Three Answers to How Long Can Facebook Reels Be, by Where You Post

What is the maximum length of a Facebook reel?

The answer to how long can Facebook reels be depends on where the reel is made: Meta says videos posted in the Facebook app or on the web become reels with no length limit, while its Reels Publishing API accepts only 3 to 90 seconds. Meta's own pages give three numbers, and each one is current for its route. Check which route your reel takes before you cut it.

Where the reel is posted	Length Meta states	Meta source
Facebook app or facebook.com, profile or Page	No limit: "regardless of length or orientation"	Help centre, "Create a reel on Facebook"
Reels Publishing API (/{page_id}/video_reels)	"3 to 90 seconds."	Developer docs, Reels Publishing API
Reel recorded in a Facebook group	"up to 30 seconds long"	Help centre, "Create a reel in a Facebook group"

The first row is the one most people need. The second row is the one scheduling tools hit. The third comes from an article Meta has not updated to match the first.

What changed when Facebook made every video a reel?

Facebook removed the length limit on reels when it merged all video uploads into the Reels format, a change Meta announced on June 17, 2025 and rolled out over the following months. The announcement on Meta's creators blog said: "Facebook Reels won't have any length or format restrictions after this change." It gave the range as "a quick, 30-second vertical clip or an in-depth, 20-minute plus horizontal episode."

The help centre now carries a September 2025 update on its reel creation article: "Facebook has unified all video uploads under the Reels format. All videos posted to Facebook will be shared as reels, regardless of length or orientation." The streaming article adds that "The Videos tab is now the Reels tab," and answers the question "Can I cast long videos as Reels?" with "Yes, Reels can be any length."

Three practical effects follow:

• A long horizontal video posted to a profile or Page is shared as a reel, not as a separate long video.
• Stories and Live stay separate. The help centre says "All videos you post on Facebook (except Stories and Live) are now Reels."
• Video and reel metrics merge into Reels analytics. The creators blog says you keep "3 second and 1 minute views."

Meta's help centre gives no new maximum length or file size for these unified videos. It says "any length" and stops there.

How long can a Facebook reel be when you post it through the API?

A Facebook reel published through Meta's Reels Publishing API must be 3 to 90 seconds long, according to the Video Specifications table in the developer docs. That table still reads 3 to 90 seconds after the unified video change. A scheduling tool that publishes to /{page_id}/video_reels works to these rules:

Property	Reels Publishing API specification
Duration	3 to 90 seconds
File type	.mp4 (recommended)
Aspect ratio	9 x 16
Resolution	1080 x 1920 pixels recommended, 540 x 960 minimum
Frame rate	24 to 60 frames per second
Compression	H.264, H.265 (VP9 and AV1 also supported)
Audio	AAC Low Complexity, 48kHz, stereo, 128kbps or more

The same page sets two more limits. The API allows "30 API-published posts within a 24-hour moving period" per Page, enforced on the publish call. A scheduled reel needs a scheduled_publish_time "greater than 10 minutes from the current time and within 29 days of the current date," which is one of the four windows compared in the Facebook scheduled_publish_time field.

A video below the minimum resolution fails in processing with "Resolution too low. Video must have a minimum resolution of 540p." A reel outside the duration range returns error code 1363128, which Meta's error table explains as "Reels duration must be between 3 and 90 seconds." The docs do not say whether a long video published through the regular /{page_id}/videos endpoint shows up as a reel after the 2025 change.

Why do some Facebook help pages still say 30 or 90 seconds?

Some Facebook help pages still say 30 or 90 seconds because Meta updated its main reel articles for the 2025 change and left older articles as they were. Two are still live:

1. Reels in groups. The iPhone and Android versions of "Create a reel in a Facebook group" say "Reels on Facebook are short-form videos up to 30 seconds long." That article describes reels recorded in the Facebook app inside a group, and the feature is not available on computers.
2. Page short video setting. "Change your Page's settings to publish short videos as a reel or a post" says "When you publish a video that is up to 90 seconds long on your Page, it can be published as a reel or as a post." The steps then point to a setting labelled "Create reels with videos less than 60 seconds." Meta also notes the choice "isn't available for the classic Pages experience."

The group article and the Page setting article disagree with each other and with the unified video update. If you post in a group, keep the reel within 30 seconds. Everywhere else in the app, Meta's current statement is that length does not limit a reel.

Which Meta pages match the 2025 change

Updated for the 2025 merge

• Help centre, "Create a reel on Facebook": no length limit
• Help centre streaming article: "Reels can be any length"

Still shows old limits

• "Create a reel in a Facebook group": up to 30 seconds
• Page short video setting article: up to 90 seconds, setting labelled under 60 seconds

What is the shortest a Facebook reel can be?

The shortest Facebook reel Meta documents is 3 seconds, the minimum in the Reels Publishing API specification. The help centre gives no minimum for reels made in the app or on the web. Instagram's IG User Media reference sets the same 3 second floor for reels, so a clip that clears one clears the other.

What length of Facebook reel should you post?

