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Have you tried to post a video on Instagram and it’s been cut short? Are you frustrated by how long Instagram Stories can be? It’s not just about how long the video is – it’s how you’re posting it. There are four different ways to post video on Instagram; feed videos, Story videos, IGTV videos, and Instagram Live. In this article, I’m going to outline the difference between them so you know exactly which Instagram video length you need.

Quick Answer to Instagram video length

Instagram Feed Video: 3 seconds – 1 minute

Instagram Story Video: 15 seconds max per Story

IGTV Video Length: 15 seconds – 10 minutes (popular accounts are allowed up to 1 hour)

Instagram Live Video Length: Up to 60 minutes

Instagram Feed Video Length

If you’re posting a video by simply adding it to you feed in the same way you add a photo, then your video is limited to 1 minute. If the video is over that, you’ll get the option to edit it down to a minute, but if you simply post it Instagram will cut it off after 59 second.

To edit a video, select “Trim” and hold and drag your video until the right section is within the markers. And of course, you can shorten the length to under a minute.

Instagram feed video workaround

As you know, you can share up to 10 photos or videos in a single post as a carousel. In the same way, you can cut your video into short clips, and post them as a sequence. You’ll need to do this by using the editing tools on your phone, before selecting them within the Instagram app. Hit the carousel icon (the one with the two squares stacked up) and add them.

Instagram Story Video Length

Instagram introduced Stories to allow users to post multiple clips without spamming their follower’s feeds. The posts disappear after 24 hrs and won’t appear in your profile grid or fee.

Instagram Stories have a 15-second limit per Story. However, when you upload a video that’s over 15 seconds, they will slice it into 15-second segments for you. You’ll still only get 4 stories so the overall limit is again only 1 minute.

For videos longer than a minute, you’ll have to chop the videos up yourself, which you can do on your phone’s camera roll, before you upload. And of course, there are apps that will do this for you, like CutStory for Instagram.

If you’re shooting your Instagram Story live in the Instagram app, you can shoot up to ten 15-second Stories in a single take.

IGTV Video Length

IGTV is a way of watching vertical video, designed for the way you hold your phone. You’ll be able to upload videos that are between 15 seconds and 10 minutes long. If your account is verified or you’ve got an account with a lot of followers, the upload limit extends to 60 minutes.

Instagram Live Video Length

Instagram Live Video is a great way to capture your follower’s attention. Once you hit the broadcast button, you can stream for an hour. Once that’s up you can go alive again and again till you’re done. Just remember to clock the time so you started to you can reset your broadcast.

So those are you key ways of posting your video content on to Instgram, If you’re looking to create content for your account, , get in touch and let us help you!


About Gavin Ricketts

I founded Napoleon Creative in 2006 to make great videos for discerning clients. We've grown from me and my dog (who the company is named after) to the talented mix of directors, animators and illustrators we are today. With all the tools and talent in our purpose-built studio, we take your projects wherever you want them to go.

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