How long can X (Twitter) videos be?

Free accounts can post videos up to 2 minutes 20 seconds in the app. Any X Premium tier raises that to hours. Through the API that schedulers use, X lists 20 minutes, or 125 with Premium.

Checked on against 6 sources.

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

Drag to see which formats take it.
1:30
Free (app)
Fits
Premium (app)
Fits
Standard (API)
Fits
Premium (API)
Fits
Video ad
Fits
1s15s1m3m15m1h4h
AllowedLength most studies point to
The short answer

Free accounts: 2 minutes 20 seconds. Premium: up to 4 hours.

In the X app, a free account can post a video of up to 2 minutes 20 seconds (140 seconds) and 512 MB. Any X Premium tier, Basic included, allows far longer uploads on x.com and iOS. X's video help page says under 4 hours and 16 GB, at 1080p up to 2 hours and 720p beyond; its Premium page says about 3 hours and 8 GB.

Schedulers post through X's API, where X's docs list 20 minutes and 8 GB for standard accounts and 125 minutes and 16 GB for Premium. OmniSocials allows 125 minutes for Premium and Premium+ accounts and holds other accounts to 2 minutes 20 seconds, the length X's app allows. X gives no ideal length for posts; its ads guide recommends 15 seconds or less for video ads.

Free account
2:20
140 seconds, 512 MB
With Premium
Under 4 hours
On x.com, up to 16 GB
Via the API
125 min
Premium; X lists 20 min without it
Every limit

Every X video length in one table. In the app and through the API.

Maximum X (Twitter) video lengths and file sizes for free and Premium accounts, in the app and through the X API, plus direct messages and video ads, October 2026
FormatLongestFile sizeNotes
Free account, app2:20 (140 seconds)512 MBx.com and the X apps
Premium, appUnder 4 hours16 GB1080p up to 2 hours, 720p beyond; the Premium page says about 3 hours, 8 GB
Standard account, API20 minutes8 GBAt least 0.5 seconds; X's docs since Sep 2026
Premium, API125 minutes16 GBPremium or verified accounts
Video in a DM, API140 seconds512 MBPremium: 10 minutes, 1 GB
Video ad2:201 GB15 seconds or less recommended; MP4 or MOV
From X's Help Center, X's developer docs and X's ads guide, read on October 17, 2026. X's two Help Center pages disagree on the Premium limit; both are shown.
Video specs

What a video must fit, in the app and via schedulers. The API's rules are stricter.

X (Twitter) video resolution, aspect ratio, frame rate and codec rules for web uploads compared with the X API used by scheduling tools
SpecX app (web upload)Schedulers (the API)
Resolution32 × 32 to 1920 × 120032 × 32 to 1280 × 1024 listed; 1280 × 720 recommended
Aspect ratio1:2.39 to 2.39:11:3 to 3:1; 16:9 or 1:1 recommended
Frame rateUp to 40 fpsUp to 60 fps
BitrateUp to 25 MbpsNot published as a maximum
CodecNot publishedH.264, YUV 4:2:0, AAC-LC audio
OmniSocials re-encodes HEVC, AV1 and VP9 video to H.264 before it uploads to X, so phone videos post without a codec error.
What changed

What changed for video length. The API now spells out its limits.

  1. Sep 2026

    API video limits by account

    X's developer docs now list post video limits by account: up to 20 minutes and 8 GB by default, 125 minutes and 16 GB for Premium or verified accounts. Source

  2. Jan 2025

    New API media upload

    X launched new media upload endpoints in its v2 API, which schedulers use to send video in chunks. Dedicated chunked upload endpoints followed in April 2025. Source

Tips

Pick the right length. Your plan sets the limit.

  1. Trim to 2:20 on a free account

    Free accounts stop at 140 seconds in the app. Cut a highlight, or post the full video where your plan allows it.

  2. Long videos need Premium

    Every Premium tier, Basic included, allows long uploads on x.com and iOS. Over 2 hours, X drops to 720p.

  3. Keep ads short

    X's ads guide recommends 15 seconds or less for video ads and supports up to 2:20.

  4. Export H.264 MP4

    Export MP4 or MOV with H.264 video and AAC audio, the format X's API asks for.

  5. Add captions

    On iOS and Android, X shows captions automatically in the timeline when a video has them.

  6. Add timestamps to long videos

    Times like 1:30 in the post become clickable on iOS, up to 50 per post, so viewers can jump ahead.

Sources

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

The limits come from X's Help Center, X's developer docs and X's ads guide, read on October 17, 2026. X's video help page and its Premium page give different Premium limits, so the page shows both. X publishes no ideal length for posts, and we found no 2025 or 2026 study of X video length, so the ruler marks no best length.

  1. X Help Center: How to share and watch videos on XOct 8, 2026Free 140 s and 512 MB; Premium under 4 hours and 16 GB; web video specs.
  2. X Help Center: About X PremiumOct 5, 2026Longer video uploads on every tier: about 3 hours and 8 GB at 1080p.
  3. X Developer Platform: Media upload best practicesRead Oct 2026API durations, file sizes, resolutions and codecs by account type.
  4. X Developer Platform: Chunked media uploadRead Oct 2026Post video 20 min / 8 GB, Premium 125 min / 16 GB; DM video 140 s / 512 MB.
  5. X Developer Platform: X API changelogRead Oct 2026
  6. X Business: Creative ad specificationsRead Oct 2026Video ads up to 2:20, 15 seconds or less recommended, MP4 or MOV, 1 GB.
Something out of date? Tell us.

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