Reference

TikTok post limits

How much fits in a TikTok? A caption of 2,200 characters, a video of up to 60 minutes when uploaded in the app, 35 photos in a photo post, and a 4 GB file through the API. Which surface you post from changes the answer, so this page prints every official figure with the TikTok page it came from, checked 30 September 2026.

Every figure checked 30 September 2026.

TikTok caption character limit

A caption can be up to 2,200 characters, and hashtags and mentions count inside it.

Two TikTok pages agree on the number. The Content Posting API reference sets the video caption at 2,200, counted in UTF-16 units, and adds that hashtags and mentions are matched within that text rather than on top of it. TikTok's newsroom announced the same 2,200 for the app in October 2022, for videos and Photo Mode alike. No current support centre article states a caption figure at all; the articles that should exist for it return an empty page. So the number is well sourced, but the app's own help pages do not repeat it.

developers.tiktok.com, newsroom.tiktok.com (checked 30 September 2026)

TikTok video length limit

Up to 60 minutes for an upload in the app, 10 minutes for a recording, 30 minutes in TikTok Studio on the web, and 3, 5 or 10 minutes through the API depending on the creator.

Four ceilings, four TikTok pages, and none of them is wrong; they describe different doors into the same platform. The camera tools article gives the app figures: an hour for an upload and ten minutes for a recording made in TikTok. The creator tools article gives the TikTok Studio web upload its own ceiling of thirty minutes. The Content Posting API's media guide says every creator can post three-minute videos and some can post five or ten, and that the upload endpoint will not take more than ten minutes of video whatever the account allows. A scheduling tool publishes through that last door, so its ceiling is the API's, not the app's.

support.tiktok.com, support.tiktok.com, developers.tiktok.com (checked 30 September 2026)

TikTok photo post limit

A photo post holds up to 35 photos, with a 90-character title and a 4,000-character description through the API.

The 35-photo ceiling is the rare TikTok figure that the app article and the API reference state identically. The title and description limits come from the photo post API alone: 90 characters for the title, which TikTok shows as the slideshow heading, and 4,000 for the description. The newsroom put the Photo Mode description at 2,200 in 2022, and the API page carries a 2026 date, so both figures are shown rather than one. Alt text is a third field, capped at 300 characters per photo on the accessibility article. The editing article adds the working limits of a session: 35 items, 8 overlays, one sound.

support.tiktok.com, developers.tiktok.com, support.tiktok.com, support.tiktok.com (checked 30 September 2026)

TikTok hashtag limit

TikTok publishes no maximum number of hashtags; they simply share the caption's 2,200 characters.

Every TikTok page read for this table was checked for a hashtag count and none states one. The caption reference says hashtags and mentions are matched inside the caption text, which makes the only real ceiling the 2,200 characters the caption itself has. The same goes for @ mentions: no count is published. Any hashtag number you see quoted for TikTok is somebody's recommendation, not TikTok's rule.

developers.tiktok.com (checked 30 September 2026)

TikTok video file size limit

A video file can be up to 4 GB through the API, and under 10 GB when uploaded in TikTok Studio on the web.

The two official figures differ by more than double, and again the difference is the surface. The API's media guide sets 4 GB as the maximum and describes the chunked upload that carries it. TikTok Studio's web upload accepts anything under 10 GB, in MP4 or WebM, at 720x1280 or higher. For an upload from the mobile app TikTok publishes no file size at all, so that cell reads as not documented rather than borrowing the web figure.

developers.tiktok.com, support.tiktok.com (checked 30 September 2026)

TikTok video format and resolution

Through the API a video is MP4, WebM or MOV, encoded in H.264, H.265, VP8 or VP9, at 23 to 60 frames per second and 360 to 4,096 pixels on each side.

The media guide is the most detailed spec TikTok publishes, and it applies to the API. It recommends MP4 and H.264, accepts WebM and MOV and the three other codecs, bounds the frame rate at 23 to 60 and the picture at 360 to 4,096 pixels in both dimensions. Photos in a photo post have their own rows on the same page: WebP or JPEG, 20 MB each, 1080p at most. TikTok Studio on the web publishes a shorter rule for its own upload, MP4 or WebM at 720x1280 or higher. The mobile app's accepted formats and resolutions are not published anywhere TikTok owns.

developers.tiktok.com, support.tiktok.com (checked 30 September 2026)

TikTok aspect ratio

TikTok publishes no aspect-ratio requirement for a post; 9:16 is a recommendation on its business blog, not a limit.

