Video size and specs for TikTok ads
TikTok non-Spark In-Feed ads take vertical 9:16 video at 540 by 960 pixels or more, up to 500 MB per file. That is TikTok’s own minimum, from its In-Feed spec page (last updated June 2026, read 2 October 2026). A 1080 by 1920 file clears it at twice the size in each dimension.
The same page sets no fixed safe-zone box in pixels. It offers downloadable safe-zone files instead, in standard and right-to-left versions.
| Spec | Non-Spark ads | Spark Ads |
|---|---|---|
| Aspect ratio and minimum size | 9:16 (recommended) at 540 x 960 px or more; 16:9 at 960 x 540; 1:1 at 640 x 640 | Not stated on the page |
| File formats | .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .3gp, .avi | .mp4, .mov |
| File size | 500 MB or less | Not stated on the page |
| Bitrate | 516 kbps or more | Not stated on the page |
| Length | Up to 10 minutes | “No restrictions” |
| Caption | “Displayed in white with a uniform font that can’t be customized” | From the organic post; “A maximum of 4 lines can be displayed” |
| Display name | One line, 20 characters (10 in Chinese, Japanese and Korean) | Not stated on the page |
| Profile photo | 98 x 98 px, .jpg, .jpeg or .png, under 50 KB | The posting account |
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What video size do TikTok ads need?
TikTok ads need 9:16 at 540 by 960 or more for a vertical video, and TikTok marks vertical as recommended. Horizontal 16:9 starts at 960 by 540 and square 1:1 at 640 by 640.
These are floors. The file must stay at 500 MB or less, with a bitrate of 516 kbps or more.
TikTok’s spec page names five containers for non-Spark ads: .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .3gp and .avi. Spark Ads, which boost an organic post, take .mp4 or .mov.
How long can a TikTok ad be?
A non-Spark In-Feed ad can run “up to 10 minutes”, and Spark Ads have “No restrictions” on length, the spec page says. The page recommends no ideal length, so any “best length” figure you meet elsewhere is that author’s own.
TikTok safe zones for ads
TikTok says the safe zone is determined by the video’s dimension, the ad caption length and any additional formats used. It supplies the zones as downloadable .zip files: standard (all regions except Arabic) and Arabic right-to-left, each with an anchor version (read 2 October 2026).
Several spec pages that rank for this query print one fixed safe area, such as 930 by 1520 pixels. Others advise keeping the lower 340 pixels clear (search of 2 October 2026). Neither figure appears on TikTok’s spec page. Lay your captions and product over TikTok’s file for your dimension and format.
TikTok’s older help article on the ads safe zone returns a page reading “no longer exists or failed to load” (checked 2 October 2026).
Captions, account name and text limits
The spec page sets these text rules:
- Non-Spark captions are “Displayed in white with a uniform font that can’t be customized”.
- Spark Ads captions are “Extracted directly from the organic video captions”, with at most 4 lines shown.
- The account or display name shows on one line, up to 20 characters, or 10 in Chinese, Japanese and Korean.
Text burned into the video itself is yours to place, which is where the safe-zone files matter.
Which AI tools export TikTok-ready video?
Any tool that exports a vertical .mp4 meets the ratio and format rules. What differs between tools is clip length, free-plan ad use and labelling. The table below takes each from our tool database, which records the vendors’ own pages, and from counted user reviews.
| Tool | Length the vendor states | Free plan for ads | AI label or mark |
|---|---|---|---|
| TikTok Symphony inside TikTok Ads Manager | Image-to-video clips 5 s at launch (June 2025); 4 of 18 user sources report vertical-only clips that stop at 12 s (YouTube, Make Influence) | Unclear; TikTok’s price unverified | “An AI-generated label is added to all exported videos per TikTok ad policy” |
| Creatify avatar and product video | Videos up to 2 minutes on Starter; Veo 3 product clips capped at 8 s | Unclear on the Free plan (rights row) | None found on Creatify’s pages |
| HeyGen avatar video | Free plan videos up to 1 minute | Free plan bars commercial and advertising use | None found on HeyGen’s pages |
| Arcads AI actor video | Billed per minute of actor video, length rounded up | No free plan | None found on Arcads’ pages |
| Captions AI actors and editing | Prompt to Video audio prompts up to 30 s | Unclear on the Free plan (rights row) | Acceptable Use Policy bars presenting output as made solely by a human |
| Topview product-link video | Avatar 4 videos up to 180 s | Terms bar Free Users from advertising | None recorded |
| Pippit product video, publishes to TikTok | Not recorded | Conditional under the CapCut Materials License; free output watermarked | None found on Pippit’s pages |
| Seedance video model | Seedance 2.5 clips 30 s; 2.0 in CapCut up to 15 s | Free plan outside the US barred from commercial use | None recorded |
| Kling video model | Kling 3.0 clips 3 to 15 s | Free and top-up outputs barred from commercial use without a membership | Non-members must show the Kling brand or a “generated by Kling AI” notice |
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Clip models such as Kling (3 to 15 s) and Seedance (up to 30 s) make a hook that you then cut together in an editor. Avatar tools render the whole ad in one pass. Best AI tools for TikTok ads compares them by job and price.
Does an AI-made TikTok ad need a label?
Yes, when the media is fully or significantly AI-made. TikTok’s ads policy (updated April 2026) requires disclosure for “images, video, or audio that are completely AI-generated”, through TikTok’s AIGC label or your own clear disclaimer. The cases and the toggle: TikTok’s AI-generated content label.
TopView the ad format, Topview the AI tool
TopView is the name TikTok gives one of its reservation ad formats, with a spec page of its own. Google autocomplete shows “tiktok topview ad specs” (2 October 2026). Topview, spelled with a lower-case v, is an AI video tool that turns a product link into an ad, profiled at Topview. The specs on this page are for auction In-Feed ads.
What changed and when
- June 2026: TikTok’s In-Feed spec page shows its last update, the version read for this page on 2 October 2026.
- Checked 2 October 2026: TikTok’s older ads safe-zone help article returns a page reading “no longer exists or failed to load”; the spec page carries the downloadable safe-zone files.
Sources
- TikTok Business Help Center: TikTok Auction In-Feed Ads specifications, last updated June 2026; ratios and minimum sizes, formats, 500 MB, 516 kbps, up to 10 minutes for non-Spark ads, no restriction for Spark Ads, caption and display name rules, safe zone set by dimension, caption length and additional formats; files in standard and Arabic RTL versions, each with an anchor version. Checked
- TikTok Business Help Center: TikTok ads policy: misleading and false content, updated April 2026; the AI-generated content disclosure rule, as our TikTok AI label guide quotes it. Checked
- TikTok Business Help Center: How to generate videos with Symphony Creative Studio, updated June 2026; an AI-generated label is added to all exported videos; reference inputs under 10 seconds. Checked
- Reddit, YouTube and others, as counted in our reviews file: Public user reviews of TikTok Symphony, 18 sources counted on 28 September 2026; vertical-only output and 12-second clips in 4 of them. Checked
What changed on this page
- Page written.
Alexandre S.
Alexandre S. is a creative strategist and copywriter with ten years in content and SEO. He writes and edits short-form ads, works in English and French, and reads the pricing and terms pages behind every tool on this site before anything is written about it.
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