From 240p to 8K: The YouTube Video Size for Every Long-Form Upload

What is the right YouTube video size?

The standard YouTube video size for a long-form upload is 1920x1080 pixels at a 16:9 aspect ratio, and YouTube's help page on resolution lists eight 16:9 sizes from 426x240 up to 7680x4320. YouTube states the rule in one line: "The standard aspect ratio for YouTube on a computer is 16:9." Export at the native resolution of your footage, pick the matching row below, and do not upscale a 1080p master to 4K to chase a quality label.

Resolutions come from YouTube Help's "Video resolution & aspect ratios" page and bitrates from "YouTube recommended upload encoding settings".

Label	Resolution	SDR bitrate, 24 to 30 fps	SDR bitrate, 48 to 60 fps
4320p (8K)	7680x4320	80 to 160 Mbps	120 to 240 Mbps
2160p (4K)	3840x2160	35 to 45 Mbps	53 to 68 Mbps
1440p (2K)	2560x1440	16 Mbps	24 Mbps
1080p (HD)	1920x1080	8 Mbps	12 Mbps
720p (HD)	1280x720	5 Mbps	7.5 Mbps
480p (SD)	854x480	2.5 Mbps	4 Mbps
360p (SD)	640x360	1 Mbps	1.5 Mbps
240p (SD)	426x240	Not listed	Not listed

YouTube lists 240p as a resolution but gives it no bitrate row. HDR uploads carry higher figures, 44 to 56 Mbps for 4K at standard frame rates, and YouTube marks HDR at 480p and 360p as "Not supported".

Why does YouTube recommend 16:9 for long-form video?

YouTube recommends 16:9 because that is the shape of its player on a computer, and a 16:9 file fills that player with nothing added. Other shapes still play. YouTube's resolution page says "If your video has a different aspect ratio, the player will automatically change to the ideal size to match your video and the viewer's device."

That automatic resizing is the reason not to bake bars into the file. YouTube's wording is direct: "For best results, avoid adding padding or black bars directly to your video. Padding interferes with YouTube's ability to change the player dynamically to your video size and the viewer's device." Export a 4:3 archive clip at its native 4:3 shape and let the player do the framing.

When a 9:16 video plays in a computer browser, YouTube adds its own padding on both sides. The help page says that padding "is white by default, and dark gray when Dark theme is turned on." That padding belongs to the player, not to your file.

What happens if a long-form video is vertical or square?

A square or vertical video of three minutes or less becomes a Short, whatever you intended it to be. YouTube's Shorts length article states that videos uploaded "with a square or vertical aspect ratio up to three minutes in length will be categorized as Shorts on YouTube", and it gives the fix in the same article: "If you don't want your content to be classified as Shorts, use a wider aspect ratio such as 16:9 for long-form videos."

Shape decides the shelf. A two minute vertical tutorial lands in the Shorts feed, and the same tutorial exported at 16:9 lands with your long-form videos. If you are working on vertical content on purpose, the separate rules on how long a YouTube Short can be set a 1080p cap and a three minute ceiling that do not apply to long-form uploads.

How large can a YouTube video file be?

A YouTube video file can be 256 GB or 12 hours long, whichever is less, and that ceiling applies only after the Google Account is verified. YouTube's help article "Upload videos longer than 15 minutes" puts it this way: "The maximum file size you can upload is 256 GB or 12 hours, whichever is less."

An unverified account has a lower ceiling. "By default, you can upload videos that are up to 15 minutes long. Verified accounts can upload videos longer than 15 minutes." Verify at youtube.com/verify with a text or voice code, then upload the video again, since YouTube's troubleshooting note says a video uploaded before verification still won't play.

Two smaller notes sit on that page. Files above 20 GB need an up-to-date browser, and a file above 256 GB has one documented remedy: "try compressing your video in a video editing software before uploading it to YouTube. Use the H.264 codec to compress your video file size while maintaining the video quality for YouTube." The YouTube Data API documents the same 256 GB file limit on videos.insert, with accepted MIME types of video/* and application/octet-stream.

