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  Article updated: December 04, 2023

Work with videos

Each social network has unique video requirements, such as limits on file size and aspect ratio. Hootsuite takes care of file size compression, video width, height, and bit rate for you in video processing. But it’s a good idea to review other requirements, such as length limits, before you attach videos to your post. Legacy Pro users must ensure that their videos meet all file requirements.

Be prepared to wait for extra video processing time if Hootsuite needs to adjust your video for things like dimension or bit rate.

Tip: Hootsuite's adjustments can sometimes have a minor effect on video sharpness. To preview your video before posting, you can schedule it and view it in Planner. See Schedule a post.

This article provides information on the video requirements and limitations for Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok. For detailed instructions on how to attach videos to your posts, see Create and publish posts. For YouTube video requirements, see Publish a video to YouTube.

Video: Frictionless video publishing in the Hootsuite composer.

Video file requirements

Video requirements by social network
Twitter
Instagram mobile notification
Instagram direct publishing
Facebook Page
LinkedIn Page, profile
TikTok
Web formatsmp4, movmp4, movmp4, movmp4, movmp4, movmp4, mov
iOS formatmovmovmovmovmovmov
Android formatmp4mp4mp4mp4mp4mp4
File size1 GBn/a1 GB1 GB1 GB1 GB
Videos per post11010 (posts)
1 (reels)
1 (stories)
111
Length0.5 - 140 sec10 min
60 sec (stories)
3 - 60 sec
3 sec - 15 min (reels)
3 sec - 60 min (stories)
1 sec - 20 min3 sec - 10 min3 sec - 10 min
Width32-1280 pxn/a1920 px maxn/a4096 px max360 px min
Height32-1024 pxn/an/an/a2304 px max360 px min
Aspect ratioBetween 1:3 and 3:1n/aBetween 4:5 and 16:9
Between 1:5 and 5:1 (reels)
Between 16:9 and 9:16Between 1:2.4 and 2.4:1n/a
Bit rate25 Mbpsn/a25 Mbpsn/a30 Mbpsn/a
Frame rate30 or 60 fps recommended, not to exceed 60 fpsn/a23 - 60 fps10 - 60 fps23 - 60 fps
AudioMono or stereo
Recommended codecsAudio: AAC LC
Video: H264 High profile
Caption formatsrtNot supportedNot supportedsrtNot supportedNot supported

Understand aspect ratio

An aspect ratio describes an image or video's shape using a proportional relationship between its width and height. Aspect ratios are written as a formula of width to height, like 3:1.

For example, a square image has an aspect ratio of 1:1. The height and width are the same. The image could be 200px × 200px, or 1600px × 1600px, and the aspect ratio would still be 1:1.

A portrait-style image might have a ratio of 2:3, where the height is 1.5 times longer than the width. So the image could be 500px × 750px, 1000px × 1500px, etc.

Video cover images

Some social networks offer the ability to customize your video cover images (thumbnails) while some do not. You cannot customize video cover images on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram personal, Instagram stories, or TikTok. You cannot customize video cover images for Instagram posts with multiple images or videos (carousels). Other networks offer the following video cover options:

  • Facebook Page - Choose a suggested cover image or upload a custom image.
  • Instagram Business - Choose a suggested cover image or upload a custom image.

Notes:

  • Publishing videos to Facebook groups is not available through third-party providers like Hootsuite. You can publish videos to Facebook Pages.
  • Playable previews don't appear in Composer for videos with HEVC/H.265 codecs.
  • For information on LinkedIn video requirements for ads, see the LinkedIn help article LinkedIn video guidelines.

Make your video content accessible

Point to a video and select Video settings to add SRT captions to Twitter and Facebook videos. SRT file names must have the following format: filename.[language code]_[country code].srt. Language codes are two lowercase letters and country codes are two uppercase letters. For example: hypevideo.es_ES.srt. Refer to the Facebook list of valid language and country codes.

Tip: If you need to publish your subtitles in multiple languages, use the Schedule and duplicate (or Post and duplicate) option to build the post again with a different SRT file.

Looking for more info on .srt captions? Check out Inclusive Design for Social Media: Tips for Creating Accessible Channels. Visit the Hootsuite Blog for news, tips, tools, and tactics to help you succeed on social media.

Video processing times

There’s a short delay before Hootsuite publishes large videos and videos that need processing. Processing begins after you select Post or Schedule. While a video is processing, you can’t edit or duplicate the post.

If you want to change a scheduled video post, you need to make your changes at least 30 minutes before the scheduled publishing time.

A status window alerts you when processing is complete.

Status window showing video processing status.

Training: Hootsuite offers group training to Business and Enterprise plan customers. Sign up for Live Product Training and learn how to build success with Hootsuite.

 

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