60 Seconds per Clip: How Long Can Instagram Story Be

How long can an Instagram Story video be?

Anyone asking how long can Instagram story be gets a two-part answer from Instagram's help centre: a video up to 60 seconds long plays as one clip, and a longer video is broken up into multiple clips. The exact wording, from the iPhone version of the article on sharing a photo or video to your story, reads:

When you share a video up to 60 seconds long to your stories, it will appear as one clip. Longer videos will be broken up into multiple clips and can be edited using the video trimmer at the bottom. The video trimmer is currently only available on iOS devices.

So 60 seconds is the length of one uninterrupted Story, not the longest file you can pick from your camera roll. Instagram accepts the longer file and cuts it for you. The help centre does not state a cap on how many clips one upload can become, and it does not say where each cut falls beyond the 60 second mark.

That makes the practical limit 60 seconds for anything you want viewers to watch without a jump. If the message needs 90 seconds, you are publishing two Stories, and the second one is only seen by people who stay for it.

For a general tour of the format, stickers and analytics, see the complete guide to Instagram Stories. This page sticks to time.

Which Story length limit applies to how you post?

The limit depends on the route the Story takes, because the Instagram app, Meta's publishing API and Meta's ads system each set their own rule.

The rows disagree on purpose. The app is built for someone holding a phone, so it takes whatever you record and chops it. The API is built for software, so it rejects what does not fit. The ads system is built for paid delivery, so it accepts long files and decides for itself how many cards a viewer sees.

What happens when a Story video is longer than 60 seconds?

Instagram splits a Story video longer than 60 seconds into multiple clips, and each clip plays as its own Story in the tray. Viewers move from one to the next the same way they move between any two Stories, which means each cut is a point where someone can tap away.

The help centre's tips article repeats the rule from the editing side: "If you share a video longer than 60 seconds, you can edit it using the video trimmer at the bottom. The video trimmer is currently only available on iOS devices." On Android, you get the split without the trimmer, so cut the video in an editor before you open Instagram if you want control over where the breaks land.

Two habits keep a long video watchable:

1. Put the point of the video in the first clip, since every later clip loses the viewers who stopped at the first cut.
2. End each 60 second segment on a complete sentence, so a clip boundary does not fall in the middle of a word.

How long does a photo Story stay on screen?

Instagram's help centre does not publish a display time for photo Stories. The Stories articles cover how to share, edit and delete a photo, and none of them gives a number of seconds for how long it stays on a viewer's screen before the next Story appears.

Meta's API reference is silent as well. Its Story Image Specifications list JPEG, an 8 MB maximum, a recommended 9:16 aspect ratio and sRGB colour, with no duration field. A photo Story has no length you can set, so write any text on it short enough to read at a glance, and keep the text inside the safe zones covered in the Instagram Story guidelines.

How long does an Instagram Story stay up?

An Instagram Story stays up for 24 hours. The help centre article on how long stories remain visible says: "Photos and videos you share to your story disappear from Feed, your profile and Direct after 24 hours, unless you add it as a highlight."

The same article notes that "Stories you create and share on Instagram are saved to your Stories Archive," and that you can turn the archive off in Settings. The 24 hours count from when the Story goes live, so a Story posted at 07:00 is gone from the tray at 07:00 the next day. Meta's API reference states the same rule in its Story Limitations: "Stories expire after 24 hours."

Highlights are the only way to keep a Story on your profile past that window. A business that wants a product demo or an FAQ to outlive the day adds it to a highlight, which is covered in Instagram Story highlights for business.

How long can a scheduled or API-published Story be?

A Story published through Meta's Instagram API has to be between 3 and 60 seconds long. The Story Video Specifications in the IG User Media reference list "Duration: 60 seconds maximum, 3 seconds minimum," along with a 100 MB file size cap, MOV or MP4 containers, HEVC or H264 video, AAC audio and a frame rate of 23 to 60 FPS.

The reference describes no splitting step. The app cuts a long video into clips for you, but the API reference gives a fixed range and no rule for breaking a longer file into parts. Treat 60 seconds as a hard ceiling for any Story that goes out on a schedule, and cut longer footage into separate files before you queue it.

The same Story Limitations list says "Publishing stickers (i.e., link, poll, location) is not supported; however mentioning users without a sticker is supported." A Story that depends on a link sticker still needs a person in the app at posting time, a trade-off laid out in how to schedule Instagram Stories.

