Every TikTok account can post videos up to 3 minutes long, and some accounts can post 5 or 10 minutes, according to TikTok’s developer documentation. The maximum is set per account, so two creators see different limits on the same day. TikTok’s documentation caps a video sent to TikTok’s Upload Video endpoint, the one apps use, at 10 minutes. Longer uploads, up to 60 minutes, were a test with a small group of users.
Key Takeaways
- Every account: 3 minutes. TikTok’s documentation says “All TikTok creators can post 3-minute videos”.
- Some accounts: 5 or 10 minutes. TikTok does not publish who gets the longer limits.
- Through an app: 10 minutes at most through TikTok’s Upload Video endpoint. TikTok tells each app your account’s own maximum, and you can trim an app-sent video inside TikTok to fit.
- 60 minutes: a 2024 test with a limited group in some markets, which TikTok confirmed to TechCrunch at the time.
- Over a minute: TikTok’s Creator Rewards Program pays for original videos “over a minute long”, so the one-minute mark matters for creators eligible for that program.
TikTok video length limits at a glance
The first three rows and the File row come from TikTok’s own developer documentation, read in October 2026. It is the one TikTok page about video length we could read in full: TikTok’s help center loads only with JavaScript.
| Limit | Source | |
|---|---|---|
| Every account | 3 minutes | TikTok developer documentation |
| Some accounts | 5 or 10 minutes | TikTok developer documentation |
| Sent from an app through the Upload Video endpoint | Up to 10 minutes; you can trim it in TikTok to fit your account | TikTok developer documentation |
| 60-minute uploads | Tested with a limited group, May 2024 | TechCrunch, with TikTok’s confirmation |
| Creator Rewards Program | Original videos over a minute long | TikTok newsroom, March 2024 |
| File | MP4, WebM or MOV, up to 4 GB, 23 to 60 frames per second | TikTok developer documentation |
How long can TikTok videos be?
TikTok videos can be at least 3 minutes long on any account, since TikTok’s documentation for its posting API states that “all TikTok creators can post 3-minute videos, while some have access to post 5-minute or 10-minute videos”. That gives three tiers: 3, 5 and 10 minutes. Which tier you are on depends on your account.
TikTok calls these “maximum video-duration privileges” and says “different users have different” ones. It does not list the criteria. Guides that say “every TikTok can be 10 minutes” describe the top tier, and guides that say 60 minutes describe a test.
The quickest way to see your own limit is to upload a long clip in the TikTok app and see where the editor stops you. If a 6-minute video is refused, you are on the 3- or 5-minute tier.
Why do some accounts get longer limits than others?
TikTok sets the maximum for each account and does not publish how it decides. The documentation only confirms that the limit varies by user, and that apps must read it for each account before posting a video. That is why two creators who post side by side see different numbers in the editor.
Two things follow from that. A tutorial that says “TikTok allows 10 minutes” is not wrong, but it may not apply to you. And limits change: TikTok’s limits have grown since launch, from 15 seconds at launch, to longer videos from 2022, to 3 to 10 minutes now.
TikTok launched with 15-second videos, as TechCrunch noted in its report on the 60-minute test, and TikTok’s own March 2024 announcement says “we first introduced longer videos in 2022”.
Can TikTok videos be 60 minutes long?
Only for the accounts in TikTok’s 2024 test. In May 2024 TikTok confirmed to TechCrunch that it was testing 60-minute uploads with a limited group of users in select markets, and said it had no immediate plans to offer it widely. We found no TikTok announcement since then that made 60 minutes available to everyone.
So the honest answer for most creators is 3 to 10 minutes. If your editor accepts an hour, you are in the test group, and you will know it the first time you upload.
The 60-minute figure still circulates in guides because it makes a good headline. Plan around the limit your own account shows, and treat anything longer as a bonus.
How long should a TikTok video be?
As long as the idea needs, with one number worth knowing: one minute. TikTok’s Creator Rewards Program, announced on 18 March 2024, rewards “high-quality, original content that is over a minute long”, and measures play duration among its four core metrics. In the same post TikTok said its community “now spends 50% of their time on TikTok watching videos longer than one minute”.
That does not make longer videos better. A 15-second joke stretched to 70 seconds loses the people who would have watched it to the end. Our view is that the one-minute line matters only for creators who are eligible for Creator Rewards: TikTok’s March 2024 post requires at least 18 years of age, 10,000 followers, 100,000 views in the last 30 days and a personal account in good standing where the program is available.
