Snapchat ad specs: sizes, lengths and safe zones

This guide is built from Snapchat Business Help: Single Image or Video Specifications, Story Ad Specifications, Collection Ad Specifications and Safe Zones for Ads on Snapchat. Choosing objectives, targeting and budgets is in our Snapchat ads for small businesses guide, and conversion tracking in our Snapchat Pixel guide.

Single Image or Video ads

Single Image or Video ads are the base format: Story Ads and Collection Ads are built from them, and their specs apply there too. Snap accepts live video, motion graphics, stop motion, cinemagraphs, slideshows, gif-like clips and still images.

• Canvas: 1080 x 1920 px, 9:16 aspect ratio, full screen and vertical.
• Video: .mp4 or .mov, H.264 encoded, 1 GB or less. Storage and display aspect ratio 9:16, pixel aspect ratio 1:1.
• Length: 3 seconds to 30 minutes, as long as the file stays within 1 GB. A video shorter than 3 seconds is looped to reach the minimum.
• Image: .jpg or .png (Ads Manager only), 9:16, at least 720 x 1280 px and up to 5 MB. Snap says "The image will be converted into a video of 5 second duration." If your file isn't 720 x 1280 px, Ads Manager lets you crop it.
• Dynamic Ads images: 6 MB or less.

Ads must also be approved for viewing by a 13+ audience.

Audio

Snap's audio requirements for video ads:

• 2 channels (left and right), balanced throughout.
• Target level of -16 LUFS.
• PCM or AAC codec, at least 192 kbps, 16 or 24 bit only.

Brand name and headline

Every Single Image or Video ad needs both, added in Ads Manager rather than in the video:

• Brand name: up to 32 characters with spaces, for example your company name. It must match the paying advertiser whose products or services are advertised.
• Headline: up to 34 characters with spaces, for example a product name, slogan or date.

Snap adds that "The Brand Name must reflect the paying Advertiser and cannot be the same as your Headline". You are also responsible for licensing any fonts, emojis and creative tools you use.

Safe zones

Snap defines safe zones as "areas within your ad creative that should remain clear of key content", such as text, logos, hero images and legal disclaimers, so they aren't covered by the brand name, headline, call-to-action button or progress bar. One safe zone spec applies across Stories, Spotlight and Commercials, and to Single Image or Video, Story, Collection and Dynamic Collection ads. Snap notes the call-to-action format and position can be chosen dynamically for eligible ads, which is another reason to keep key elements inside the safe area.

Snap's format pages give these buffers:

• Collection Ads: keep critical graphics, logos, messaging and legal language out of the bottom 450 px.
• App Install ads: keep them out of the bottom 330 px and top 150 px.

To check alignment, use the Safe Zone toggle in Ads Manager. Snap's best practices: keep logos, taglines, disclaimers and calls to action inside the safe area, use legible fonts with strong contrast, avoid the very top, bottom and sides, and place legal text well above the bottom buffer. Dynamic call-to-action variants don't appear in Ads Preview, so leave room even if the preview looks clear.

Story Ads

Story Ads are a series of ads shown between content, or a branded tile in the Discover section that opens to 1 to 10 images or videos. Each of those is a Single Image or Video ad of up to 180 seconds that follows the specs above, with its own brand name (32 characters) and headline (34 characters).

The tile is only needed when placement is automatic or in the Discover feed:

• Logo: 993 x 284 px PNG on a transparent background, filling the full height, or the full width and at least half the height.
• Image: one 360 x 600 px .png of up to 2 MB, 8-bit or lower bit depth. Leave a 175 px buffer at the top so the logo doesn't clash with the image.
• Headline: up to 55 characters with spaces; emojis are allowed and count towards the limit.

For Story Ads with a call-to-action button, keep text in the tile image clear of a 175 px buffer at the top and 269 px at the bottom, and inside a 300 x 128 px area so it doesn't run off screen. On a white tile, Snap recommends a gradient towards the bottom so the headline stands out.

Collection Ads

Collection Ads show a full-screen Single Image or Video with 2, 3 or 4 tappable product thumbnails near the bottom.

• Thumbnails: static .jpg or .png, square, at least 160 x 160 px, 2 MB or less each.
• URLs: each thumbnail needs its own URL (the same URL can be reused), plus a main click URL.
• Snapchat adds the "AD" label at the upper right of the thumbnail area and the call to action, chosen in Ads Manager, at the upper left.

Snap's creative tips: one hero message, branding before the 2-second mark, short ads of about 3 to 5 seconds, and simple thumbnails with one product filling each image and little or no text. Collection Ads can be built by hand or from a product catalog.

Dynamic Ads

Dynamic Ads are built automatically from a product catalog. Snap lists four types:

• Dynamic Single Image: one catalog product, with text fields and creative elements on top.
• Dynamic Collection: a single image or video with four tappable product tiles generated from the catalog.
• Dynamic Story: a Discover tile that opens to 3 to 10 product images; the first story can be your own branded image or video.
• Multi-Segment DPA: a hero image or video followed by 3 or 4 dynamic product tiles with title, price and sale price.

The creative work here is mostly the catalog's product images, plus any hero video, which follows the Single Image or Video specs. See Snap's types of Dynamic Ads page for templates.

App Install attachments

Snap's App Install specifications add an install card at the bottom of Single Image or Video and Story Ads, and a small call to action on Lenses. You need the Google Play and App Store IDs, and a square PNG app icon from 200 x 200 px to 2000 x 2000 px. To optimise for installs, the app must be connected to an approved mobile measurement partner or Snap's Conversions API; without one, Snapchat can't optimise towards installs or report them. Keep important elements out of the bottom 330 px and top 150 px.

Sponsored Lenses

Lenses are augmented reality experiences people play with and send to friends. Snap's Lenses specifications require a visible brand logo or brand name on both Face and World Lenses. Snap recommends placing the logo top left or top right, under the top interface elements, and away from the carousel at the bottom. Snapchat adds a "SPONSORED" label for 2 seconds, which doesn't appear in the Snaps people take.

How we prepare Snapchat creative

This is our own practice, not Snap's guidance:

• We edit every video at 1080 x 1920 and export with the audio settings above, so one file serves Single Image or Video, Story and Collection ads.
• We use the strictest buffer we plan to use (the 450 px bottom area for Collection Ads) on all versions.
• We put the brand in the first two seconds and write the brand name and headline before the edit, so text in the video doesn't repeat them.
• We check every ad with the Safe Zone toggle before it goes to review.

If you want help with Snapchat or other paid social campaigns, see our services.

Frequently asked questions

What size should a Snapchat ad be?

1080 x 1920 px at a 9:16 aspect ratio. Images must be at least 720 x 1280 px.

How long can a Snapchat video ad be?

From 3 seconds to 30 minutes for Single Image or Video ads, as long as the file is 1 GB or less. Each video in a Story Ad can be up to 180 seconds.

What file types does Snapchat accept?

Video in .mp4 or .mov with H.264 encoding, up to 1 GB, and images in .jpg or .png up to 5 MB.

What is the Snapchat ad safe zone?

The area to keep clear of text, logos and disclaimers so Snapchat's brand name, headline, call to action and progress bar don't cover them. Snap's format pages give the bottom 450 px for Collection Ads and the bottom 330 px and top 150 px for App Install ads.

How long can a Snapchat headline be?

Up to 34 characters for Single Image or Video ads, with a brand name of up to 32 characters. A Story Ad tile headline can be up to 55 characters.

For specs on other platforms, see our guides to Reddit ad specs, TikTok ad specs, Meta ad specs and Pinterest ad specs.