YouTube bumper ads must now run between 5 and 6 seconds. Non-skippable in-stream ads run up to 15 seconds as standard and up to 60 in some campaign types, skippable ads have no maximum (under 3 minutes recommended), and Shorts ads should stay under 1 minute. Google recommends 1920 × 1080 px for 16:9, 1080 × 1920 px for 9:16 and 1080 × 1080 px for square, with files up to 256 GB.
Last checked 28 September 2026 against the platforms' own pages · Every figure links to its source
Both numbers matter now. Google's format table says "6 seconds (>=5 seconds minimum)", and its help text describes bumpers as lasting "between 5 and 6 seconds". Many guides still say "6 seconds or shorter", which would let a 4 second cut through.
The other common problem is a bumper that runs a fraction over: 6.04 seconds is a typical export from an edit that ends on the wrong frame. Google does not say how it rounds, so Gatecheck measures the length from the frame count, to the hundredth of a second, and flags a bumper that runs even a few hundredths over for review before Google decides.
What resolution and aspect ratio should YouTube ads be?
Google recommends 1080p: 1920 × 1080 px horizontal, 1080 × 1920 px vertical and 1080 × 1080 px square. The minimum for HD is 1280 × 720 px, 720 × 1280 px and 480 × 480 px. Files can be up to 256 GB. The video is uploaded to YouTube first and then used in Google Ads. Source: Google Ads Help: YouTube video ad specs.
What is the YouTube Shorts ad safe zone?
A guide for Shorts on a 9:16 frame: top 10%, bottom 25%, left 4% and right 12%.
Google publishes universal safe zone templates for YouTube video ads as images on Google Ads Help: YouTube video ad specs, not as numbers. Gatecheck's Shorts overlay uses the guide above, from Kreatli: Safe zone hub, and treats it as something to review, because the Shorts interface changes with the ad format and device.
Full specs
Every rule Gatecheck checks for these placements, with its source.
Skippable in-stream
YouTube skippable in-stream video ads
Ratios
16:9 (1920×1080 recommended), min 1280×720; 9:16 (1080×1920 recommended), min 720×1280; 1:1 (1080×1080 recommended), min 480×480
Drop a file into the checker and it is read in your browser and tested against these placements and the other 20 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
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 cut against every YouTube format
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 Google or YouTube. 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.