Meta ad sizes and specs: how to check them

Why this guide does not list every number

Ad specifications are a classic example of information that goes out of date. Platforms adjust placements, add formats and revise limits, and a table copied into a blog post can be wrong within months. Wrong specs cost money: a creative that is cropped awkwardly, or rejected, wastes production time and sometimes ad spend.

Our approach is therefore different. This guide explains how to think about sizes, how to design assets that survive several placements, and how to check the official source. Meta describes its Ads Guide as the place where you can find requirements across each format and placement, including dimensions, file sizes, character limits and more. We confirmed on 3 October 2026 that the Ads Guide was reachable. We have not verified individual placement figures, so we do not assert them here. Open the Meta Ads Guide (opens in a new tab) for the current numbers, and see our ad size specs tool for what we maintain and when it was last reviewed.

The vocabulary

• Placement: where the ad appears, for example a feed, a story, a reel or a search result surface.
• Format: the type of creative, such as a single image, a video or a carousel.
• Aspect ratio: the shape, width relative to height. Vertical, square and landscape shapes are the broad families.
• Safe zone: the region of the frame where text and key visuals are not covered by interface elements such as profile names, buttons and captions.
• Text limits: the lengths of primary text, headlines and descriptions before truncation. Some are recommendations and some are hard limits, and the Ads Guide indicates which.

Think in families, not single sizes

Rather than make a separate asset for every placement, group placements into families. Vertical full-screen placements form one family, and feed placements, which are commonly closer to square or portrait, form another. A small number of master files, each designed with safe areas, can cover most uses. Confirm the exact ratios in the Ads Guide when you set up.

A typical working approach is to design the vertical version first, because it has the most interface overlay, and then adapt it to feed shapes by recomposing, not just cropping. Cropping a vertical design into a square can cut off the product or the text, so check each export.

Designing for safe zones

Interface elements cover parts of a vertical frame: usernames and captions at the bottom, buttons at the side, headers at the top. Keep key text and the product inside a central area, leaving generous margins. The story and reel safe zone tool helps visualise this, and the meta feed versus story creative guide explains how the two behave differently.

Test with the ad preview mockup to see how your text and image look inside a simulated placement. Also use Meta's own preview inside Ads Manager before launching, since it reflects the real interface.

A workflow for producing sizes

• Check the Ads Guide for the placements you plan to use, and note the dimension, file size and text limits for each.
• Create master artwork at a high resolution, with the product and text in the safe area.
• Export per family, using the image resizer if you need quick conversions, and recompose where cropping would hurt.
• Check text lengths with the ad character counter against the limits you noted.
• Preview in the mockup tool and in Ads Manager.
• Record the check date in your asset log so you know when to re-verify.

Pre-flight checklist

• Is the file in a type and size that the Ads Guide permits for this format?
• Does the main message survive in the safe area?
• Is text readable without sound, on a small phone screen?
• Does the first frame of a video work as a still?
• Are headline and primary text within recommended lengths, so important words are not cut?
• Does the creative match the landing page promise?
• Have you avoided overlaying a lot of text? Meta has at times given guidance on text in images, so read the current guidance rather than relying on memory.

A hypothetical example

A store selling enamel camping mugs creates one master vertical design, with the mug centred and a two-line headline in the middle third. For feed placements it recomposes the artwork, moving the headline above the mug, and writes the longer explanation into the primary text. It checks its working ratios against the Ads Guide, notes the date in a spreadsheet, and previews each version. One version is flagged because the headline touches the lower safe margin. A small change fixes it before any money is spent. The process took an afternoon and avoided a rejected or awkward ad. All details are invented, and the dimensions are deliberately omitted because you should read them from the official guide.

File size and video basics

File size and video length limits exist, and differ by format. Compressing images and videos reduces upload time and can speed up loading, but over-compression introduces artefacts that make a product look cheap. Export at the highest quality allowed and check the preview. For video, make the first seconds count, because many viewers scroll quickly. The write first three second ad hooks guide covers openings.

Text on images and copy limits

Keep image text short, large and high contrast, and put detailed information in the primary text, where it can be edited without re-exporting. The primary text and headline fields have lengths after which they may be truncated depending on placement. Check the current guidance and write the most important words first, so truncation costs you little.

Accessibility and brand

Check contrast for any text over images, avoid relying on colour alone, and include captions for video, since many people watch without sound and some cannot hear it. These practices help all viewers, and they tend to improve results as a side effect.

Keeping your specs current

Create a small spec sheet for your own use with the placements you use, the figures from the Ads Guide, the source link and the date you checked it. Review it monthly, or whenever Ads Manager shows a warning, an unfamiliar option or a rejected ad. When Meta announces new placements, add them. Our own ad sizes across platforms guide and the TikTok ad specs page apply the same approach to other platforms. Also see structure a Meta ad for how the pieces of an ad fit together.

Common mistakes

• Copying specs from an old article.
• Ignoring safe zones and covering text with interface elements.
• Cropping instead of recomposing.
• Skipping the preview.
• Not recording when you last checked.

Scope note

This page does not state any individual Meta placement figure as verified. It points to the official source and gives a method. Always confirm with the current Ads Guide, which can change without notice.

Reading the Ads Guide efficiently

The Ads Guide is organised by format and placement, and it is easy to get lost. Start from your intent: decide which two or three placements you actually plan to use, then open only those entries. For each, write down the dimension or ratio guidance, any minimum resolution, the file types and size limits, video length limits if relevant, and the text length guidance. Note whether each item is described as required or recommended, since a recommendation can be bent for good reasons while a requirement cannot. Copy the page address into your sheet alongside the date. Do this once per quarter for the placements you use, and whenever you add a new one. The whole exercise takes less than an hour and removes the risk of building around stale numbers.

Handling rejected or cropped ads

If an ad is rejected for a technical reason, read the message in Ads Manager, which usually names the problem. Fix that issue only, then resubmit, so you know what changed. If an ad is delivered but looks cropped, open the placement previews and look at each placement separately, because an asset that looks fine in one may be cut in another. Avoid selecting every available placement automatically if you have not prepared assets that suit each, or review the previews before launch. Keep an eye on the first day of delivery for odd cropping reports from colleagues or friends, who can screenshot what they see. Record any recurring problem in your spec sheet so that future designs avoid it.

Start with the dated specs table

Selected guidance, not independent verification of every accepted format. The specs tool is the primary numeric reference.

Common questions

What size should my Meta ad be?

It depends on the format and placement. Check the current figures in the Meta Ads Guide, which lists dimensions, file sizes and character limits.

When were these specs last checked?

We confirmed the Ads Guide was reachable on 3 October 2026. We do not reproduce individual placement figures here, so check the official source for numbers.

Can I use one creative for every placement?

Sometimes, if it is designed with safe areas, but many advertisers produce a vertical and a feed version for best results. Preview each.

Why was my ad cropped?

The placement may use a different aspect ratio from your file. Recompose for that shape and check the preview.

Is there a limit on text in the image?

Meta has issued guidance on text in images at times. Read the current guidance in Ads Manager and the Ads Guide.

Where do I check character limits?

In the Ads Guide for the format and placement, and in the Ads Manager editor, which shows limits as you type.