Meta Ad Specs 2026: Sizes, Aspect Ratios and Text Limits
The Meta ad sizes, aspect ratios, safe zones and text lengths that matter in 2026, with a cheat sheet you can hand to a designer and tips on what actually gets seen.
Most Meta ad spec guides list every possible dimension and leave you to work out which ones matter. In practice, you need about four sizes, three text lengths and one rule about safe zones. Get those right and your ads display cleanly across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and the Audience Network.
This page is the short version, followed by detail on each format. Meta updates specs from time to time, so check the Meta Ads Guide in Business Help Center before a big production run.
The cheat sheet
| Placement group | Recommended ratio | Recommended size (px) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feed (Facebook, Instagram) | 4:5 | 1080 x 1350 | 1:1 (1080 x 1080) also works everywhere in feed |
| Stories and Reels | 9:16 | 1080 x 1920 | Keep key content out of top and bottom zones |
| Right column, search, some in-stream | 1:1 | 1080 x 1080 | Meta crops automatically |
| Carousel cards | 1:1 or 4:5 | 1080 x 1080 or 1080 x 1350 | 2 to 10 cards, same ratio across cards |
| Landscape video (in-stream) | 16:9 | 1920 x 1080 | Less common for performance ads now |
If you make only two versions of each creative, make 4:5 for feed and 9:16 for Stories and Reels. That covers the placements where most spend usually goes. Use placement asset customization in Ads Manager to assign each version to the right placements.
Text limits
Meta's text fields have generous hard limits, but much less is visible before truncation. Write for what people actually see.
| Field | Where it shows | Commonly recommended length |
|---|---|---|
| Primary text | Above the image or video | ~125 characters visible before "See more" |
| Headline | Below the image, bold | ~27 to 40 characters |
| Description | Below the headline (not shown in all placements) | ~25 to 30 characters |
| Call to action | Button | Choose from Meta's preset list |
Practical rules:
- Front-load primary text. Put the hook and the main promise in the first line. Many people never tap "See more."
- Headline carries the offer or outcome. It sits next to the button, so make it the reason to click.
- Do not rely on the description. It is hidden in many placements, so never put essential information only there.
- Test multiple text options. Meta lets you add several primary texts and headlines per ad and mixes them. Give it genuinely different options.
Check lengths quickly with the ad character counter, and if you need first drafts, the Facebook ad copy generator writes to these limits.
Image ad specs
- File types: JPG or PNG.
- Ratio: 4:5 for feed, 9:16 for Stories and Reels, 1:1 as a universal fallback.
- Resolution: 1080 px wide is the standard. Higher resolution is fine; lower risks blurriness.
- File size: Meta allows large files (up to about 30 MB for images), but keep them reasonable for fast loading.
- Text on image: Meta removed the old 20% text rule years ago, but image-heavy text still often performs worse. Keep overlay text short and legible on a phone.
A good test: view the image at actual phone size. If you cannot read the overlay in under two seconds, it has too much text.
Video ad specs
- File types: MP4 or MOV recommended.
- Ratio: 4:5 or 1:1 for feed, 9:16 for Stories and Reels.
- Resolution: At least 1080 px on the short side.
- Length: Meta allows long videos in feed, and Stories ads can run longer by splitting into cards, but performance ads are usually 6 to 30 seconds. Many strong ads are 15 seconds or less.
- Sound: Design for sound off. Add burned-in captions or use Meta's auto-captions, and make the first frame understandable without audio.
- File size: Up to about 4 GB is allowed, but smaller files upload and process faster.
The first 1 to 3 seconds decide whether anyone watches. Treat the opening as the headline: show the product or the problem immediately. The ad hook generator and our list of Facebook ad hooks for video and static ads are good starting points.
Stories and Reels safe zones
Full-screen 9:16 placements have interface elements on top: the profile name and progress bar at the top, and the caption, CTA button and engagement icons at the bottom.
A commonly used guideline:
- Keep roughly the top 14% (about 250 px on a 1920 px tall canvas) free of text and logos.
- Keep roughly the bottom 20% to 35% clear of key content, since Reels overlays extend higher than Stories.
- Keep a small margin on the right side in Reels, where like, comment and share icons sit.
Put your hook text and product in the center. Meta's ad preview shows the overlays, so check every 9:16 asset there before launching.
Carousel specs
- Cards: 2 to 10.
- Ratio: 1:1 or 4:5, consistent across cards.
