How long can TikTok videos be?

Up to 60 minutes in the app, uploaded or recorded. Videos you schedule through TikTok's API get 3 minutes on every account and 5 or 10 on some. To earn from Creator Rewards, a video must run past 1 minute.

Checked on against 5 sources.

Drag to your video's length and see where it fits

Drag to see which formats take it.
0:45
Video (app)
Fits
Video (scheduled)
Fits
Scheduled, every account
Fits
Creator Rewards
Too short (min 1:01)
Story
Too long (max 0:15)
1s15s1m3m15m1h4h
AllowedLength most studies point to
The short answer

Up to 60 minutes in the app, 3 to 10 minutes when scheduled.

TikTok's Creator Academy says: "Whether you're uploading or recording, TikTok now lets you go up to 60 minutes long." Long videos also count for TikTok's Creator Rewards Program, which only pays on original videos over 1 minute.

Scheduled videos go through TikTok's Content Posting API, which works differently. TikTok says all creators can post 3-minute videos and some can post 5 or 10 minutes; the API takes at most 10 minutes, and it tells a scheduler each account's own maximum. Files can be up to 4 GB.

In the app
60 min
Uploaded or recorded
Scheduled
3 to 10 min
3 on every account, 5 or 10 on some
Creator Rewards
Over 1 min
Original videos only
Every format

Every TikTok video length in one table. In the app and when scheduled.

Maximum TikTok video lengths in the app, through TikTok's Content Posting API, for Creator Rewards and for Stories, October 2026
FormatLongestNotes
Video in the app60 minutesUploaded or recorded, per TikTok's Creator Academy
Video scheduled through the API10 minutes3 minutes for every creator; 5 or 10 for some accounts
Video for Creator RewardsNo maximum statedMust run over 1 minute and be original
Story15 secondsWidely reported; not stated in TikTok's Help Center
LIVENot publishedTikTok states no length limit for LIVE
Checked on October 17, 2026 against TikTok's Creator Academy and TikTok's developer documentation.
Scheduled videos

What a scheduled TikTok video must fit. TikTok's Content Posting API.

Video file requirements of TikTok's Content Posting API, used by scheduling tools
SpecRequirement
LengthUp to the account's own maximum: 3, 5 or 10 minutes
File typesMP4 (recommended), WebM or MOV
CodecsH.264 (recommended), H.265, VP8 or VP9
Frame rate23 to 60 fps
Picture size360 to 4,096 px on each side
File sizeUp to 4 GB
From TikTok's Content Posting API media transfer guide, read on October 17, 2026. TikTok users may trim a sent video in the app to fit their account's maximum.
Tips

Pick the right length. Match it to the goal.

  1. Know your account's maximum

    Scheduled videos get 3 minutes on every account and 5 or 10 on some. Check yours before you plan a long video.

  2. Go past 1 minute to earn

    The Creator Rewards Program only pays on original videos over 1 minute. Short clips can still grow reach, they just do not earn.

  3. Hook in the first seconds

    TikTok's own analytics show video duration and how much of it people watch. Open with the point so viewers stay.

  4. Post very long videos from the app

    Anything over 10 minutes needs the app, because TikTok's API stops at 10 minutes.

  5. Shoot 9:16 at 1080p

    TikTok fills the screen with vertical video, and Creator Rewards asks for 1080p or higher.

  6. Test lengths on the same topic

    No public study with a clear method names a best TikTok length. Post the same idea at two lengths and compare watch time.

Sources

How we built this guide. Checked on October 17, 2026.

The limits come from TikTok's Creator Academy and TikTok's developer documentation, read on October 17, 2026. TikTok's Help Center states no Story or LIVE length, so the page labels the commonly reported Story figure. We found no 2026 study of the best TikTok length with a published method, so the page gives none.

  1. TikTok Creator Academy: Unleashing creative potential by using longer video toolsAug 2026Up to 60 minutes, uploading or recording.
  2. TikTok Creator Academy: High-quality longer video content strategyAug 2026Creator Rewards: original, high-quality content over 1 minute.
  3. TikTok for Developers: Content Posting API: media transfer guideRead Oct 20263 minutes for all creators, 5 or 10 for some; 10 minutes at most; 4 GB.
  4. TikTok for Developers: Content Posting API: query creator infoRead Oct 2026max_video_post_duration_sec: the longest video the creator can post.
  5. TikTok Help Center: Watching Stories on TikTokRead Oct 2026Stories stay up for 24 hours; no length stated.
Something out of date? Tell us.

Frequently
Asked Questions

Robert Ligthart
Robert LigthartFounder of OmniSocials
Ask me a question

Last updated:

Robert Ligthart
Still have a question?Ask Robert, the founder
Ask