Free cheat sheet for service businesses

Meta Ads Specs Cheat Sheet

Every Facebook and Instagram ad size, video spec, text limit, and safe zone you need, on one page. Checked against Meta’s Ads Guide on October 10, 2026.

Covers

Feed, Stories, Reels, and Carousel

Last checked

October 10, 2026

Cost

Free. No email required.

Last checked against Meta's Ads Guide: October 10, 2026

Start here

Three Sizes Cover Almost Every Placement

If you only make three versions of an ad, make these. File types: JPG or PNG for images, MP4 or MOV for video.

4:51440 x 1800 pixelsFacebook and Instagram Feed

9:161440 x 2560 pixelsStories and Reels

1:1At least 1080 x 1080 pixelsCarousel and Marketplace

Image ads

Image Ad Sizes and Text Limits

Text numbers are Meta's recommended lengths. Longer text still runs, but it gets cut off behind "See more."

Placement	Ratio	Recommended size	Primary text	Headline	Good to know
Facebook Feed	4:5	1440 x 1800	50 to 150 characters	27 characters	Max 30MB. At least 600 pixels wide.
Instagram Feed	4:5	1440 x 1800	125 characters	40 characters	Ratios from 1.91:1 to 4:5 accepted. Up to 30 hashtags.
Facebook Stories	9:16	1440 x 2560	125 characters	40 characters	Keep the safe zones below clear.
Instagram Stories	9:16	1440 x 2560	125 characters	Not listed	Keep the safe zones below clear.
Facebook Reels	9:16	1440 x 2560	40 characters	55 characters	Meta recommends no text on the image itself.
Instagram Reels	9:16	1440 x 2560	44 characters	Not listed	Keep the safe zones below clear.
Facebook Marketplace	1:1	At least 1080 x 1080	125 characters	40 characters	Description: 30 characters.

Video ads

Video Ad Sizes, Lengths, and Text Limits

Every placement below takes MP4 or MOV up to 4GB. Meta recommends H.264 video with stereo AAC audio at 128kbps or higher, and captions on every video.

Placement	Ratio	Recommended size	Length	Primary text	Headline
Facebook Feed	4:5	1440 x 1800	1 second to 241 minutes	50 to 150 characters	27 characters
Instagram Feed	9:16	1080 x 1920	1 second to 60 minutes	125 characters	Not listed
Facebook Stories	9:16	1440 x 2560	1 second to 3 minutes	125 characters	40 characters
Instagram Stories	9:16	1440 x 2560	1 second to 60 minutes	125 characters	Not listed
Facebook Reels	9:16	1440 x 2560	No maximum listed	40 characters	55 characters
Instagram Reels	9:16	1440 x 2560	Up to 15 minutes	44 characters	Not listed

Reels ads cannot use licensed music. Use original audio or a track from Meta's Sound Collection.
Sound matters most on Reels. Meta lists sound as optional but strongly recommended there.

Carousel ads

Carousel Ad Specs

Carousels run 2 to 10 cards, and every card needs a landing page link.

Placement	Ratio	Size	Primary text	Headline	Good to know
Facebook Feed	1:1	At least 1080 x 1080	80 characters	20 characters	Description: 18 characters. Video cards up to 240 minutes.
Instagram Feed	4:5	At least 1080 x 1080	125 characters	Not listed	4:5 works for image-only carousels. Any video card makes it 1:1. Video cards up to 2 minutes.

Safe zones

Stories and Reels Safe Zones

Keep text, logos, and offers in here

TOP 14%

BOTTOM 35%

On 9:16 ads, Meta's buttons, profile icon, and captions sit over the top and bottom of the screen. Anything important placed there can get covered or cropped.

Top 14%: about 360 pixels on a 1440 x 2560 file.
Bottom 35%: about 900 pixels. This is where the call to action button and caption sit.
Each side 6%: about 86 pixels.

Meta's Facebook Stories video guide lists 20% at the bottom, but every other 9:16 placement says 35%. Plan for 35% and one design works everywhere.

Source: Meta Ads Guide. Meta updates its specs from time to time, so check the preview in Ads Manager before you launch.

How it works

How To Use This Cheat Sheet

Shoot Vertical

Film and design in 9:16 first. A tall video is easy to crop down to 4:5 or 1:1, but a square one cannot be stretched up.

Make Three Sizes

Export a 4:5, a 9:16, and a 1:1 version of each ad. Those three cover Feed, Stories, Reels, Carousel, and Marketplace.

Lead With The Offer

Put the offer in the first 40 characters of your text. That is all Facebook Reels shows before it cuts off.

Preview Every Placement

Check each placement in the Ads Manager preview before you publish. Look for text hidden by buttons or cut off at the edges.

The numbers on this page are Meta’s recommendations. Ads with longer text or other sizes can still run, but they may get cropped or cut off.

Straight answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Short, straight answers about Facebook and Instagram ad sizes. If yours is not here, ask us directly.

What size should a Facebook ad image be?

Meta recommends 1440 x 1800 pixels at a 4:5 ratio for Facebook Feed, as a JPG or PNG up to 30MB. For Stories and Reels, use 1440 x 2560 pixels at 9:16.

How long can Facebook ad text be?

Meta recommends 50 to 150 characters of primary text and a 27 character headline in Facebook Feed. Reels shows much less: 40 characters of primary text on Facebook Reels and 44 on Instagram Reels. Longer text still runs, but it gets cut off behind “See more.”

Do I need a different ad for every placement?

No. Three sizes cover nearly every placement: 4:5 for Feed, 9:16 for Stories and Reels, and 1:1 for Carousel and Marketplace. If you upload only one size, Meta adjusts it to fit the other placements, which can crop your text or logo.

What are safe zones on Stories and Reels ads?

They are the parts of a 9:16 ad that Meta’s buttons, profile icon, and captions sit on top of. Keep the top 14%, the bottom 35%, and 6% on each side free of text, logos, and offers.

How current is this cheat sheet?

We checked every number against Meta’s Ads Guide on October 10, 2026, and the date at the top of the sheet changes each time we check again. Meta updates its specs from time to time, so preview your ad in Ads Manager before you launch.