How Long Can Reels Be on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn?

Reels are the fast-food equivalent of content consumption—quick, addictive, and leaving you wondering where the last hour went.

While reels feed our collective doomscrolling habit, they’ve also redefined how people consume content, discover brands, and connect with ideas.

For B2B marketers, reels are still something of a counterintuitive format.

You might think there’s no fit between a complex B2B product and a short-form video on a platform like TikTok or Instagram, but that’s not true.

When reels and short-form video is the preferred language of millions of customers out there, brands end up leaving engagement and revenue on the table.

This guide answers one of the most common questions we hear: “How long can reels be?”

But we’re not stopping there. You’ll also find:

• A definition of reels
• Social media platforms that support reels
• Best platforms for B2B reels

Now let’s jump into the details before you swipe, scroll, and repeat.

What are reels?

Reels are short-form videos designed to grab attention, often by means of engaging visuals, text overlays, and music.

Reels focus on entertainment, education, and storytelling, making them a versatile format that thrives on nearly every major social platform.

Worth noting: The name “reels” is part of the Instagram brand, and has been trademarked a few years ago. However, the word is commonly used as a synonym to a short video that you post to a social media platform.

Which platforms use reels?

You’ll find reels or their equivalents on:

• Instagram (Reels).
• TikTok (Videos, not officially called “Reels” but similar in format).
• LinkedIn (Video posts styled like Reels).
• YouTube (Shorts).

All of these platforms share the same core concept: short, engaging video content available for (nearly) endless consumption.

How long can reels be?

Reel length matters, because you only have a few seconds to grab attention.

Each platform has its own rules for how long reels can run, and understanding these limits is helpful to create content that fits into your audience’s scroll.

Here’s the breakdown, so you can stop guessing and start optimizing.

How long can reels be on Instagram?

Up until 2025, Instagram reels could be up to 90 seconds for single-clip videos, and up to 3 minutes for multi-clip videos.

But in January 2025, Adam Mosseri (Instagram’s Head of Instagram himself!) released a short clip stating that you can now record and edit videos up to 3 minutes with Instagram Reels.

These time limits are pretty great for social media storytelling, allowing brands to share all kinds of content – from teaser content and short updates to more elaborate videos with varying depth levels.

If you aren’t using reels yet, here’s an interesting fact to consider: According to Instagram, reels make up around 50% of time spent on Instagram.

How long can TikTok videos be?

TikTok conquered the short-form video craze with its original 15-second limit, and as of 2025, TikTok videos can be as long as 10 minutes, and as short as 3 seconds.

The sweet spot remains between 15 and 60 seconds, which is the length most users produce and consume.

Related but not that relevant: The 10-minute limit is for videos you take with the TikTok app; for videos that you upload, the limit is 60 minutes (not exactly short).

How long can LinkedIn video posts be? (Reel format)

LinkedIn doesn’t officially brand its short-form videos as “reels,” but you can create videos up to 10-minutes long on the platform (the lower limit is 3 seconds).

The premise of LinkedIn short videos (check the mobile app if you haven’t, as they aren’t available on the desktop app) is similar to the ones offered by Instagram Reels, TikTok videos, and YouTube shorts: Short, scrollable, and tuned to the conversations that shape the platform and your feed.

How long can YouTube Shorts be?

If you see someone baselessly challenging the relevance of short video, show them this bit YouTube’s official policy since October, 2025:

“Videos uploaded after October 15, 2024: Any videos uploaded on or after this date with a square or vertical aspect ratio up to three minutes in length will be categorized as Shorts on YouTube.”

Yes, that’s correct – billions of new YouTube videos are now shorts by default.

And this is the answer to this subsection’s question as well – 3 minutes is how long YouTube shorts can be.

Which platform is best for reels?

If you’re after cold numbers alone, the answer is Instagram, TikTok, followed by YouTube and Facebook.

X has a reels-like feed, but it’s not pushed towards users unless they’re specifically tapping on video posts.

LinkedIn has gone all-in with short video, but engagement figures are on the low-ish side.

Our advice? Go where your users and personas are, and don’t rely on organic social alone to meet your goals.

Conclusion

Whether you’re crafting a 45-second YouTube Short or a 15-second Instagram Reel, knowing the limits of each platform is just the first step.

The real challenge will come with creating content that grabs attention, drives engagement, and converts viewers into customers – and beyond our social media knowledge, that’s something we excel at.