The short version: make your Facebook ads at 1440 x 1800 pixels (4:5) for Feed, 1440 x 2560 pixels (9:16) for Stories and Reels, and 1440 x 1440 pixels (1:1) for carousel cards, the right column and Marketplace. If you build those three shapes for every campaign, you will cover almost every placement Meta offers without awkward crops.

Below you will find a table for each placement with the recommended dimensions, aspect ratios, file types, video lengths, text limits and safe zones, all checked against Meta’s own Ads Guide for 2026. Bookmark it, hand it to your designer, and stop guessing.

Three shapes cover nearly everything

Meta runs your ads across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and its Audience Network, and each spot has its own preferences. The good news is that they all fall into three aspect ratios. An aspect ratio is simply the relationship between width and height, so 4:5 means slightly taller than it is wide.

• 4:5 vertical for Facebook and Instagram Feeds. It fills more of a phone screen than a square, which means more attention per scroll.
• 9:16 full screen for Stories and Reels. This is the native shape of a phone held upright.
• 1:1 square for carousels, the right column, Marketplace and search results.

Meta now recommends exporting at 1440 pixels on the short side rather than the old 1080 standard. 1080 still works and still looks fine on most phones, but 1440 gives you extra sharpness on high resolution screens. Images should be at least 600 pixels wide, otherwise they will look soft.

There is no longer a 20% text rule. Meta dropped the old penalty for text heavy images years ago. You can add text to your images, but the safe zones below limit where it can sit, and cleaner visuals still tend to do better.

Facebook Feed ad sizes

The Feed is where most budgets go, and it is the most flexible placement. It accepts anything from a wide 1.91:1 image to a tall 4:5 one, but the tall version earns more screen space on mobile, which is where most of your audience will see it.

Spec	Image	Video
Recommended size	1440 x 1800 px (4:5)	1440 x 1800 px (4:5)
Also supported	1:1, 1.91:1	1:1, 16:9
File type	JPG or PNG	MP4 or MOV
Max file size	30 MB	4 GB
Video length	n/a	1 second to 241 minutes
Primary text	125 characters recommended	125 characters recommended
Headline	Around 27 characters before it cuts off	Around 27 characters before it cuts off
Description	Around 25 characters	Around 25 characters

Text limits are recommendations, not hard caps. You can write more, but anything past the first line or two gets hidden behind “See more” on a phone. Put the hook and the offer up front. Also note that with some Awareness campaigns, headlines and descriptions may not appear on mobile at all, so never rely on them to carry the message.

Stories and Reels ad sizes

Stories and Reels are full screen, vertical and fast. They are often the cheapest places to buy attention, but only if your creative was made for them. A square image dropped into Stories with blurred bars above and below looks like an afterthought, and people swipe straight past.

Spec	Facebook Stories	Facebook Reels
Recommended size	1440 x 2560 px (9:16)	1440 x 2560 px (9:16)
Minimum width	500 px (aim for 1080 or more)	500 px (aim for 1080 or more)
File type	JPG, PNG, MP4, MOV	MP4 or MOV
Max file size	30 MB image, 4 GB video	4 GB
Video length	Up to 2 minutes (keep it much shorter)	Check Meta’s Ads Guide; 15 to 30 seconds suits most ads
Primary text	125 characters	Only around 40 characters show before truncating
Headline	40 characters	Short; often not shown

Safe zones for 9:16 ads

A safe zone is the area of the frame that will not be covered by the profile name, caption, buttons or call to action. Meta’s current guidance for Reels is to keep text, logos and faces out of:

• The top 14% of the frame (about 358 px on a 1440 x 2560 canvas)
• The bottom 35% (about 896 px)
• Around 6% on each side (about 86 px)

Older Stories guidance only asked for the bottom 20% to be kept clear. Our advice is to design every 9:16 ad to the stricter Reels safe zone. That way one file works in Stories and Reels on both Facebook and Instagram, and nothing important ends up hidden under a “Shop now” button. If your Reels ad carries a disclaimer, keep the bottom 40% clear.

Carousel ad sizes

Carousels let people swipe through 2 to 10 cards, each with its own image or video, headline and link. They work well for product ranges, step by step stories and before and after sequences.

