YouTube ad sizes & specs (2026)
YouTube video ads should be uploaded as 16:9 at 1920 × 1080 px for in-stream, 9:16 at 1080 × 1920 px for Shorts, and 1:1 at 1080 × 1080 px. Skippable in-stream ads can be skipped after 5 seconds, bumper ads last up to 6 seconds, and Shorts ads can be up to 3 minutes but only the first 60 seconds play in the Shorts feed. For vertical ads, Google's safe zone leaves 288 px at the top, 672 px at the bottom, 48 px on the left and 192 px on the right.
Checked against YouTube's own specs on 2026-10-20. Sources at the bottom.
YouTube ad specs at a glance
Skippable in-stream
16:9 · 1920 × 1080
- Files:
- MPG (MPEG-2/MPEG-4) recommended; MP4, MOV, AVI, WMV, WebM and others accepted, up to 256 GB
- Length:
- No maximum (under 3 min recommended); skippable after 5 s
Non-skippable in-stream
16:9 · 1920 × 1080
- Length:
- 15–60 s, depending on campaign subtype
Bumper
16:9 · 1920 × 1080
- Length:
- 6 s (at least 5 s), non-skippable
In-feed video
16:9 · 1920 × 1080
- Length:
- No maximum (15 s recommended)
- Text:
- Headline: 2 lines of 40 characters; description: 2 lines of 35 characters
Shorts ads
9:16 · 1080 × 1920
- Length:
- Up to 3 min; only the first 60 s play in the Shorts feed (under 60 s recommended)
- Text:
- Headline 40 characters and description 90 recommended; text past 1 line on mobile is truncated
- Safe zone:
- Keep logo, product and supers out of the top 288 px, bottom 672 px, left 48 px and right 192 px of 1080 × 1920.
Square video
1:1 · 1080 × 1080
- Length:
- 6–60 s (video reach campaigns)
Video thumbnail
16:9 · 1280 × 720
- Minimum:
- 1280 × 640
- Files:
- JPG, GIF, PNG, up to 2 MB
Companion banner
5:1 · 300 × 60
- Files:
- JPG, GIF, PNG, up to 150 KB
Safe zones for vertical YouTube ads
YouTube Shorts & vertical video ads
top 288 px, bottom 672 px, left 48 px, right 192 px
From Google's "YouTube | Vertical Video Ads" safe-zone diagram (1080 × 1920). Google also applies it to 9:16 image assets in Demand Gen.
Check your adTips for YouTube ad creative
- Cut every video in three shapes: 16:9 (1920 × 1080), 9:16 (1080 × 1920) and 1:1 (1080 × 1080). If you skip video in Performance Max, Google may auto-generate one from your assets.
- Put the brand and the offer in the first 5 seconds of skippable in-stream ads, because that is when viewers can skip.
- Keep Shorts ads under 60 seconds: ads can be 3 minutes long, but only the first 60 seconds play in the Shorts feed.
- Use sound in Shorts ads; Google says music, voiceover or both has been shown to increase conversions by over 20%.
- On vertical 1080 × 1920 ads, keep logos and supers inside x 48–888 px and y 288–1248 px, clear of Google's top 288 px, bottom 672 px and right 192 px.
YouTube ad size questions
What size should a YouTube ad be?
1920 × 1080 px (16:9) for in-stream and in-feed, 1080 × 1920 px (9:16) for Shorts, and 1080 × 1080 px (1:1) as the square version.
How long can a YouTube Shorts ad be?
Up to 3 minutes, but only the first 60 seconds play in the Shorts feed, with an overlay at 50 seconds. Google recommends under 60 seconds, and 10–30 seconds for action-oriented ads.
When can viewers skip a YouTube ad?
Skippable in-stream ads can be skipped after 5 seconds. Bumper ads (up to 6 seconds) and non-skippable in-stream ads (15–60 seconds, depending on campaign subtype) cannot be skipped.
What is the YouTube Shorts ad safe zone?
Google's vertical video diagram for 1080 × 1920 keeps important elements out of the top 288 px, the bottom 672 px, the left 48 px and the right 192 px.
Sources (checked 2026-10-20)
- Google Ads Help: About video ad formats
- Google Ads Help: Video ads specs and format requirements
- Google Ads Help: YouTube Shorts ads specs
- Google Ads Help: Square and vertical video (safe zone)
Other platforms
Make YouTube ads in every size
Paste your link. AdCreator makes finished ads and lays each one out again for every placement, with text inside the safe zones.