In short — For a TikTok In-Feed video ad, deliver a 9:16 vertical video (TikTok's recommended format, at least 540 × 960 px; 1080 × 1920 in practice), in MP4 or MOV (MPEG, 3GP and AVI are also accepted), up to 500 MB, up to 10 minutes long, at a bitrate of at least 516 kbps. 16:9 (min. 960 × 540) and 1:1 (min. 640 × 640) are accepted too. The account name shows up to 20 characters, and the ad caption accepts no links, @ mentions or hashtags unless you run a Spark Ad, which has no format restrictions at all. Every figure comes from TikTok's Ads Help Center, checked on 8 November 2026.
Disclosure: Klaivo is our product, an AI TikTok ad generator that exports vertical, square and landscape ads. The specs below are TikTok's, not ours; where a figure doesn't come from TikTok, we say so.
TikTok video ad specs at a glance
| Spec | In-Feed ad (non-Spark) | Spark Ad |
|---|---|---|
| Aspect ratio | 9:16 (recommended), 1:1, 16:9 | No restriction |
| Minimum resolution | 540 × 960 (9:16), 640 × 640 (1:1), 960 × 540 (16:9) | No restriction |
| File types | .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .3gp, .avi | No restriction (Spark Pull: .mp4 or .mov) |
| Maximum file size | 500 MB | No restriction |
| Length | Up to 10 minutes | Posts up to 10 minutes can be sparked |
| Bitrate | At least 516 kbps | No restriction |
| Caption | No links, no @, no hashtags | Taken from the post; @, emoji and hashtags allowed |
| Account name | 1 line, up to 20 characters (10 in Chinese, Japanese, Korean) | The posting account's name |
Sources: TikTok Ads Help Center, TikTok Auction In-Feed Ads and Spark Ads, both "last updated June 2026", read on 8 November 2026. TikTok updates these pages without notice: check them before a large production run.
Two things stand out. First, TikTok publishes minimum resolutions, not a recommended one. 540 × 960 is the floor; 1080 × 1920 is the full-screen size of the app, and it's what most teams deliver. Second, the 10-minute limit is technical. Nobody watches a 10-minute In-Feed ad, and the length that works is much shorter (see below).
In-Feed video ads: the full spec
- Aspect ratio: vertical 9:16 (recommended by TikTok), horizontal 16:9 or square 1:1
- Resolution: at least 540 × 960 px in 9:16, 960 × 540 px in 16:9, 640 × 640 px in 1:1
- File types: .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .3gp or .avi
- File size: 500 MB or less
- Length: up to 10 minutes
- Bitrate: 516 kbps or more
- Caption: shown in white, in a fixed font you can't change; no clickable links, @ mentions or hashtags
- Account name: one line, up to 20 characters (10 in Chinese, Japanese and Korean); app ads use the name from the App Store or Google Play
A 16:9 or 1:1 video plays in a vertical feed with empty space around it. It's accepted, but it wastes most of the screen. If you only make one file for TikTok, make it 9:16.
Profile photo
- Size: 98 × 98 px, square
- File types: .jpg, .jpeg or .png
- File size: under 50 KB
- Crop: keep the logo inside the central 66 × 66 px, or it gets cut by the round frame
If you leave it blank, TikTok uses a default picture on non-Spark ads. Spark Ads show the posting account's own profile photo.
Spark Ads specs
Spark Ads promote an existing organic post, from your account or a creator's, with the creator's authorization. TikTok's spec section is short:
- No restrictions on ratio, resolution, file type, length, bitrate or file size for organic videos from any account
- Maximum 10 minutes for a video to be sparked
- The caption and display name come from the post and can't be edited in Ads Manager; captions can be blank, and account tags, emoji and hashtags are allowed
- Up to 4 lines of caption are displayed, emoji included
- A video has to be un-authorized as a Spark Ad before it can be deleted from the organic account
- Each Ads Manager account supports up to 10,000 Spark Ads
Because the post keeps its likes, comments and profile link, Spark Ads look native to the feed. The trade-off is control: what you post organically is exactly what runs.
Carousel (image) ads
TikTok's carousel ads page (last updated September 2026) describes a format of several images shown in order in the In-Feed placement. It's available in all regions where auction ads run, for Traffic, Web Conversions, App Promotion, Lead Generation, Product Sales (catalog) and Brand Auction Reach. It runs with automatic placement or TikTok-only placement, and automatic placement filters out TikTok Ad Network and Global App Bundle traffic. Standard carousels can be Spark or non-Spark.
The version of the page we read doesn't list image dimensions or the number of images. TikTok shows those in Ads Manager when you build the ad.
The safe zone: what TikTok publishes
TikTok doesn't publish safe-zone margins as numbers. Its In-Feed page offers downloadable safe-zone templates (a standard left-to-right version, an Arabic right-to-left version, and versions "with Anchor") and says the safe zone depends on the video's dimension, the length of the ad caption and any additional formats added to the ad. Use those templates as an overlay in your editor: they're the only exact reference.