- Per-card fields: Headline, description and link can vary by card.
- Media: Images, videos or a mix.
Carousel works well for multiple products, step-by-step stories (problem, solution, proof, offer) and before/after style comparisons (within Meta's rules on such content in sensitive categories). Put the strongest card first, because Meta may reorder cards by performance if you allow it.
Catalog and Advantage+ catalog ads
Catalog-driven ads pull images from your product feed. Specs that matter:
- Product images at least 500 x 500 px, with 1080 x 1080 a safer target.
- Clean, consistent backgrounds help ads look coherent across products.
- Use catalog frames or overlays (price, discount, "free shipping") to add context without editing each image.
- Keep titles and prices accurate; mismatches can trigger rejections.
Spec mistakes that cost performance
- Using a 1:1 image in Reels. Meta pads it, and it looks like an afterthought. Make a native 9:16 version.
- Text in the bottom of a 9:16 frame. It gets covered by the caption and CTA.
- Hook in the second sentence. Hidden behind "See more."
- Headline repeats the primary text. Wasted space. Use it for the offer or outcome.
- Tiny product. On a phone, the product should be obvious at a glance.
- Small fonts in overlays. If it is not readable at arm's length, it is too small.
- Off-policy text. Specs are only half the battle. See why Meta ads get rejected for the policy side.
A production checklist for one concept
For each creative concept, deliver:
- 4:5 feed version (image or video), 1080 x 1350.
- 9:16 Stories/Reels version, 1080 x 1920, safe zones respected.
- Optional 1:1 version, 1080 x 1080, if you use placements that prefer it.
- Three primary text options (one short, one medium, one story-led).
- Three headline options under about 40 characters.
- One description under about 30 characters.
- Captions burned in or auto-captions enabled for video.
The creative brief generator can turn this into a brief your designer or UGC creator can work from.
How Meta specs compare to ChatGPT ad specs
ChatGPT ads use a much more compact unit. As publicly reported in 2026, a ChatGPT chat card has an advertiser name and favicon, a title of 3 to 50 characters, a body of up to about 100 characters, one image and a landing URL. It shows below ChatGPT's answer, labelled as sponsored.
| Meta feed ad | ChatGPT chat card | |
|---|---|---|
| Main text | Primary text, ~125 visible | Body, up to ~100 characters |
| Headline | ~27 to 40 recommended | 3 to 50 characters |
| Visual | Image, video, carousel | One image (product-feed carousels added in 2026) |
| Context | Feed scroll | Below an answer to a specific question |
Because space is tight and the reader has just asked a question, ChatGPT ads work best as a direct answer, not a scroll-stopping hook. Our guide to ChatGPT ad images covers the visual side.
How SecondWin helps
SecondWin writes ChatGPT ads to OpenAI's specs for you: headline, description, image concept, context hints and landing link, based on the messages that have run longest in Meta's Ad Library for your niche. Every ad is checked against OpenAI's policies before launch and runs in your own OpenAI ad account. See the concepts it would write with a free URL analysis of your site, and compare plans on the pricing page.
FAQ
What is the best image size for Facebook and Instagram ads?
For feed, 1080 x 1350 pixels (4:5) takes up the most screen space on mobile and is widely recommended. For Stories and Reels, use 1080 x 1920 (9:16). A 1080 x 1080 square works across most placements as a fallback. Upload separate versions and assign them by placement for the cleanest result.
How long can Facebook ad primary text be?
Meta allows long primary text, but only around the first 125 characters show before the "See more" link in most feed placements. Put your hook and core promise in that first line. Longer text can work for story-driven ads, but the opening still has to earn the tap on "See more."
What are the safe zones for Instagram Reels ads?
A commonly used guideline is to keep roughly the top 14% of a 9:16 frame free of text and logos, and keep the bottom 20% to 35% clear of key content because captions, the CTA button and engagement icons cover it. Leave a margin on the right side for Reels icons. Always check Meta's ad preview before launching.
Does Meta still have a 20% text rule?
No. Meta removed the formal 20% text-on-image rule, so ads with more text are no longer automatically restricted. However, images with heavy text often still perform worse because they are harder to read on a phone. Keep overlay text short, large and easy to scan.
What video length works best for Meta ads?
Meta allows long videos, but most performance ads land between 6 and 30 seconds, and many strong ones run 15 seconds or less. Length matters less than the opening: show the product or problem in the first one to three seconds and design for sound off with captions.