Wondering what the Twitter video limit is right now? You’ve come to the right place, my friend.
Video has taken social media by storm.
And why wouldn’t it? Videos are just so much more engaging, exciting, and entertaining than plain, boring-text (oh, the irony).
This is especially true on Twitter, where you’re already restricted to 280 characters. Thanks to videos, there’s so much more you can say and convey to your followers.
Considering that, it’s no surprise that video tweets, on average, receive about 10X more engagement than others.
To make sure that you make the most out of your video content, in this article, I’m going to share the different Twitter video limits (lengths and sizes), and answer some other frequently asked questions with screenshots along the way.
Let’s get started.
Table of Contents
What’s the Twitter Video Limit Right Now? [How Long They Can be]
As far as the maximum video length goes, Twitter imposes a limit of 2 minutes and 20 seconds.
This amounts to a total of 140 seconds, which you can think of as a throwback to the time when Twitter had a 140-character limit.
If you’re using a standard account, you can upload videos that exceed that limit, but you’d then have to crop it down to 140 seconds or less.
That was the max limit. However, as far as the ideal Twitter video length goes, keep it limited between 20 and 45 seconds. Apparently, that’s the sweet spot, and Tweet videos of this length get the most engagement.
What’s the Current Twitter Video Limit in Terms of File Size?
When it comes to video size, Twitter imposes a limit of 512 MB.
If your video is larger than that, you can compress your file.
There are a bunch of free online tools that let you do that, including Clideo, FreeConvert, and ClipChamp. They’ll get the job done without losing the quality of your video clip.
Some Important FAQs
Now that I’ve covered the basics of Twitter video limit (both in terms of length and file size), I’m going to provide some additional details that might come in handy and help you make the most out of your content.
I’ve broken those details down in a series of FAQs:
How Do I Post Longer Videos on Twitter?
If the standard length limit of 140 seconds isn’t enough for you, and you want to upload a longer one, there’s a way around that.
This involves signing up for a Twitter ad account and using Twitter Media Studio.
Just follow these easy steps:
- Go to Ads.Twitter.com and log in with your credentials (if you’re not already logged into your device).
- This will lead you to the campaign creation page. Don’t worry, you can just select any option for now and move forward (this won’t cost you anything).
- In the top left corner of the screen, click on “Add new payment method.”
- On the page that loads up, type up your bank details (again, don’t worry – this won’t cost you anything).
- Once done, you’ll get more options at the top panel of your ads account. Click on “Creatives” and then click on “Videos.”
- On the page, click on the button that says “Upload a Video” (or “Upload your first video” if this is the first time you’re about to upload a video to your account).
If you follow all of the aforementioned steps, you’ll be able to upload videos longer than 2 minutes and 20 seconds (but no longer than 10 minutes).
Again, you don’t have to be an active advertiser or even spend a dime to do this. All you need to do is to plug in your bank account details to unlock that option.
What Video Formats Does Twitter Support?
Twitter imposes certain requirements when it comes to the format of your video file.
These are different for the mobile application and the desktop/web version:
- For the Mobile App – as of now, Twitter supports MP4 and MOV video formats.
- For Desktop – if you’re on desktop/web, you can only upload an MP4 with AAC audio and H264 format.
Have your video in a different format?
No problem.
You can convert your file into an MP4 or MOV with Convert-Video-Online.
To get started, tap on “Open file,” and browse the video file on your device (or import a video from your Google Drive, Dropbox, or simply via a URL).
Select either “MP4” or “MOV” from the available options, and set the resolution. Obviously, you’re going to want to select the best option available.
Once done, click on “Convert.”
You’ll then receive a download link for your converted file.
It’s that simple.
What are the Ideal Twitter Video Dimensions?
The resolution of your video:
- Can’t be more than 1920×1200 and 1200 x 1900
- Can’t be less than 32×32
The ideal dimensions are:
- 1280×720 (for landscape aspect ratio)
- 720×720 (for a square video)
- 720×1280 (for portrait)
Keep those dimensions in mind to get the best end-results.
What’s the Ideal Frame Rate for Twitter Videos?