Meta's creators blog splits reels into three length bands by what each one does, in the same June 2025 announcement: "Shorter reels (10 to 30 seconds) drive reach and lightweight ways to engage with and grow your audience, while longer reels (30 seconds to 3 minutes; 3+ minutes) drive engagement and help build community with your audience."

Length band	What Meta says it drives
10 to 30 seconds	Reach and audience growth
30 seconds to 3 minutes	Engagement and community
Over 3 minutes	Engagement and community

Meta's advice to creators with a working format is "stick with it." For reach, cut to 10 to 30 seconds. For a clip you plan to schedule through a third-party tool, keep it under 90 seconds so it fits the API. Meta points to insights in Professional Dashboard or Meta Business Suite to see which band works for you. For step-by-step posting routes, see how to post reels on Facebook.

How do Facebook reel lengths compare with Instagram and TikTok?

Facebook's Reels Publishing API has the shortest ceiling of the three publishing APIs below, at 90 seconds. The in-app limits are looser on every platform.

Platform	API maximum	API minimum	Source
Facebook Reels	90 seconds	3 seconds	Meta Reels Publishing API
Instagram Reels	15 minutes	3 seconds	Meta IG User Media reference
TikTok video	10 minutes	Not stated	TikTok Media Transfer Guide

Instagram's 15 minute cap and its 300MB file limit are covered in the Instagram Reels API max length and file size. TikTok says "All TikTok creators can post 3-minute videos, while some have access to post 5-minute or 10-minute videos," and the details are in how long a TikTok video can be. One 60 second vertical cut fits all three APIs.

How do you schedule Facebook reels at the right length?

AdaptlyPost schedules Facebook Reels to Facebook Pages from its Facebook post scheduler: you upload a vertical video, add a caption and set a publish time, and the reel sits in the same calendar as your text, photo and video posts. AdaptlyPost schedules to Pages, not groups, because group posting depends on Facebook API permissions that are limited for third-party tools. To get a reel through on the first try:

1. Trim the video to between 3 and 90 seconds.
2. Export it as MP4 at 9:16, 1080 x 1920, with a fixed frame rate between 24 and 60 fps.
3. Upload it, write the description and add hashtags.
4. Pick a publish time more than 10 minutes out and within 29 days.
5. Count your API reels for the day. Past 30 on one Page in 24 hours, Meta blocks the publish call.

For the export settings shared with other platforms, see vertical video dimensions.

Frequently asked questions

Can a Facebook reel be longer than 90 seconds?

A Facebook reel can be longer than 90 seconds when you post it in the Facebook app or on facebook.com. Meta's help centre says all videos become reels "regardless of length or orientation." The Reels Publishing API still caps reels at 90 seconds.

Is there a time limit on Facebook reels in 2026?

Facebook has no published time limit on reels posted in the app in 2026. Meta removed length restrictions when it merged all video into Reels in 2025. The limits that remain are 3 to 90 seconds through the API and 30 seconds for reels recorded in a group.

How long can a Facebook reel be when scheduled from a third-party tool?

A Facebook reel scheduled from a third-party tool through the Reels Publishing API can be 3 to 90 seconds long. The same API allows 30 published reels per Page in a moving 24 hour period. The scheduled time must be more than 10 minutes and within 29 days away.

How long can a reel be in a Facebook group?

A reel in a Facebook group can be up to 30 seconds long, according to Meta's help article on group reels. That article covers reels recorded in the Facebook app for iPhone and Android. Meta has not updated it to match the unified video change.

What is the minimum length of a Facebook reel?

The minimum length of a Facebook reel is 3 seconds under the Reels Publishing API. Meta's help centre gives no minimum for reels made in the app. Instagram's API uses the same 3 second floor.

Did Facebook get rid of regular videos?

Facebook replaced regular videos with reels in 2025, so every video posted except Stories and Live is now shared as a reel. The Videos tab is now the Reels tab. Video metrics moved into Reels analytics, including 3 second and 1 minute views.

How many reels can you publish to a Facebook Page in one day through the API?

A Facebook Page can publish up to 30 reels through the Reels Publishing API in a moving 24 hour period. Meta enforces this limit on the publish call to the video_reels endpoint and recommends that apps which schedule posts enforce it too. Once a Page hits 30 API-published reels in a day, further publish calls are blocked until the window rolls forward.

What video format does the Facebook Reels API require?

The Reels Publishing API expects an MP4 file in 9:16 aspect ratio, ideally at 1080 x 1920 pixels with a 540 x 960 minimum. Meta lists H.264 or H.265 compression, with VP9 and AV1 also supported, plus a frame rate of 24 to 60 frames per second. Audio should be AAC Low Complexity at 48kHz stereo, 128kbps or higher.

Which reel length gets the most reach on Facebook?

Meta's creators blog says reels between 10 and 30 seconds drive reach and help grow an audience. Longer reels, from 30 seconds to 3 minutes or beyond, drive engagement and help build community. Meta's own advice is to stick with whatever length is already working for your account.

Can a scheduling tool post Facebook reels to a group?

AdaptlyPost schedules Facebook reels to Pages, not to groups. Group posting depends on Facebook API permissions that are limited for third-party tools, so schedule the reel to your Page and share it to the group by hand.