# Video aspect ratios for social media

Canonical URL: https://getvidiyo.app/blog/video-aspect-ratios-for-social-media
Last updated: 2026-10-08
Author: Ajay Pawriya (https://getvidiyo.app/about)
Published: 2026-10-08
Category: Publishing

> TL;DR: Use 9:16 at 1080 × 1920 for Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts, 16:9 at 1920 × 1080 for regular YouTube videos, and 16:9 or 1:1 for LinkedIn and X feeds. Every platform below accepts H.264 MP4. If you can make only one version, make the vertical one and keep text inside the safe zone.

An aspect ratio is the shape of the frame: width to height. Get it wrong and a platform adds bars, crops your text or shrinks the video to a strip in the middle of the screen. The good news is that there are really only three shapes you need in 2026: vertical, landscape and square. The table below has the details for each platform, taken from their own help pages.

## What aspect ratio should I use for each platform?

Vertical 9:16 for short-form feeds, landscape 16:9 for YouTube's main player, and 16:9 or 1:1 for LinkedIn and X. Export at 1080p in each case. That covers every major network with three files at most.

| Platform | Use this | Resolution | What the platform says |
|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube (long-form) | 16:9 | 1920 × 1080 | 16:9 is recommended for desktop; the player adapts to other shapes |
| YouTube Shorts | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 | Square or vertical uploads of up to 3 minutes are classified as Shorts |
| Instagram Reels | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 | Accepts 1.91:1 to 9:16, at least 30 fps and at least 720 pixels |
| TikTok | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 | Uploads in MP4 or WebM at 720 × 1280 or higher, up to 30 minutes |
| LinkedIn | 16:9 or 1:1 | 1920 × 1080 or 1080 × 1080 | Accepts 1:2.4 to 2.4:1, up to 15 minutes and 5 GB |
| X | 16:9 or 1:1 | 1920 × 1080 or 1080 × 1080 | Recommends 16:9 or 1:1, H.264 High Profile, 30 or 60 fps |

Sources: [YouTube encoding settings](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/1722171), [YouTube Shorts](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/15424877), [Instagram Reels](https://help.instagram.com/1038071743007909), [TikTok](https://support.tiktok.com/en/using-tiktok/creating-videos/creator-tools-on-tiktok), [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a548372) and [X](https://docs.x.com/x-api/media/quickstart/best-practices), all checked on 8 October 2026. X lists 1280 × 720 as its recommended landscape size, so a 1080p file is above its minimum.

## What is the difference between 9:16, 16:9, 1:1 and 4:5?

They describe width against height. 16:9 is the widescreen TV shape. 9:16 is the same rectangle turned upright, matching a phone held normally. 1:1 is a square. 4:5 is a slightly tall rectangle that takes more feed space than a square without filling the screen like 9:16 does.

| Ratio | Shape | Common 1080p size | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16:9 | Landscape | 1920 × 1080 | YouTube, desktop viewing, presentations |
| 9:16 | Vertical | 1080 × 1920 | Reels, TikTok, Shorts, Stories |
| 1:1 | Square | 1080 × 1080 | LinkedIn and X feeds, mixed desktop and mobile audiences |
| 4:5 | Slightly tall | 1080 × 1350 | Feed posts where you want more height than square |

## Should I make a separate version for each platform?

Make one per shape, not one per platform. A 9:16 file serves Reels, TikTok and Shorts. A 16:9 file serves YouTube and works on LinkedIn and X. Add a 1:1 cut only if your LinkedIn or X audience mostly scrolls on desktop and the wide version looks small.

What does change per platform is where text can safely sit. Vertical feeds put buttons, captions and the account name over the bottom and right side of the frame. A title that looks fine in your editor can end up under the like button. Run your frames through the [safe zone checker](https://getvidiyo.app/tools/safe-zone-checker) before you export.

## How do I change a video's aspect ratio without ruining it?

Reframe rather than stretch or letterbox. Stretching distorts faces. Letterboxing, which adds bars, wastes most of a vertical screen. Reframing means scaling the footage to fill the new frame and moving it so the subject stays in view.

1. Set the new canvas size, for example 1080 × 1920.
2. Scale the footage to fill the frame, not fit it.
3. Move it so faces sit in the upper middle and nothing important falls off the edge.
4. Add a slow push or punch-in where a wide shot feels empty. See [punch-in zoom](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/punch-in-zoom).
5. Rebuild titles and captions for the new width. Text sized for 16:9 rarely fits 9:16.
6. Export H.264 MP4 at the platform's resolution and frame rate.