To prepare a long video for scheduled Stories:

1. Export the full video at 9:16, which Meta recommends "to avoid cropping or blank space."
2. Cut it into segments of 60 seconds or less, and make sure none is shorter than 3 seconds.
3. Check each file is under 100 MB and saved as MP4 or MOV.
4. Queue the segments in order, a minute or more apart, so they land in the tray in sequence.

How AdaptlyPost publishes Instagram Stories

AdaptlyPost queues Instagram Reels, carousels and Stories from one calendar, and the Instagram Posting API publishes a Story when instagramConfigs.postType is STORY and contentType is IMAGE or VIDEO. A Story holds a single file, so a CAROUSEL sent as a STORY comes back as a 400, and each Story needs its own call. The API exposes no stickers, polls, link stickers or mentions. Those limits sit alongside Meta's 3 to 60 second rule, so each video you queue in the Instagram scheduling tool should already be one segment of 60 seconds or less.

How long can an Instagram Story ad be?

An Instagram Story video ad can run from 1 second to 60 minutes, according to the Technical Requirements in Meta's Ads Guide for Instagram Stories video, which also lists a 4 GB maximum file size.

The length you upload is not always the length a viewer sees in one card. Meta's guide says: "Instagram Stories will play video ads that are less than 16 seconds for the full duration of the video. Video ads that are 16 seconds or longer may be split into separate Stories cards. Instagram will display either one, two, or three cards automatically, tailored to each viewer." For ads of 16 seconds or longer with a goal of ThruPlay, 2-second video views or reach, Meta says viewers "may be shown an option to tap Keep Watching to see the remainder of the video."

An ad under 16 seconds is the only length Meta promises to play in full on one card. That number has nothing to do with the 60 second organic limit, so do not carry one rule over to the other.

Frequently asked questions

Is an Instagram Story 15 seconds or 60 seconds?

An organic Instagram Story video plays as one clip for up to 60 seconds. Instagram's help centre says a video "up to 60 seconds long" appears as one clip, and a longer video is broken up into multiple clips. The current help centre articles on Stories give no 15 second limit.

Can I post a 2 minute video to my Instagram Story?

Yes, through the app. Instagram accepts the 2 minute file and breaks it into multiple clips, each of which plays as its own Story. Through the API, the same file fails, because Meta caps a video Story at 60 seconds.

Why did Instagram split my Story video?

Instagram split it because it was longer than 60 seconds. The app plays up to 60 seconds as one clip and cuts anything longer into multiple clips. On iOS you can adjust the result with the video trimmer, which the help centre says is only available on iOS devices.

What is the shortest video you can post to an Instagram Story?

Through Meta's API, the shortest Story video is 3 seconds, set as the minimum in the Story Video Specifications. Instagram's help centre gives no minimum for videos shared from the app. Story ads accept videos from 1 second.

How long can a scheduled Instagram Story video be?

A scheduled Story video that publishes through Meta's Instagram API can be 60 seconds at most and 3 seconds at least, with a 100 MB file cap. The API reference describes no automatic splitting, so cut longer footage into separate files before you queue it.

Do Instagram Stories disappear after 24 hours?

Yes. Instagram's help centre says Stories disappear from Feed, your profile and Direct after 24 hours unless you add them as a highlight. They stay in your Stories Archive if the archive is turned on.

Can I add a link sticker to a Story I schedule through Meta's API?

Meta's Story Limitations rule out publishing stickers, including link, poll and location stickers, through the API. Mentioning a user without a sticker is supported. AdaptlyPost's Instagram Posting API exposes no stickers, polls, link stickers or mentions for a queued Story.

Can I schedule an Instagram Story carousel with AdaptlyPost?

A Story holds a single file in AdaptlyPost's Instagram Posting API, so a carousel sent with postType STORY comes back as a 400 error. Each Story needs its own call with contentType set to IMAGE or VIDEO.

Does an Instagram Story ad always play as one card?

Only under 16 seconds. Meta's Ads Guide plays a Story video ad shorter than 16 seconds in full on one card, and an ad of 16 seconds or longer may split into one, two or three cards, chosen automatically for each viewer. For some ad goals, viewers may also get a Keep Watching option to see the rest.

What video format does Meta accept for a Story published through the API?

Meta's Story Video Specifications call for MOV or MP4 files, HEVC or H264 video and AAC audio, with a frame rate of 23 to 60 FPS. The same specs cap the file at 100 MB and the duration at 3 to 60 seconds.