How Long Can Instagram Videos Be?

/16 December, 2022 6:53 am

How long should your IG videos be exactly? While the answer varies, Instagram makes one thing quite obvious. Its first focus is reels, and yours should be the same.

YouTube video player

While Reels are Instagram’s first priority, there are several ways to use video to create a story on Instagram. In this post, we will cover the recommended lengths for all of Instagram’s video formats, including Reels, Stories, IG Video, and IGTV.

Instagram video viewing has grown 80% since 2017. This shows Instagram’s video success. Advertisers are starting to take notice. According to the results of our estimation, 58 percent of video marketers want to use IG in their video marketing strategies.

However, publishing videos on Instagram is not sufficient to assure success. You must ensure that your material is relevant and entertaining for users, which includes ensuring that the video duration is appropriate.

With that in mind, let’s examine the video lengths for the various Instagram video types.

Instagram video duration limit

Instagram video duration limit

First, let’s consider the length restrictions. This is Instagram’s maximum video duration.

Note that IGTV didn’t exist in Oct 2021. Instead, Instagram Video comprises both in-feed video postings and IGTV. This makes uploading and finding long-form videos easier.

Instagram announced the upgrade, saying,

“We’re delighted that our creative community has embraced video as a critical format for telling their stories, engaging their audiences, and connecting with them.”

IG videos are 10 mins max (some verified profiles have a 60-min limit.). All of these videos are on a user’s profile under the video. When users see an IG Video post in their feed, they can watch a 60-second preview before watching the full video.

The following are the maximum and minimum video lengths allowed on Instagram. If you’ve videos that surpass these length limits, there are ways to circumvent this restriction.

Length restrictions for Instagram video types

If you have an existing video that exceeds Instagram’s length limit but you still want to upload it, you have the option of trimming the video to meet the requirements. This functionality is native to Instagram! Therefore you have the simple choice to do so when uploading:

If you are satisfied with your trimmed IG video, you may now quit. You can, however, make a carousel post if you wish to feature the entire thing (length restriction be damned!). A carousel post enables you to share up to ten photos or videos in a single post, which people may easily navigate by swiping. If you wish to publish a lengthy video, you may simply divide it into multiple parts and upload them as a carousel post.

The same holds true for Instagram Stories. Each 15-second narrative is limited to four uploads. These will play consecutively for up to sixty seconds (each narrative is represented by a bar at the top of the screen).

Instagram Reels length

  • Length: 60 seconds maximum, although shorter movies are recommended.
  • Aspect ratio: 9:16 vertical

Reel Instagram are version of TikTok videos. Individuals and businesses alike may use Reels to produce short, amusing videos of up to sixty seconds in length that exhibit their creativity and bring their personalities and brands to life.

When it comes to Reel length, Instagram does not provide a specific figure, instead suggesting that the shorter, the better.

“Keep It, Brief. Our community adores short, engaging movies; making reels the greatest method to provide them with such content.”

How many seconds does “keep it brief” represent?

We recommend experimenting with various video lengths to see how your audience reacts. Your optimal video length could be 6-12 sec. The only way to determine this is to test different video lengths and determine which consistently generates the most interaction.

Instagram Stories duration

  • Duration: 15 seconds
  • Aspect ratio: 9:16 vertical:

Instagram Stories are pictures and videos posted by users and viewed by followers for 24 hours (unless they are saved to IG Highlights, where they can live indefinitely).

Instagram Stories have a 15-second duration limit. Instagram will broadcast videos longer than 15 seconds in 15-second parts. However, based on our own testing, it appears that you will only receive four 15-second segments, so this only works for videos up to one minute in length.

Consequently, Instagram is now experimenting with raising the length of Stories to one minute. Our community has often requested the option to produce longer Stories postings. We’re excited to try 60-second Stories, which will reduce interruptions.

Using applications such as CutStory or Instasize, you can divide videos longer than a minute.

Instagram Video duration (Feed Videos)

Instagram Video duration Feed Videos

  • Length: Up to one hour
  • Aspect ratio: 1:1 for squares and 9:16 for verticals.

Instagram stated in the fall of 2021 that it would merge IGTV and feed videos into a single format dubbed Instagram Video, delivering a more simplified video-viewing experience for consumers.

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Previously, you had to exit the main app to watch IGTV videos. Now, all Instagram Videos live in your feed and can be seen by clicking the video icon (the triangle-shaped play button) on a user’s profile.

These videos can be up to 60 minutes long, but you can view a 60-second teaser of them in your feed (except for videos that are eligible for ads, which will still preview for 15 seconds).

Instagram Live duration

  • Length: Up to one hour
  • Aspect ratio: 9:16 vertical.

IG Live is an unedited video streamed in real-time, allowing users to observe events as they occur.

There is a 60-minute time limit per live stream on Instagram. However, once the 60-minute restriction has been reached, you can go live again for another hour and so on.

Last thoughts

Whether you want to become a Reels expert, want to make more interesting Stories, or are intrigued about long-form video, now is the ideal moment to begin creating more Instagram videos.

Currently, over 15 percent of all Instagram postings are videos. Instagram’s video popularity is increasing, so there has never been a better moment to improve your video marketing on the site. Happy video-making!

 

Amanda Silberling
Article By:
Amanda Silberling

I work at Likes Geek as a marketing researcher and journalist with over 5 years of experience in media and content marketing. With a demonstrated history of working in the international news and financial technology publishing industries. I manage content and the editorial team at Likes Geek.