Going from 16:9 to 9:16 keeps only about a third of the original width, so screen recordings and two-person shots often need a different layout instead of a crop: split screen, a stacked layout, or the screen in a frame with the speaker below.

## How do I set the aspect ratio in Vidiyo?

Pick 16:9, 9:16 or 1:1 for the project, or ask the assistant to switch it. When it converts a landscape edit to vertical, it reframes each clip on the measured face, moves captions to a readable position, and checks composed frames for faces cut off and text under the platform interface.

Things you can type:

- "Make this vertical for Reels and keep my face in frame."
- "Put the screen recording on top and me in a circle below."
- "Check whether any captions sit under the TikTok buttons."

Vidiyo exports H.264/AAC MP4 at 1080p and 30 fps with 48 kHz audio, which matches YouTube's recommended container, codec and sample rate. The three shapes are 16:9 (1920 × 1080), 9:16 (1080 × 1920) and 1:1 (1080 × 1080). There is no 4:5 or 4K export. Each export is saved as a fixed copy, so you can export the 16:9 version, switch the project to 9:16 and export again without losing the first file. See [repurposing one video for every platform](https://getvidiyo.app/blog/repurpose-one-video-for-every-platform) for the full workflow.

## Do resolution and frame rate matter as much as aspect ratio?

Less, as long as you clear each platform's minimum. A 1080p file at 30 fps meets every platform in the table: Instagram asks for at least 30 fps and 720 pixels, TikTok for 720 × 1280 or higher, and LinkedIn accepts 10 to 60 fps. YouTube asks you to upload at the frame rate you recorded in.

The bigger risk is a mismatch inside the video. A 25 fps clip dropped into a 30 fps timeline can stutter on slow pans, and a portrait phone clip in a landscape project shows up small with bars at the sides. Set the project shape and frame rate before you import, then let the editor conform the clips to it.

## Which aspect ratio should I record in?

Record in the shape of the version that matters most, and leave room around the subject for the others. If most views come from Reels and Shorts, record vertically. If YouTube matters most, record 16:9 and frame yourself near the centre with headroom, so a vertical crop keeps your whole face. Recording at a higher resolution than you export gives you more room to reframe later.

## Honest limits

- Vidiyo exports 16:9, 9:16 and 1:1 only, at 1080p/30.
- Platform specs change. These were checked on 8 October 2026.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the best aspect ratio for social media video?

9:16 vertical at 1080 × 1920 for Reels, TikTok and Shorts, and 16:9 at 1920 × 1080 for YouTube videos. LinkedIn and X accept a wide range, so 16:9 or 1:1 works well in their feeds.

### Is 1080 × 1920 the same as 9:16?

Yes. 1080 × 1920 is a 9:16 frame at 1080p. It fills a phone screen held upright, which is the native shape for Reels, TikTok and Shorts.

### Will a vertical video upload to YouTube as a Short?

Yes, if it is square or vertical and three minutes or shorter. YouTube classifies those uploads as Shorts automatically. Use 16:9 for videos you want treated as regular long-form.

### What aspect ratios can Vidiyo export?

16:9 (1920 × 1080), 9:16 (1080 × 1920) and 1:1 (1080 × 1080), as H.264/AAC MP4 at 30 fps. There is no 4:5 option and no 4K export.

## Related

- [Aspect ratio](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/aspect-ratio)
- [Vertical video](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/vertical-video)
- [Safe zone](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/safe-zone)
- [Free safe zone checker for Reels, TikTok and Shorts](https://getvidiyo.app/tools/safe-zone-checker)
- [How to repurpose one video for every platform](https://getvidiyo.app/blog/repurpose-one-video-for-every-platform)
- [How do I export a video from Vidiyo?](https://getvidiyo.app/docs/export)

## Sources

- [YouTube Help: Recommended upload encoding settings](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/1722171) (accessed 2026-10-08)
- [YouTube Help: Understand three-minute YouTube Shorts](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/15424877) (accessed 2026-10-08)
- [Instagram Help: Reel size and aspect ratios](https://help.instagram.com/1038071743007909) (accessed 2026-10-08)
- [TikTok Help: Creator tools on TikTok](https://support.tiktok.com/en/using-tiktok/creating-videos/creator-tools-on-tiktok) (accessed 2026-10-08)
- [LinkedIn Help: Video sharing troubleshooting](https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a548372) (accessed 2026-10-08)
- [X developer docs: media best practices](https://docs.x.com/x-api/media/quickstart/best-practices) (accessed 2026-10-08)

Download Vidiyo for Mac (free during the beta): https://getvidiyo.app/download