The 9:16 figure is on a TikTok page, which is why so many charts print it, but the page is a 2021 marketing tip about impressions for full-screen video rather than a rule about what the upload accepts. The only official dimension rules are the API's pixel bounds and the web upload's 720x1280 floor, and neither fixes a ratio. Vertical video is what the app is built around; it is not what the documentation requires.

developers.tiktok.com (checked 30 September 2026)

Every limit, in one table

Each value is quoted from the TikTok page it links to, checked 30 September 2026. A limit TikTok does not publish is recorded as not documented rather than filled in from a third-party figure.

TikTok post limits, each value linked to its source and checked 30 September 2026.
What is limitedWhat TikTok documents
caption character limit2,200 characters ('The video caption. Hashtags (#) and mentions (@) will be matched, or deliminated by spaces or new lines. The maximum length is 2200 in UTF-16 runes.')TikTok's newsroom announced the same ceiling for the app in October 2022: 'You can now pair your videos and content made in Photo Mode with longer descriptions, up to 2,200 characters for each post.' See https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/editing-tools. No current support centre article states a caption figure.

developers.tiktok.com (checked 30 September 2026)

video length limit60 minutes for an upload in the app ('Videos you upload in TikTok can be up to 60 minutes long.')The same page caps a recording at 10 minutes ('Videos you record in TikTok can be up to 10 minutes long.'). TikTok Studio on the web states a different upload ceiling, 30 minutes, see https://support.tiktok.com/en/using-tiktok/creating-videos/creator-tools-on-tiktok. The Content Posting API states a third: 'All TikTok creators can post 3-minute videos, while some have access to post 5-minute or 10-minute videos.' See https://developers.tiktok.com/docs/en/content-posting-api-media-transfer-guide.

support.tiktok.com (checked 30 September 2026)

photo post slide limit35 photos ('Tap Photo, then tap Upload to select photos from your device. You can add up to 35 photos.')The photo post API states the same count: 'An array containing up to 35 photo content URLs.' See https://developers.tiktok.com/docs/en/content-posting-api-reference-photo-post. An editing session takes 35 items in total, 8 overlays and one sound, see https://support.tiktok.com/en/using-tiktok/creating-videos/editing-tiktok-videos-and-photos.

support.tiktok.com (checked 30 September 2026)

photo post title and description90 characters for the title and 4,000 for the description through the API ('The post title. The maximum length for photo posts is 90 in UTF-16 runes.' and 'The post description. The maximum length for photo posts is 4000 in UTF-16 runes.')TikTok's 2022 newsroom post states 2,200 characters for a Photo Mode description, see https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/editing-tools; the API page is dated August 2026, so both are shown. Alt text is separate: 'You can add up to 300 characters for each description.' See https://support.tiktok.com/en/using-tiktok/creating-videos/accessibility.

developers.tiktok.com (checked 30 September 2026)

hashtag limitNot documented (the caption reference says only that hashtags and mentions are matched inside the 2,200-character caption; no TikTok page states a count)

developers.tiktok.com (checked 30 September 2026)

video file size limit4 GB through the API ('Size restrictions Maximum of 4GB')TikTok Studio on the web states a different ceiling: 'Uploaded videos must be: In MP4 or WebM file format 720x1280 resolution or higher Up to 30 minutes in length Less than 10 GB'. See https://support.tiktok.com/en/using-tiktok/creating-videos/creator-tools-on-tiktok. No TikTok page states a file size for an upload from the mobile app.

developers.tiktok.com (checked 30 September 2026)

video format, codec and frame rateMP4 (recommended), WebM or MOV; H.264 (recommended), H.265, VP8 or VP9; 23 to 60 frames per second ('Supported media formats MP4 (recommended) WebM MOV', 'Supported codecs H.264 (recommended) H.265 VP8 VP9' and 'Framerate restrictions Minimum of 23 FPS Maximum of 60 FPS')These are the Content Posting API rules. TikTok Studio on the web accepts MP4 or WebM at 720x1280 or higher; the mobile app's accepted formats are not published.

developers.tiktok.com (checked 30 September 2026)

video resolution360 to 4,096 pixels on each side through the API ('Picture size restrictions Minimum of 360 pixels for both height and width Maximum of 4096 pixels for both height and width')TikTok publishes no aspect-ratio rule as a limit. The 9:16 figure on most charts appears on TikTok's business blog only as a tip about impressions, not as a requirement.