Where the overlay isn't at hand, the layout of the app tells you where text gets covered:
- Right edge: the column of buttons (profile, like, comment, share) sits there, from the middle of the screen down.
- Bottom: the account name, the caption, the music line and the call-to-action button stack up there. A longer caption pushes this block higher.
- Top: the Following / For You tabs and the "Sponsored" label.
Our working rule for a 1080 × 1920 file that also runs on Instagram and Facebook: start from Meta's official 9:16 safe zone (keep the top 14%, the bottom 35% and 6% on each side clear, see our Facebook and Instagram specs) and keep the right-hand side even wider of text and logos, because TikTok's buttons sit there. That's our rule of thumb, not a TikTok figure: check it against TikTok's template once.
Text you can't put in an In-Feed ad
| Element | Rule (TikTok) |
|---|---|
| Links in the caption | Not supported |
| @ mentions and hashtags | Not supported on non-Spark ads; allowed on Spark Ads |
| Caption font and color | White, fixed font, not customizable |
| Account name | 1 line, 20 characters max (10 in CJK) |
| Spark caption | Up to 4 lines displayed |
Caption length. The In-Feed page we read doesn't state a character limit for the ad text. Third-party guides consistently give 100 characters (for example Stackmatix and Mega Digital). Put the offer in the first few words anyway: the caption sits in the area people swipe past.
Which length to choose
TikTok accepts up to 10 minutes; it doesn't publish a recommended length on its spec pages. For direct-response product ads, our working default is 15 seconds in three clips of about 5 seconds: a hook in the first 2 seconds, proof (the product in use, a result), then a call to action, with 8 to 12 spoken words per clip. The reasoning is in the video ad structure that sells.
Go longer only when every extra clip adds new information: a second demo step, a comparison, a customer result. On TikTok, people decide in the first seconds, so the hook matters more than the total length.
One file per ratio: the minimum set
| File | Covers |
|---|---|
| 9:16 (1080 × 1920) | TikTok In-Feed, plus Instagram and Facebook Stories and Reels |
| 1:1 (1080 × 1080) | TikTok square placements, Facebook In-Stream and Marketplace |
| 16:9 (1920 × 1080) | Only if you also run on YouTube or in-stream placements |
Most advertisers on TikTok need one file: the 9:16 one.
Common reasons a TikTok video ad is rejected or looks wrong
- Under the minimum resolution (below 540 × 960 in 9:16): the upload is refused.
- Over 500 MB: re-export with a lower bitrate. A 15-second 1080p ad weighs a few dozen MB at most.
- Landscape video in a vertical feed: accepted, but it fills a fraction of the screen.
- Text under the right-hand buttons or the bottom caption block: check against TikTok's safe-zone template.
- Hashtags or @ in a non-Spark caption: not supported; run the post as a Spark Ad if you need them.
- Profile photo over 50 KB or not square: compress it to 98 × 98 px.
Making TikTok ads in the right format
If you produce ads with Klaivo: it exports 9:16, 1:1 and 16:9 (plus 3:4, 4:3 and 21:9 on the models that support them), and the assembled ad renders up to 1080p in MP4, which matches TikTok's full-screen size and sits far below the 500 MB limit. Motion ads (motion graphics made from a product link or photo) export in 9:16 or 16:9. Paste a product link into the AI TikTok ad generator to get a vertical script and clips; the first motion graphics ad is free for a new account.
For which tools make TikTok ads, see the best AI TikTok ad generators. For what to put in the frame, see video ad examples.
FAQ
What is the best size for a TikTok video ad?
A 9:16 vertical video at 1080 × 1920 pixels. TikTok recommends 9:16 and sets the minimum at 540 × 960 pixels; 1:1 (min. 640 × 640) and 16:9 (min. 960 × 540) are also accepted.
How long can a TikTok ad be?
In-Feed video ads can run up to 10 minutes, and organic posts up to 10 minutes can be promoted as Spark Ads. For product ads, 15 seconds is a sensible default.
What is the maximum file size for TikTok ads?
500 MB for In-Feed video ads, in .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .3gp or .avi. Spark Ads have no file-size restriction.
What is the TikTok ad character limit?
The account name shows up to 20 characters (10 in Chinese, Japanese and Korean). TikTok's In-Feed page doesn't state a caption limit; third-party guides give 100 characters, so write the offer in the first few words.
Can you use hashtags in TikTok ads?
Not in the caption of a regular (non-Spark) In-Feed ad, which accepts no links, @ mentions or hashtags. Spark Ads keep the original post's caption, where hashtags, emoji and account tags are allowed.
What is the TikTok safe zone for ads?
TikTok provides downloadable safe-zone templates on its In-Feed ads page and says the safe zone depends on the video's dimension, the caption length and any add-ons. Keep text and logos away from the right-hand buttons and the bottom caption block, and check against the template.
What are TikTok Spark Ads specs?
Organic videos from any account have no restrictions on ratio, resolution, file type, length, bitrate or file size; videos up to 10 minutes can be sparked, and each ad account supports up to 10,000 Spark Ads.