook renamed its Videos tab to the Reels tab, and all videos posted to Facebook are now shared as Reels, in any length or orientation. Meta's June 2025 announcement said the same thing, that Reels on Facebook would not have any length or format restrictions.

Through the API, the limit is still 3 to 90 seconds. That gap matters if you use a scheduler. A 2 minute clip that uploads fine in the Facebook app will be rejected if a tool tries to publish it as a Reel by API.

If you also post to Instagram and Snapchat, see Instagram Reels length limits and ideal Reel length by platform for how the limits line up.

#Facebook Reels size and aspect ratio

Shoot or export at 9:16. The API docs list 1080x1920 as recommended and 540x960 as the minimum. Anything vertical and smaller than 540 pixels wide will be refused.

Keep text and faces away from the edges. Meta's Safe Zone guidance is written for ads, but it describes the same problem: on screens taller than 9:16 the video may be zoomed to fill the screen, which can crop anything outside the Safe Zone, and the profile icon and call to action buttons sit over the frame. Our safe zones for Reels text post has the exact margins Meta publishes.

#Facebook Reels API limits

These come from the Reels Publishing API docs:

• 30 posts per rolling 24 hours. The Reels API is limited to 30 API published posts per Page in any 24 hour moving period, enforced on the video_reels endpoint. Meta recommends that apps enforce this themselves, especially when users can schedule. This is the limit my own uploader hit.
• Scheduling window. A scheduled Reel needs a publish time more than 10 minutes from now and within 29 days. In practice I found the API would not take a scheduled time further out than about 29 days.
• Pages only. Reels can only be published to Facebook Pages by API, not personal profiles, and the only privacy option is Public.
• Permissions. A Page access token with pages_show_list, pages_read_engagement and pages_manage_posts.
• Hosting. If you pass a video URL, the host must allow Facebook's crawler (the facebookexternalhit user agent), and Meta CDN links are rejected.

The detail on hitting these limits is in Facebook API Reels limits.

#The limit Meta doesn't publish

Staying inside 30 a day is not the same as being safe. In September 2026 I sent 25 to 30 Reels a day by API to a brand new Page, created on 27 September with about 20 followers, many of them scheduled weeks ahead. The first few Reels got 12 to 21 views each. Within about a week new Reels were getting 0 to 2 views, then 0.

The Page appeared to have been limited as spam. The API has no field that shows a Page restriction, so a scheduling tool cannot see it. Only the Page owner sees it, in Page status or the Professional dashboard. I deleted every scheduled post and paused automated posting.

If your new Page's Reels suddenly drop to zero, start with Facebook Reels getting zero views. If you post the same Reel to Instagram and Snapchat too, the complete guide to cross posting short videos covers how the three sets of rules fit together.

#Checking a file before you post

Run your export through the video checker to confirm its duration, resolution and file size before it goes anywhere near a schedule. Reel Uploader posts one Reel at a time against a daily cap you set per account. On a new Page, set it far below Meta's 30.

#Questions people ask

#Do Facebook Reels have a time limit?

Not in the app. Meta says Reels can be any length or orientation. Through the Reels Publishing API they must be 3 to 90 seconds.

#What size should a Facebook Reel be?

9:16 at 1080x1920 is Meta's recommendation. The minimum is 540x960.

#Can I schedule Facebook Reels more than a month ahead?

Not through the API. The publish time must be within 29 days.

#How many Reels can a Page post per day?

By API, 30 in any rolling 24 hours. Meta does not publish a limit for Reels posted by hand in the app.