For videos, Twitter imposes a limit of 60 frames per second (fps).
That’s also an ideal frame rate for videos on Twitter.
It can also be at 30 fps.
How Do I Retain the Quality of my Twitter Videos?
One major bummer of sharing videos on Twitter is that the social platform tends to mess up the quality.
However, there’s a way you can prevent that from happening.
Here are some tips that will maintain that video resolution:
- Record at 60 fps – recording your videos at 60 fps can prevent the quality from dropping.
- Use the Highest Resolution – depending on the aspect ratio, select the ideal resolutions for your video.
- Use the MP4 Video Format – finally, make sure that your video isn’t saved as a MOV, but as an MP4 file.
Remember – if the file size exceeds 512 MB, you can always compress it with one of the free tools I shared earlier.
How Do I Upload Videos on Twitter?
With the Twitter video limit out of the way, let’s talk about the very basics – uploading your video.
As of now, there are 3 ways to share a video on Twitter:
1. Record Your Video
If you’re using the app (Twitter for iOS or Android), you can directly record and share your video from your mobile device to your Twitter account. This means that the video doesn’t have to be saved to your camera roll prior to being uploaded.
To do this, tap the camera icon at the top.
Record your video like how you normally would. Once you’re ready, go ahead and add a caption/tweet your video.
2. Upload/Import Your Video
This is the most common option.
You can upload a video that’s saved on your device to your Twitter account.
To begin, click/tap the tweet button and then select the gallery icon.
Navigate to the video file saved on your device, select it, and hit “Open” (if you’re on desktop). For mobile, select the video file from your gallery.
If your video is longer than 140 seconds (the max Twitter video limit – for those who skipped the upper-half of this article), Twitter will ask you to trim your video.
Once done, proceed to type up an impactful caption (don’t forget to throw in some hashtags in there), and post your tweet.
3. Go Live
Another way of sharing video content with your followers is to go live.
Twitter uses Periscope to power its live videos.
However, this can only be done through the Twitter app, and not the web version.
To do this, tap on the compose tweet button, tap on the camera button, and select “Live.” The app will then prompt you to add a description for your live broadcast, which will show up as a tweet.
You can then select certain guests that you’d like to invite over to view your live video.
Once done, tap the button that says “Go Live.”
To end your live broadcast, simply tap on the Stop button.
How Do I Set a Custom Thumbnail for My Video?
Twitter, just like any other platform, automatically sets thumbnails for videos, which is usually the very first frame.
However, you do have the option of changing it and putting a custom thumbnail.
To do this on the web/browser version, navigate to your Twitter profile and click/tap on “Media,” and open up the video whose thumbnail you want to change.
Then click on the “Change thumbnail” button. From here, you can either upload a custom thumbnail or choose a frame from within the video as the thumbnail.
However, this doesn’t work on Safari, so you may have to use a different browser
Design Stunning Visuals for Your Twitter Video
If you’re looking to create some eye-catching visuals/slides for your Twitter video, but don’t know how to use Photoshop or Illustrator, give Pixelied a shot!
Our user-friendly Twitter editor makes it easy to create professional-level Twitter headers, & posts with built-in dimensions in a matter of minutes.
To begin, load up the editor.
If you’re designing entire slides that you wish to use for your Twitter video, you can set custom dimensions at the top (remember – the ideal landscape dimensions are 1280×720).
If you’re simply creating some graphics/elements to add to your element, you can select any appropriate dimensions for the canvas.
From here, you can add custom elements, icons, typography, and even brandify your design – the options are limitless, and easy-to-use!
Once you’re done designing your masterpiece, simply click the Download button at the top right corner of the screen to get your file in the format of your choice.
Wrapping it Up
Now that you know about the current Twitter video limit, and all the design tips and tricks to create something awesome, go out there and spread your creative wings.
Remember – while video tweets tend to get more engagement, there are no promises. The actual content will be the deciding factor.
Even if you don’t get the desired results from your first video, keep trying. You’ll eventually find that big break, attract hundreds of new followers, and become a Twitter celebrity.