Upload ceiling by account and file

1

Unverified account. Uploads stop at 15 minutes.

2

Verify the account. Use youtube.com/verify with a text or voice code, then upload the video again.

3

Verified account. The limit is 256 GB or 12 hours, whichever is less.

4

File above 256 GB. Compress it with the H.264 codec before uploading.

Which resolution hits the 256 GB cap first?

8K at high frame rates hits the 256 GB cap first, long before 12 hours. The table below is our arithmetic on YouTube's top recommended video bitrate for each row, with 1 GB counted as 1,000 MB and audio left out. YouTube publishes the bitrates, not these totals.

Resolution and frame rate	Top bitrate	Size per hour	Size at 12 hours	Cap reached at
1080p, 30 fps	8 Mbps	3.6 GB	43.2 GB	Never
1080p, 60 fps	12 Mbps	5.4 GB	64.8 GB	Never
4K, 30 fps	45 Mbps	20.25 GB	243 GB	Never
4K, 60 fps	68 Mbps	30.6 GB	367.2 GB	8 hours 22 min
8K, 30 fps	160 Mbps	72 GB	864 GB	3 hours 33 min
8K, 60 fps	240 Mbps	108 GB	1,296 GB	2 hours 22 min

A 1080p stream or a 4K podcast at 30 fps fits a full 12 hours. A 4K60 livestream archive or an 8K travel film does not, so encode those at the low end of YouTube's bitrate range or split the upload.

Which file format and encoding settings should you export?

Export an MP4 file with H.264 video and AAC-LC audio at 48 kHz, which is the container and codec pair at the top of YouTube's recommended encoding list. YouTube accepts other formats too. Its supported formats list names .MOV, .MPEG-1, .MPEG-2, .MPEG4, .MP4, .MPG, .AVI, .WMV, .MPEGPS, .FLV, 3GPP, WebM, DNxHR, ProRes, CineForm and HEVC (H.265). Audio-only files are refused: "Audio files, like MP3, WAV, or PCM files, can't be uploaded to create a YouTube video."

Set your export in this order:

1. Container MP4, with the moov atom at the front of the file ("Fast Start") and no edit lists.
2. Video codec H.264, High Profile, progressive scan, 2 consecutive B frames, closed GOP of half the frame rate, CABAC, 4:2:0 chroma subsampling.
3. Frame rate equal to the recording. YouTube says "Content should be encoded and uploaded in the same frame rate it was recorded", and interlaced footage is deinterlaced first, so 1080i60 becomes 1080p30.
4. Variable bitrate at or near the table above. YouTube states "No bitrate limit is required."
5. Audio codec AAC-LC, Opus or Eclipsa Audio, sample rate 48 kHz, at 384 kbps for stereo or 512 kbps for 5.1.
6. Color space BT.709 for SDR. YouTube converts unsupported color spaces to BT.709 and converts full color range to limited range.

The English encoding page opens with a banner reading "These features are only available to partners who use YouTube Studio Content Manager", yet YouTube lists it in the same Help Centre topic as the resolution page.

What does YouTube leave undocumented?

YouTube publishes no minimum resolution for a standard upload on its creator-facing pages. The closest statement sits in the partner delivery specification for music labels and distributors, which says "YouTube does not set a minimum resolution but recommends a resolution of at least 1280x720 for video that has a 16:9 aspect ratio." That page targets Content Manager partners, so treat 720p as the floor YouTube suggests to partners, not a rule for every channel.

YouTube also publishes no maximum frame rate. The encoding page lists 24, 25, 30, 48, 50 and 60 as common rates and adds "other frame rates are also acceptable." On resolutions above 4K, the resolution page carries one warning: "In 2022, we started removing support for playback at resolutions between 4K and 8K. For example, we may no longer support playback at 5K." Export 5K or 6K footage at 3840x2160 or 7680x4320 instead of the in-between size.

