Every ad format spec across all major platforms — filterable.
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About this reference
This is the most-bookmarked page for any in-house creative team or freelance designer working on performance ads. The platforms each have their own spec documentation, but it lives behind login walls, scattered across help centers, and gets restructured every six months. Having every format in one filterable view is the difference between a 30-second spec lookup and a 10-minute spec hunt.
The dimensions captured here reflect 2026 platform recommendations across Meta (Facebook + Instagram), Google (Display, Discovery, YouTube), TikTok, Pinterest, LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), Snapchat, and YouTube. Each row includes the aspect ratio, recommended pixel dimensions, maximum file size, accepted file types, and notes on safe areas where platform UI covers part of the creative.
The general rule for 2026 creative production is: design vertical first (9:16) at 1080×1920 minimum, then crop down to 1:1 (1080×1080) for placements that require it, and 4:5 (1080×1350) for Meta Feed placements that prefer portrait. Designing horizontal-first (16:9) is now the exception rather than the rule, even for desktop-targeted campaigns, because mobile carries the majority of impressions across most paid channels.
Pair this reference with the Ad Copy Character Counter (for headline and primary text limits across platforms) and the Aspect Ratio Converter (for quickly resizing existing creative to multiple formats). Together those three tools cover roughly 80% of "what spec do I need?" questions a performance creative team faces in a day.
Frequently asked questions
How often do these specs change?
Less than people think. The big platforms (Meta, Google, TikTok) update their specs roughly once a year, usually adding new formats rather than changing existing dimensions. The recommendations here reflect 2026 spec sheets. Always verify against the platform's official documentation before a major launch — but for daily creative production, these dimensions hold for months at a time.
What's the difference between recommended and minimum dimensions?
Minimum dimensions are the smallest size the platform will accept. Recommended dimensions produce the cleanest result — usually 2× the display size for retina displays. Always design at recommended dimensions, then export at the minimum if file size becomes an issue. Designing at minimum dimensions and upscaling produces visible artifacts on modern displays.
What is "safe area" and why does it matter?
Safe area is the portion of the creative that won't be cropped or covered by platform UI (call-to-action buttons, captions, profile information overlays). On Stories and Reels formats, the top 250px and bottom 250px are typically covered by UI, so critical content (logos, key text, product imagery) should sit in the middle 1300px of a 1920px tall creative. Designs that ignore safe area look fine in the editor but get partially obscured in the live ad.
Should I use JPG or PNG for ads?
JPG for photographic content (saves significant file size with no perceptible quality loss). PNG for graphics, text-heavy creatives, and anything with a transparent background. WebP is supported on most platforms now and produces smaller files than JPG at similar quality, but compatibility checking is still worth doing for very high-volume placements. Never use GIF for static creative — file sizes are massive for the same image quality.
Why are vertical (9:16) formats taking over?
Mobile usage is 80%+ of ad impressions, and mobile screens are vertical. Stories, Reels, TikTok Feed, Snapchat Snap Ads — all are 9:16 native. Even Meta's Feed placement now favors 4:5 portrait creatives over the historical 1:1 square. If you're only producing one creative for a campaign, make it 9:16 vertical. You can crop down to 1:1 for placements that require it, but you can't un-crop a square back to vertical.