Video length limits on YouTube Shorts, TikTok, X, LinkedIn and Pinterest
The short answer
Length decides how a video is treated, not only whether it uploads: YouTube files any square or vertical upload up to three minutes as a Short, and blocks a Short over one minute that has any active Content ID claim.
- TikTok's Creator Rewards counts only videos over one minute.
- Without Premium, X takes videos up to 140 seconds and 512 MB.
- LinkedIn and Pinterest both stop at 15 minutes, with a minimum of 3 seconds for a LinkedIn desktop upload and 4 seconds on Pinterest.
- Uploading a YouTube video longer than 15 minutes needs a channel verified by phone.
- TikTok
- YouTube
- X
At a glance
| Platform | What can happen | Its strictest rule |
|---|---|---|
| TikTok | Demonetized | Rewards video too short or wrong format |
| YouTube | Taken down | Short over 1 minute with any copyright claim is blocked |
| X | Not spelled out | Video too long, too large or out of spec |
| Not spelled out | Video outside Pinterest's upload specs | |
| Not spelled out | Video outside LinkedIn's upload limits |
The rules, side by side
Each row is a platform's own rule: what it means, what the platform says, how to fix it, and where to read it in full.
| Platform | The rule, in plain words | In their words | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| TikTok | Rewards video too short or wrong formatDemonetizationFor Creator Rewards a video must be original, high quality, over 1 minute, reach 1,000 For You views, and must not be a Duet, Stitch, Photo Mode post, or an ad, paid promotion or sponsored content.Fix: Make rewards videos longer than 1 minute, post them as normal videos (not Duet, Stitch or Photo Mode), and keep sponsorships out of them. | “It must be original, high-quality content over 1 minute long.” | |
| YouTube | Short over 1 minute with any copyright claim is blockedRemovalA square or vertical upload between 1 and 3 minutes long with any active Content ID claim (including music not added from the Shorts audio library).Fix: Keep the Short under 60 seconds, or use only Shorts audio library tracks added in the app (most up to 90 s) or YouTube Audio Library music. | “Any Short that is over one minute in duration with an active Content ID claim of any type, including manual claims, will be blocked globally on YouTube.” | |
| YouTube | Vertical or square video up to 3 minutes becomes a ShortUpload with a square or vertical aspect ratio and length up to 3 minutes.Fix: Choose the format on purpose: export 16:9 or make it longer than 3 minutes for long-form, or keep it vertical for Shorts. | “Any videos uploaded on or after this date with a square or vertical aspect ratio up to three minutes in length will be categorized as Shorts on YouTube.” | |
| YouTube | Long video or clickable links need a verified channelVideo longer than 15 minutes or a custom thumbnail (need phone verification), or a description that relies on clickable links, chapters or a Shorts Related Video link (need advanced features), on a channel without that access.Fix: Verify the channel's phone number (intermediate) or ID, video or channel history (advanced) in Studio > Settings > Channel > Feature eligibility. | “Violations of our policies may result in a strike or restrict your feature access.” | |
| X | Video too long, too large or out of specWithout Premium: longer than 140 seconds or larger than 512 MB. With Premium: up to 4 hours and 16 GB (1080p under 2 hours, 720p from 2 to 4 hours). Web uploads: resolution 32x32 to 1920x1200 (or 1200x1900), aspect ratio between 1:2.39 and 2.39:1, at most 40 fps and 25 Mbps.Fix: Trim to 140 s for non-Premium accounts, export H.264 MP4 at 30 fps, keep bitrate at or under 25 Mbps and stay inside the resolution and aspect bounds. | “If you aren't a Premium subscriber, you can still upload videos up to 140 seconds long with a maximum file size of 512MB.” | |
| Video outside Pinterest's upload specsVideo shorter than 4 seconds or longer than 15 minutes, larger than 2 GB, not .mp4/.mov/.m4v, or with an aspect ratio wider than 1.91:1 or taller than 1:2.Fix: Re-export within the limits; 9:16, 2:3 or 4:5 vertical works best. | “Shorter than 1:2 (width:height), taller than 1.91:1. We recommend making your videos square (1:1) or vertical (2:3, 4:5, or 9:16).” | ||
| Video outside LinkedIn's upload limitsVideo shorter than 3 s (desktop) / 2 s (mobile) or longer than 15 min, under 75 KB or over 5 GB, aspect ratio outside 1:2.4 to 2.4:1, resolution outside 256x144 to 4096x2304, frame rate outside 10-60 fps, or bitrate outside 192 Kbps-30 Mbps.Fix: Re-export within the limits. | “Maximum video duration: 15 minutes” |