Uploading long-form YouTube videos with AdaptlyPost

AdaptlyPost uploads, titles and schedules YouTube Shorts and long-form videos in advance, and it treats them as two post types: postType: "VIDEO" for a standard upload and postType: "SHORTS" for a Short. AdaptlyPost does not change YouTube's classification rule, so a long-form file still needs a 16:9 shape to stay out of the Shorts feed. Through the YouTube video upload API, AdaptlyPost accepts only video/mp4 and video/quicktime files. The same call sets a videoTitle of up to 100 characters, up to 20 tags, a categoryId, a privacyStatus of PUBLIC, UNLISTED or PRIVATE, and an existing playlistId, the same list you add videos to by hand. The post text travels with the video as its body copy, so the YouTube description character limit applies to it. The API has no premiere fields, and every field and failure case is in our YouTube API schedule video breakdown. In the dashboard, the YouTube video scheduler adds a thumbnail picker and a publish time, so you can queue a finished 1080p or 4K export for the best time to upload a YouTube video on your channel.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best YouTube video size for 1080p?

The best 1080p YouTube video size is 1920x1080 pixels at 16:9. YouTube recommends 8 Mbps for 1080p at 24 to 30 fps and 12 Mbps at 48 to 60 fps for SDR uploads. Export in MP4 with H.264 video and AAC-LC audio at 48 kHz.

What is the YouTube video size for 4K?

The YouTube video size for 4K is 3840x2160 pixels at 16:9, labelled 2160p. YouTube recommends 35 to 45 Mbps for SDR 4K at standard frame rates and 53 to 68 Mbps at high frame rates. YouTube notes that viewers need a browser or device that supports VP9 to watch new 4K uploads in 4K.

What is the maximum file size for a YouTube upload?

The maximum file size for a YouTube upload is 256 GB or 12 hours, whichever is less. That ceiling applies to verified accounts, and unverified accounts stop at 15 minutes. YouTube suggests compressing with the H.264 codec if a file exceeds 256 GB.

Should I add black bars to fit a 4:3 video into 16:9?

No, export the video at its native 4:3 shape. YouTube's help page says to avoid adding padding or black bars because they interfere with how the player resizes to the video and the device. The player frames a 4:3 file on its own.

Will a vertical video upload as a normal YouTube video?

A vertical or square video of three minutes or less is classified as a Short. A vertical video longer than three minutes stays a long-form video. YouTube's own advice for anyone who wants long-form treatment is to use a wider aspect ratio such as 16:9.

Can AdaptlyPost schedule a long-form YouTube video?

Yes, AdaptlyPost schedules long-form YouTube videos as postType: "VIDEO" and Shorts as postType: "SHORTS". The API accepts MP4 and QuickTime files and sets the title, tags, category, privacy status and playlist on the same call. AdaptlyPost does not schedule YouTube Premieres.

What aspect ratio should a YouTube video be?

Use 16:9 for long-form video. YouTube states that "The standard aspect ratio for YouTube on a computer is 16:9." Other shapes still play because the player resizes to match the video and the viewer's device, but a square or vertical video of three minutes or less is classified as a Short.

Why can't I upload a YouTube video longer than 15 minutes?

YouTube caps unverified accounts at 15 minutes per video. Verify at youtube.com/verify with a text or voice code to lift that cap. Upload the video again after verifying, because a video uploaded before verification still won't play. Verified accounts can upload up to 256 GB or 12 hours, whichever is less.

What file format is best for a YouTube upload?

Export an MP4 file with H.264 video and AAC-LC audio at 48 kHz. YouTube also accepts .MOV, .AVI, .WMV, WebM, ProRes and HEVC (H.265), among others. Audio-only files such as MP3 or WAV are refused.

Does YouTube have a minimum video resolution?

YouTube publishes no minimum resolution for a standard upload on its creator-facing pages. Its partner delivery specification recommends at least 1280x720 for 16:9 video. Treat 720p as the floor YouTube suggests to partners, not a rule for every channel.