Spec	Recommendation
Number of cards	2 to 10
Recommended size	1440 x 1440 px (1:1); minimum 1080 x 1080 px
Aspect ratio	1:1, and keep every card the same
File type	JPG or PNG for images; MP4 or MOV for video
Max file size	30 MB per image, 4 GB per video
Video length	Up to 240 minutes per card (keep each one short)
Primary text	125 characters, shared across the whole carousel
Headline	Around 40 characters per card
Description	Around 18 to 20 characters per card
Link	A landing page URL is required

Stick to square. Meta’s guidance on 4:5 carousel cards varies by format and placement, and a 4:5 card can be cropped to square anyway, chopping off the top and bottom of your design. Square is the safe choice.

Right column, Marketplace and video placements

Right column

The right column only appears on desktop Facebook, down the side of the News Feed. It is image only, shown small, and is mainly useful for cheap retargeting reach.

Spec	Recommendation
Size	1080 x 1080 px minimum (1:1)
File type	JPG or PNG (no video)
Max file size	30 MB
Text	Headline of around 40 characters
Tip	Avoid text on the image; it will be unreadable at this size

Marketplace

Marketplace ads sit among people’s buy and sell listings, so they suit products, local services and anything with a price tag.

Spec	Recommendation
Size	1080 x 1080 px minimum (1:1)
File type	JPG or PNG; video follows Feed specs
Max file size	30 MB image, 4 GB video
Primary text	125 characters
Headline	40 characters
Description	Around 25 to 30 characters

Video specs for every placement

Whatever the placement, Meta’s technical recommendations for video are the same. Getting these right avoids upload errors and fuzzy playback.

Spec	Recommendation
File type	MP4 or MOV
Codec	H.264, square pixels, fixed frame rate, progressive scan
Audio	Stereo AAC at 128 kbps or higher
Max file size	4 GB
Minimum width	600 px, but export at 1080 or 1440
In-stream video	16:9 or 1:1, at least 1080 px; keep it short
Captions	Strongly recommended, as many people watch with the sound off

If you are producing video specifically for Meta, shoot vertical and frame your subject in the middle. You can then crop the same footage to 9:16, 4:5 and 1:1 without losing anyone’s head. Our video production team plans shoots this way so one day of filming feeds every placement.

A simple workflow for getting sizes right

1. Design the 9:16 version first. It has the tightest safe zone, so if the message works there it will work everywhere.
2. Adapt to 4:5 and 1:1. Keep the logo, headline and product in the centre so crops do not cut them off.
3. Upload all three to the same ad and use Meta’s placement customisation to assign the right file to each placement.
4. Preview every placement in Ads Manager before you publish. The preview shows exactly where buttons and captions will land.
5. Check Meta’s own guide before big launches. Specs shift a few times a year, and the Meta Ads Guide is always the final word.

If you are running ads on Facebook and Instagram together, the same files work across both, which is one more reason to build all three shapes from the start. Our Facebook and Meta ads service handles this as standard for every campaign.

Related reading: Social Media Image Sizes: A 2026 Guide for Small Businesses and Facebook Ads Library: The No-BS Guide to Spying on Competitors (and Winning).

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Facebook ad size in 2026?

For the Feed, 1440 x 1800 pixels at 4:5. It takes up the most screen space on mobile. For Stories and Reels, use 1440 x 2560 pixels at 9:16.

Can I use the same image for Facebook and Instagram ads?

Yes. Both platforms share the same Meta specs, so a 4:5 Feed image and a 9:16 Stories or Reels file will work on either. Just preview each placement before going live.

Does Facebook still limit text on ad images?

No. The old 20% text rule has gone. You can use text on images, but keep it inside the safe zones and keep it short, as busy images are harder to read on a small screen.

Is 1080 x 1080 still acceptable?

Yes. 1080 pixels on the short side is the minimum for carousels, the right column and Marketplace, and it still looks good. Meta now recommends 1440 where you can, for extra sharpness.

Get your Facebook ads built properly

Getting sizes right is the first step. Getting the creative, targeting and budget right is where results come from. If you would like a team to plan, design and run your campaigns, take a look at our Meta ads management or our wider paid social service, then get in touch with Delivered Social for a chat about what your ads should be doing for your business.