Instagram Reels checker
Drop a video to check its length, shape, resolution and frame rate against Instagram's rules for reels, and whether a scheduling tool can post it.
- Free, no sign-up
- Your videos stay on your device
- Rules checked October 28, 2026
Drop your videos
One file or a batch. MP4 and MOV are read directly, including phone rotation; other formats through your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
Rules from Instagram Help and Meta's API reference, read on October 28, 2026.
Instagram Reels length and size in 2026
- Length
- Up to 20 minutesOver 3 minutes isn't recommended to new audiences
- Shape
- 1.91:1 to 9:169:16 fills the screen
- Quality
- 720 pixels, 30 fpsMinimums in Instagram Help
- Boosting
- 90 seconds or lessAnd full-screen 9:16
- Scheduling tools
- 15 min, 300 MBMeta's API: MP4 or MOV, 23–60 fps, 1,920 px wide max
Sources: Instagram Help Center: Record a reel on Instagram · Instagram Help Center: Reel size & aspect ratios on Instagram · Instagram Help Center: Boost an Instagram Reel · Meta for Developers: IG User Media reference, read on October 28, 2026.
The 3-minute line that matters
Instagram lets you post a reel up to 20 minutes long, but its Help Center says reels over 3 minutes won't be recommended to new audiences. If a reel is meant to reach people who don't follow you yet, keep it at 3:00 or less; the checker flags anything longer. Boosting a reel has its own rule: 90 seconds or less, full-screen 9:16.
Posting from a scheduling tool
Tools that publish through Meta's API work to stricter limits than the app: MP4 or MOV, 3 seconds to 15 minutes, 300 MB and 23–60 fps, no more than 1,920 pixels wide. A 4K vertical export is fine in the app and too wide for those tools. Check the cover image with the Instagram image size checker and where captions sit with the safe zone checker.
How it reads your video
Your browser reads each MP4 or MOV file in slices, so even a multi-gigabyte video is never loaded whole: the moov box at the start or end of the file holds its length, frame size, frame rate and codec, and the rotation flag a phone writes says which way up the frame plays. Other formats go through the browser's own player. The video never leaves your device. Each value is checked against Instagram's and Meta's own pages listed above, read on the date shown.
Embed this checker
Teachers, bloggers and course creators can put this Instagram Reels checker on their own page for free. Paste the code below into your page's HTML. It loads from markstudios.com, so it stays current when we update the numbers.
Questions, answered.
Anything else? Message Mark and you'll get a written reply within one business day.
How long can an Instagram reel be?
Up to 20 minutes. Instagram Help says you can record and edit reels up to 20 minutes, but reels over 3 minutes won’t be recommended to new audiences, so keep a reel at 3:00 or less if you want non-followers to see it. To boost a reel, it must be 90 seconds or less.
What aspect ratio is an Instagram reel?
Anything between 1.91:1 and 9:16, according to Instagram Help. 9:16 vertical fills the screen; a wider reel shows with space around it.
What resolution and frame rate should a reel have?
At least 720 pixels and 30 frames per second, according to Instagram Help. The recommended cover photo is 420 × 654 pixels (1:1.55).
Why won’t my scheduling tool post my reel?
Tools that post through Meta’s API have stricter limits than the app: MOV or MP4, 3 seconds to 15 minutes, 300 MB at most, 23 to 60 frames per second and no more than 1,920 pixels wide, according to Meta’s IG User Media reference. The checker flags a file that misses them.
Does this tool upload my video?
No. The checker reads the file on your device and nothing is uploaded.
Rather have the clips made for you?
Vertical cuts from your long videos, captioned and sized for TikTok, Reels and Shorts, and you work directly with Mark.
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