TikTok In-Feed ads should be vertical 9:16, at least 540 × 960 px. Horizontal 16:9 (from 960 × 540 px) and square 1:1 (from 640 × 640 px) are also accepted. Files can be .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .mpg, .3gp and .avi, up to 500 MB, up to 10 minutes long, with a bitrate of at least 516 kbps.
Last checked 28 September 2026 against the platforms' own pages · Every figure links to its source
9:16 from 540×960, 16:9 from 960×540, 1:1 from 640×640
MP4/MOV/MPEG up to 500 MB
up to 10 min
Does a TikTok ad have to be 1080 × 1920?
No. TikTok's own spec page gives only a minimum: 9:16 at 540 × 960 px or more. 1080 × 1920 is the usual vertical HD export and a sensible choice, but files between the minimum and that size are accepted. Guides that call 1080 × 1920 (or 720 × 1280) "the recommended TikTok size" are not quoting TikTok.
What does get a video rejected is the hard limits: a ratio TikTok does not take, a file over 500 MB, a video over 10 minutes, or a bitrate under 516 kbps. Source: TikTok Ads Manager: Auction In-Feed Ads.
What is the TikTok ad safe zone?
TikTok says the safe zone depends on the video's shape, the length of the ad caption and any add-ons, and publishes downloadable overlay files in Ads Manager rather than one set of numbers. There is no single official figure.
A guide for a short caption on a 1080 × 1920 frame: about 130 px at the top, 484 px at the bottom, 44 px on the left and 140 px on the right, where the buttons sit.
Gatecheck uses this guide (from Cadenus: TikTok safe zone in pixels) for its overlay and treats it as something to review, never as an automatic failure. Longer captions and interactive add-ons take more of the bottom, so preview in Ads Manager before launch.
Do these specs apply to Spark Ads?
Only partly. Spark Ads promote an existing TikTok post, so the post itself is the creative and TikTok sets no duration limit for them. The file limits on this page are for non-Spark In-Feed ads, which you upload in Ads Manager.
Full specs
Every rule Gatecheck checks for these placements, with its source.
In-Feed
TikTok auction In-Feed video (non-Spark)
Ratios
9:16, min 540×960; 16:9, min 960×540; 1:1, min 640×640
Video files
.mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .mpg, .3gp, .avi
Codec
H.264 recommended
Video weight
up to 500 MB
Length
up to 10 min
Bitrate
at least 516 kbps
Audio
recommended
Safe zone
top 6.8%, bottom 25.2%, sides 4.1% and 13% (guide)
These limits apply to non-Spark ads. Spark Ads promote an existing post, so the post itself is the creative.
Drop a file into the checker and it is read in your browser and tested against these placements and the other 23 in the library:
Aspect ratio and pixel size against each ratio the placement accepts, and any minimum or recommended size
Container, codec, file weight and length, measured from the file itself to the hundredth of a second
Interlaced video
HDR and 10-bit exports that phones and ad platforms may not show correctly
Video bitrate against the platform minimum
Black bars from a wide edit placed inside a tall frame, found by sampling real frames
Loudness and true peak to ITU-R BS.1770, flagging extremes where the platform sets no target
A safe-zone overlay on your own frame, to confirm no text, logo or offer sits under the interface
Check a video against TikTok and every other vertical placement
Checking one file at a time is free, with every check. Pro checks a whole campaign against a delivery plan and exports the report. Nothing is uploaded.
Gatecheck is not affiliated with TikTok. Specs come from their public help pages and, where marked secondary, from industry guides. Every source is linked on this page and was last checked on 28 September 2026.