YouTube video size and upload specs
YouTube accepts files up to 256 GB or 12 hours, whichever is less, and accounts that are not verified can post up to 15 minutes. Unlike most social apps, it also publishes a detailed encoding recipe, and it re-encodes everything you send anyway. So the useful question is not what will be accepted, since almost anything is, but what to send so the re-encode starts from a clean, sharp source. This page collects the limits and the recommended settings from YouTube Help, each with its own link and check date. For vertical clips under three minutes, see the YouTube Shorts page instead.
YouTube likes wide video
On a computer YouTube plays 16:9, for example 1920 x 1080. It recommends MP4 with H.264 video. Uploads can reach 256 GB or 12 hours, whichever is less. Resize a video and choose the wide shape to match.
Upload limits
| Maximum file size or length | 256 GB or 12 hours, whichever is lessSource, checked Oct 2026 |
|---|---|
| Default length for accounts that are not verified | Up to 15 minutesVerifying your account lifts this, up to the limits above.Source, checked Oct 2026 |
| Standard computer aspect ratio | 16:9, for example 1920 x 1080The player adapts to other shapes, so avoid adding black bars yourself.Source, checked Oct 2026 |
Recommended encoding
| Container | MP4Source, checked Oct 2026 |
|---|---|
| Video codec | H.264Source, checked Oct 2026 |
| Frame rate | The same as it was recordedDo not convert 24 to 30 or 30 to 60 before uploading.Source, checked Oct 2026 |
| Audio | AAC-LC, Opus or Eclipsa Audio, 48 kHz, Stereo or Stereo + 5.1Suggested audio bitrate is 384 kbps for stereo.Source, checked Oct 2026 |
| 720p bitrate (SDR) | 5 Mbps at 24, 25 or 30 fps; 7.5 Mbps at 48, 50 or 60 fpsSource, checked Oct 2026 |
| 1080p bitrate (SDR) | 8 Mbps at 24, 25 or 30 fps; 12 Mbps at 48, 50 or 60 fpsSource, checked Oct 2026 |
| 1440p bitrate (SDR) | 16 Mbps at 24, 25 or 30 fps; 24 Mbps at 48, 50 or 60 fpsSource, checked Oct 2026 |
| 4K bitrate (SDR) | 35 to 45 Mbps at 24, 25 or 30 fps; 53 to 68 Mbps at 48, 50 or 60 fpsSource, checked Oct 2026 |
Make one now
Stay at 16:9 for regular videos
Widescreen 16:9 is the shape YouTube expects on a computer and a TV, so a 1920 by 1080 export is the safe default. Free exports from ClipSizer are 720p, so a 16:9 export comes out at 1280 by 720. If your footage has another shape, let the player handle it. Burning in black bars yourself stops YouTube from fitting the player to your video, and the bars can look wrong on a phone.
Our resize tool can reframe a clip to 16:9 without leaving your browser. Your video stays on your device the whole time.
Match the original frame rate
YouTube asks you to keep the frame rate you recorded at. Converting 24 fps film footage to 30 or 60 adds duplicated frames, not smoothness, and can make motion look uneven. Choose the matching row of the bitrate table: standard frame rates use the lower number, and 48, 50 or 60 fps use the higher one.
Interlaced footage is the exception. YouTube asks you to deinterlace it first, for example turning 1080i60 into 1080p30.
Where the help pages disagree
The 15-minute figure applies to accounts that are not verified, while the file-size line allows up to 12 hours or 256 GB. They are not in conflict, because verification raises the first limit toward the second. If you run into the shorter cap, YouTube Help explains how to verify your account.
Bitrates in the table are YouTube suggestions for a good result, not hard limits. A slightly lower bitrate still uploads fine, but fine detail such as foliage or confetti shows the difference first.
Questions
What is the YouTube upload size limit?
The maximum file you can upload is 256 GB or 12 hours, whichever is smaller. Accounts that are not verified are limited to 15 minutes by default.
What is the best format to upload to YouTube?
MP4 with H.264 video and AAC-LC audio is the recommended combination. YouTube re-encodes your upload, so a clean source matters more than a specific container.
Which bitrate should I use for 1080p?
YouTube recommends 8 Mbps for 1080p at 24, 25 or 30 frames per second, and 12 Mbps at 48, 50 or 60. These are for standard dynamic range video.
What aspect ratio does YouTube want?
The standard on a computer is 16:9. Vertical videos are supported too, and the player resizes to fit them.
More platform specs
YouTube Shorts video specs
A Short can be up to 3 minutes long and must be square or vertical. It is not a separate upload type: YouTube decides after the fact, looking at the shape and length of the file you sent. That makes the rules short but unforgiving: get the shape or the length wrong and your clip is filed as an ordinary video instead. The rows below are the numbers YouTube Help states, with the page we read and the day we checked. Anything YouTube does not write down, such as exact safe-zone margins, is left out rather than guessed.
Facebook video specs
Facebook feed videos can be up to 4 GB and 241 minutes, in any shape from 16:9 landscape to 9:16 portrait. But Facebook is not one video surface, and each has its own shape and running time: Stories want a tall frame, and in-stream is its own short format. Meta publishes these numbers mainly for advertisers, so the tables below come from its ad pages. Ordinary posts from a profile or Page generally follow the same shapes, but we only list what Meta states in writing, and each row links to the page we read.