How to Resize Video for Social Media (Every Platform's Specs)

Why Video Dimensions Matter on Social Media

Post a horizontal video to TikTok and it shows up as a tiny strip with massive black bars. Share a vertical video on YouTube and viewers watch a letterboxed rectangle floating in the middle of their screen. Neither looks professional.

Social platforms display videos differently based on whether they match the expected format. A properly sized video:

• Takes up the maximum screen space
• Looks intentional rather than accidental
• Gets better engagement (people actually watch it)
• Doesn't get cropped in unexpected ways by the platform

Each platform optimized for different viewing contexts, which is why there's no single "correct" video size.

Video Dimensions for Every Platform (2026)

Here are the current specs for major social platforms:

YouTube

Standard videos: 1920x1080 (16:9 landscape)
Shorts: 1080x1920 (9:16 portrait)

YouTube is primarily a landscape platform. Horizontal videos get the full player. Vertical videos work for Shorts but show with pillarboxing (black bars on sides) in regular uploads.

Max file size: 256GB
Max length: 12 hours (or 128GB, whichever comes first)

TikTok

Feed videos: 1080x1920 (9:16 portrait)
Accepted range: 720x1280 minimum, up to 4K

TikTok is vertical-first. The entire app assumes portrait orientation. Landscape videos technically work but waste most of the screen and look out of place in the feed.

Max file size: 287MB (mobile), 10GB (desktop)
Max length: 10 minutes

Instagram

Reels: 1080x1920 (9:16)
Feed posts: 1080x1350 (4:5) or 1080x1080 (1:1)
Stories: 1080x1920 (9:16)

Instagram is complicated because different placements have different optimal sizes. Reels and Stories are vertical. Feed posts can be square or slightly vertical. Horizontal works but gets cropped in the feed grid.

Max file size: 4GB (Reels)
Max length: 90 seconds (Reels), 60 seconds (Stories)

LinkedIn

Feed videos: 1920x1080 (16:9) or 1080x1080 (1:1)

LinkedIn supports both landscape and square. Horizontal works well for professional content like presentations. Square takes up more feed space on mobile.

Max file size: 5GB
Max length: 10 minutes (15 minutes on some accounts)

Twitter/X

Feed videos: 1280x720 (16:9) or 720x720 (1:1)

Twitter auto-crops videos in the feed to roughly 16:9 regardless of original size. Square videos appear cropped. Vertical videos get severe letterboxing.

Max file size: 512MB
Max length: 2 minutes 20 seconds (or 10 minutes for some accounts)

Facebook

Feed videos: 1280x720 (16:9) or 1080x1080 (1:1)
Stories/Reels: 1080x1920 (9:16)

Facebook is flexible but optimizes for landscape in the feed and vertical in Stories and Reels.

Max file size: 10GB
Max length: 240 minutes

Understanding Aspect Ratios

Aspect ratio is the relationship between width and height. Some common ones:

16:9 (landscape): Standard widescreen. TVs, YouTube, computer screens.

9:16 (portrait): Flipped widescreen. Phone screens held vertically. TikTok, Reels, Stories.

1:1 (square): Equal sides. Instagram feed posts, some Twitter content.

4:5 (slightly vertical): Instagram's sweet spot for feed posts. More vertical than square, so it takes up more screen space while scrolling.

4:3 (old TV): Rarely used now, but you might see it in older footage.

When your video doesn't match the target ratio, something has to change. You either crop out part of the image, add padding (letterboxing), or stretch/squeeze the image to fit.

How to Resize a Video (Step-by-Step)

Here's how to resize using VidStudio's free resize tool:

Step 1: Open the Resize Tool

Go to vidstudio.app/resize. The tool works in any modern browser.

Step 2: Add Your Video

Drag your video into the drop zone or click to browse. MP4, MOV, AVI, MKV, and WebM files all work.

Step 3: Choose Your Target Dimensions

You have several options:

Platform Presets: Click the preset for your target platform (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram Square, Twitter, or LinkedIn). The tool sets the correct dimensions automatically.

Custom Size: Enter exact width and height values if you need non-standard dimensions.

Aspect Ratio: Pick a ratio and let the tool calculate dimensions based on your source video.

Step 4: Pick Your Resize Method

This is where it gets interesting. When your source video doesn't match the target aspect ratio, you need to decide what happens:

Letterbox (Fit): Scales the video to fit entirely within the target dimensions, adding black bars (or a color of your choice) to fill the remaining space. Nothing gets cut off, but you don't use the full frame.

Crop: Cuts off the edges of your video to fill the target dimensions completely. Uses the full frame, but you lose some of the image.