For everyone else, pick the length by format:
- Short and hook-led for jokes, reactions and trends, where the payoff lands fast.
- Over a minute for tutorials, stories and reviews that need the time.
- Several minutes only when people will watch the whole thing, such as a full recipe or a walkthrough.
If you are short of formats to fill those slots, our list of TikTok content ideas gives 30 with hooks.
What are TikTok’s other video limits?
Videos sent through TikTok’s posting API must be MP4, WebM or MOV files of up to 4 GB, at 23 to 60 frames per second, and between 360 and 4,096 pixels on each side. TikTok recommends MP4 with H.264. Those are the file rules; length is set separately for each account, as above.
Shape matters as much as length. TikTok is a vertical, full-screen feed, and the main site’s guide to TikTok’s aspect ratio covers the 9:16 frame and the size to export at. A video that fits the length limit but arrives in the wrong shape still plays with borders. If your idea suits still images better than video, our guide to the TikTok carousel covers photo posts of up to 35 images.
Can you schedule long TikTok videos?
Yes, up to 10 minutes and within your account’s own limit. TikTok’s documentation says the longest video an app can send through its Upload Video endpoint is 10 minutes, and that apps must check each video against the maximum TikTok reports for the account. It adds that users “may trim developer-sent videos inside the TikTok app” to fit their account’s actual limit.
In practice, check the length against your own limit before you schedule. A 7-minute video on a 5-minute account has to be cut, either before you upload it or in TikTok before it goes live.
The PostNext TikTok scheduler schedules videos and photo posts to a date and time or to the next free slot. By default a scheduled post lands in your TikTok inbox, where you finish it in the app, so you can trim a too-long video there. A “Post directly” switch publishes it at the scheduled time instead, so trim long videos before you choose that. The AI drafts hooks, captions and hashtags for the video you upload; it does not make the video. To plan the scenes for a longer post, the TikTok script generator, free to try with a PostNext account, drafts a hook, the beats to film and a call to action.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can TikTok videos be 10 minutes long?
Yes, on accounts that TikTok has given the 10-minute limit. TikTok’s developer documentation says every creator can post 3-minute videos and some can post 5 or 10 minutes. TikTok does not publish which accounts get the longer limits, so check your own editor.
Can you post a 1-hour video on TikTok?
Not on most accounts. TikTok tested 60-minute uploads with a limited group of users in select markets in May 2024, and told TechCrunch it had no immediate plans to offer them widely. We found no later TikTok announcement opening 60 minutes to everyone.
Why can I only post 3-minute videos on TikTok?
Most likely your account is on TikTok’s base tier. TikTok sets a maximum video length for each account, 3, 5 or 10 minutes, and does not publish the criteria for the longer tiers. Trim the video to 3 minutes, or split it into parts.
How long does a TikTok need to be for Creator Rewards?
Over one minute. TikTok’s announcement of the Creator Rewards Program in March 2024 says it rewards high-quality, original content that is over a minute long. The same post sets the entry rules: 18 or older, 10,000 followers, 100,000 views in the last 30 days and a personal account in good standing where the program is offered.
Can a scheduler post a TikTok longer than 10 minutes?
No, not on TikTok’s own figures. TikTok’s developer documentation caps videos sent through its Upload Video endpoint at 10 minutes, and names no account limit above 10 minutes. Anything longer would have to be uploaded in TikTok itself.
Related reading
- 30 TikTok Content Ideas for Any Niche, With Hooks
- How to Reset Your TikTok Algorithm in 2026
- How Long Can YouTube Shorts Be? The 3-Minute Rule
- Instagram Reel Size: Dimensions and Safe Zones
- How to Post a Carousel on TikTok (Photo Posts)
Sources
- TikTok for Developers, Content Posting API media transfer guide, video restrictions (October 2026)
- TikTok for Developers, Query Creator Info and Content Sharing Guidelines (October 2026)
- TikTok Newsroom, Introducing the new Creator Rewards Program, 18 March 2024 (read October 2026)
- TechCrunch, “TikTok tests 60-minute video uploads as it continues to take on YouTube”, 16 May 2024 (techcrunch.com, read October 2026)
- PostNext, postnext.io/tiktok-scheduler (October 2026)