developers.tiktok.com (checked 30 September 2026)

photo file size and format20 MB per image, WebP or JPEG, 1080p at most through the API ('Size restrictions Maximum of 20MB for each image', 'Supported media formats WebP JPEG' and 'Picture size restrictions Maximum 1080p')No support centre article states an image size, format or resolution for a photo post made in the app.

developers.tiktok.com (checked 30 September 2026)

posts per day through the APIAbout 15 ('The upper limit may vary among creators (typically around 15 posts per day/ creator account) and is shared across all API Clients using Direct Post.')A post past the cap fails at the first call with the error spam_risk_too_many_posts, see https://developers.tiktok.com/docs/en/content-posting-api-reference-direct-post. The inbox upload path allows at most 5 pending shares in any 24-hour period, see https://developers.tiktok.com/docs/en/content-posting-api-reference-photo-post.

developers.tiktok.com (checked 30 September 2026)

  • TikTok's Content Posting API sets the video caption at 2,200 characters, a photo post at 35 photos with a 90-character title and a 4,000-character description, a video file at 4 GB in MP4, WebM or MOV, and the picture at 360 to 4,096 pixels a side (accessed 30 September 2026). developers.tiktok.com, read 30 September 2026
  • TikTok's support centre sets an in-app upload at 60 minutes and a recording at 10 minutes, a TikTok Studio web upload at 30 minutes and under 10 GB, and a photo post at 35 photos (accessed 30 September 2026). support.tiktok.com, read 30 September 2026

What happens past each limit

Through the Content Posting API, TikTok publishes a named failure for each media limit. A video outside the length rules fails with duration_check_failed, an unsupported format with file_format_check_failed, a frame rate outside 23 to 60 with frame_rate_check_failed, and a picture outside 360 to 4,096 pixels with picture_size_check_failed. A creator past the daily cap gets spam_risk_too_many_posts on the first call. TikTok also tells API clients to check a creator's own maximum duration before posting, because the ceiling varies by account.

In the app, TikTok states two behaviours and no error messages. A recording stops by itself when it reaches the selected time limit, and choosing a sound before recording or uploading sets the video length to the sound's length. A browser upload sends the whole file, so a video that needs shortening has to be trimmed in the app. What happens to a caption over 2,200 characters, or to an upload over the size or length limit, is not published on any TikTok page read for this table, and this page will not guess.

How SpeedRun Social keeps posts inside these limits

SpeedRun Social writes every TikTok caption to a 2,200-character ceiling and caps hashtags at 5 per post, both enforced by the code that generates the caption. For a photo post it also derives a title of at most 90 characters from the caption, with hashtags and links stripped, because TikTok's photo API refuses a longer one. The review preview shows the caption and its hashtags before anything publishes.

Questions people ask about these limits

  • How many characters can a TikTok caption have?

    2,200. The Content Posting API reference states 'The maximum length is 2200 in UTF-16 runes', and TikTok's newsroom announced the same ceiling for the app in October 2022. Hashtags and mentions count inside it.

  • How long can a TikTok video be?

    It depends on the door. Up to 60 minutes for an upload in the app and 10 minutes for a recording, per the camera tools article; 30 minutes in TikTok Studio on the web; and 3, 5 or 10 minutes through the API depending on the creator, with 10 minutes the most the upload endpoint takes.

  • How many photos can go in a TikTok photo post?

    Up to 35. The making-a-post article states 'You can add up to 35 photos', and the photo post API accepts up to 35 photo URLs. An editing session takes 35 items in total, with 8 overlays and one sound.

  • Is there a TikTok hashtag limit?

    Not a numeric one. No TikTok page read for this table states a maximum number of hashtags or mentions. They are matched inside the caption, so the 2,200-character caption is the only ceiling they share.

  • What is the maximum file size for a TikTok video?

    4 GB through the Content Posting API, and under 10 GB for an upload in TikTok Studio on the web. TikTok publishes no file size for an upload from the mobile app.

  • What format should a TikTok video be?

    MP4 is recommended, with WebM and MOV also accepted through the API, encoded in H.264, H.265, VP8 or VP9 at 23 to 60 frames per second. TikTok Studio on the web takes MP4 or WebM at 720x1280 or higher. Nothing TikTok publishes requires a particular aspect ratio.

See also

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