Stretch: Forces your video to fit the exact dimensions by distorting it. People and objects will look squished or stretched. Generally not recommended unless you want that effect.

Step 5: Adjust Positioning (for Crop Mode)

If you're cropping, you can choose which part of the video to keep:

• Center (default): Cuts equally from both sides
• Top/Left: Keeps the top or left portion
• Bottom/Right: Keeps the bottom or right portion

This matters when important content isn't centered in your original video.

Step 6: Process and Download

Click the resize button. The tool processes your video locally and gives you a download link when finished.

Which Resize Method Should You Use?

Use Letterbox when:

• You can't lose any content from the edges
• The original framing is important
• Black bars are acceptable for your use case

Use Crop when:

• You want to fill the entire frame
• The important content is centered
• Edge content is expendable

Use Stretch only when:

• You specifically want a distorted look
• The distortion is minimal (like going from 16:9 to 1.85:1)

For most social media repurposing, crop is the cleanest choice if your subject is centered. If you have text or graphics near the edges, letterboxing preserves everything.

Resizing Strategies for Different Scenarios

Horizontal Video to TikTok/Reels

You have a 16:9 video and need 9:16. Options:

1. Crop the sides: Works if the subject is centered and you can lose 70%+ of the width
2. Letterbox with top/bottom bars: Preserves everything but looks dated
3. Stack two clips: Show the original on top with a zoomed version below (requires more editing)
4. Re-record in vertical: Sometimes the best answer is starting over

The crop approach works surprisingly well for talking-head content where the person fills the center of the frame anyway.

Vertical Video to YouTube

You have 9:16 footage and want to post it as a regular YouTube video (not a Short). Options:

1. Letterbox with side bars: Classic approach. Add black or blurred side bars.
2. Use the blur background effect: Mirror and blur the video content to fill the sides
3. Post as a Short instead: If it's under 60 seconds, lean into the vertical format
4. Re-edit with B-roll: Cut between the vertical footage and horizontal supplementary shots

For long-form content, the blurred background is less distracting than solid black bars.

One Video to Multiple Platforms

Creating content once and posting everywhere is efficient, but each platform favors different sizes. Strategies:

Record in 4K and crop down: Start with high resolution so you have room to reframe for different aspects. A 4K vertical video (2160x3840) can be cropped to square or landscape and still look sharp.

Frame with safe zones in mind: Keep important content in the center 60% of the frame. This gives you flexibility to crop for different platforms without cutting off key elements.

Create platform-specific edits: Yes, this takes more time. But a video that looks native to each platform performs better than one-size-fits-all content with awkward framing.

Common Mistakes When Resizing Videos

Upscaling too much: Making a 720p video into 4K doesn't add detail. It just makes the blur bigger. Only downscale or maintain original resolution.

Ignoring safe zones: Some platforms crop thumbnails differently than they display videos. Check how your resized video appears in the actual feed, not just during upload.

Forgetting about text and graphics: Burned-in subtitles or lower thirds near the edges might get cut off when cropping. Check your whole video, not just the first frame.

Resizing then compressing poorly: Resize first, then compress. And use reasonable compression settings. A resized video that's also heavily compressed looks significantly worse.

Batch Resizing Multiple Videos

If you have a lot of videos to resize, doing them one by one is tedious. VidStudio's Normalize feature lets you drop multiple files and convert them all to a consistent format, though for different aspect ratios you'd need to process each destination size separately.

For serious batch workflows, consider the resize tool's presets as a starting point, then save your preferred settings to reuse.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does resizing reduce video quality?

Downscaling (making smaller) preserves quality well. Upscaling (making larger) degrades quality. Cropping removes pixels entirely. Letterboxing adds empty space but doesn't touch the original image.

What if I don't know my video's current dimensions?

Drop it into VidStudio and the tool displays the current dimensions automatically. Most video players also show this in the file properties.

Can I resize a video without downloading software?

Yes. Browser-based tools like VidStudio run entirely in your browser. No download, no installation, works on any device.

How do I add a blurred background instead of black bars?

VidStudio's letterbox option lets you choose the padding color. For blurred backgrounds, you'd need video editing software that can duplicate the layer, blur it, and composite them together.

What's the difference between resolution and aspect ratio?

Resolution is the actual pixel count (1920x1080). Aspect ratio is the relationship between width and height (16:9). You can have different resolutions with the same aspect ratio (1920x1080 and 1280x720 are both 16:9).

Will Instagram crop my video differently than the preview shows?

Instagram can crop feed thumbnails to square even if the video is 4:5. Check how your thumbnail appears in the grid view, not just the full-size preview.