Media requirements
Each network accepts a different set of files and fields, and counts text in its own unit. The tables below are not typed by hand: they are rendered at build time from @dropslate/core, the same definitions Compose checks a post against and the plan step enforces, so a number here cannot drift from what the product does. Each table names its source and the date it was checked.
How text is counted
Section titled “How text is counted”- Characters - code points, the way you would count them. Instagram and Facebook captions, YouTube titles and tags.
- Bytes (UTF-8) - a Latin letter is 1, a Cyrillic letter is 2. The YouTube description is 5,000 bytes, so a Cyrillic description holds about 2,500 letters. Threads counts its 500 the same way for emoji: an emoji costs its bytes, a plain letter costs 1.
- UTF-16 units -
text.lengthin JavaScript; most emoji cost 2. TikTok.
Compose shows the counter in the target network’s unit next to each field and turns it red when the limit is exceeded.
YouTube
Section titled “YouTube”| Content type | Media | Text | Title | Tags | Other | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Video | 1 file video: mp4, mov, webm, avi, mpeg, up to 256 GB | 5,000 bytes; refused: "<" ">" | 100 characters; refused: "<" ">" | 500 characters total, 30 each | links in the text | Description is counted in bytes: a Cyrillic letter is 2. Links in the description are clickable only on a verified channel. Timestamps like 00:00 become chapters. |
| Short | 1 file video: mp4, mov, webm, avi, mpeg, up to 256 GB, duration up to 3 min, aspect 9:16 | 5,000 bytes; refused: "<" ">" | 100 characters; refused: "<" ">" | 500 characters total, 30 each | links in the text | A vertical video up to 3:00 is published as a Short. |
Source: developers.google.com/youtube/v3/docs/videos · checked 2026-09-15
| Content type | Media | Text | Title | Tags | Other | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reel | 1 file video: mp4, mov, up to 300 MB, duration 3 s–15 min, aspect 9:16, width up to 1920 px, 23–60 fps | 2,200 characters | — | — | links not clickable up to 30 hashtags up to 20 mentions up to 3 collaborators | 9:16 fills the screen; other shapes get bars. Up to 30 hashtags and 20 mentions. Links in the caption are not clickable. |
| Post | 1 file image: jpg, jpeg, up to 8 MB, aspect 4:5–1.91:1, width 320 px–1440 px | 2,200 characters | — | — | links not clickable alt text 1,000 characters up to 30 hashtags up to 20 mentions up to 3 collaborators | JPEG only, up to 8 MB. From 4:5 (portrait) to 1.91:1 (landscape). |
| Carousel | 2–10 files video: mp4, mov, up to 300 MB, duration 3 s–15 min, aspect 9:16, width up to 1920 px, 23–60 fps image: jpg, jpeg, up to 8 MB, aspect 4:5–1.91:1, width 320 px–1440 px | 2,200 characters | — | — | links not clickable alt text 1,000 characters up to 30 hashtags up to 20 mentions up to 3 collaborators | 2 to 10 photos or videos. |
| Story | 1 file video: mp4, mov, up to 100 MB, duration 3 s–1 min, aspect 9:16, width up to 1920 px, 23–60 fps image: jpg, jpeg, up to 8 MB, aspect 0.10–10.00, width 320 px–1440 px | no text | — | — | no links | Stories carry no caption. Video up to 60 seconds and 100 MB. |
Source: developers.facebook.com/docs/instagram-platform/instagram-graph-api/reference/ig-user/media · checked 2026-09-15
| Content type | Media | Text | Title | Tags | Other | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Text | text only | 63,206 characters | — | — | link in its own field | A link goes in its own field and shows a preview. |
| Photo | 1–10 files image: jpg, jpeg, png, gif, bmp, tiff, up to 10 MB | 63,206 characters | — | — | links in the text | Up to 10 photos, 10 MB each. |
| Video | 1 file video: mp4, mov, up to 4 GB, duration 3 s–240 min | 63,206 characters | no limit | — | links in the text | Up to 240 minutes and 4 GB. |
| Reel | 1 file video: mp4, up to 4 GB, duration 3 s–1 min 30 s, aspect 9:16, width ≥ 540 px, 24–60 fps | 63,206 characters | — | — | links not clickable | 9:16, at least 540 x 960, 3 to 90 seconds. A page can publish 30 reels through the API in 24 hours. |
| Story | 1 file video: mp4, duration 3 s–1 min, aspect 9:16, width ≥ 540 px, 24–60 fps image: jpg, jpeg, png, gif, bmp, tiff, up to 10 MB | no text | — | — | no links | Stories carry no text. Video 3 to 60 seconds. |
Source: developers.facebook.com/docs/graph-api/reference/page + /docs/video-api/guides/reels-publishing + /docs/page-stories-api · checked 2026-09-15
Threads
Section titled “Threads”| Content type | Media | Text | Title | Tags | Other | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Text | text only | 500 characters | — | — | link in its own field topic tag 50 characters; refused: "." "&" | 500 characters; an emoji counts as its bytes. One topic tag, in its own field. A link attachment is for text posts only. |
| Photo | 1 file image: jpg, jpeg, png, up to 8 MB, aspect 0.10–10.00, width 320 px–1440 px | 500 characters | — | — | links in the text alt text 1,000 characters topic tag 50 characters; refused: "." "&" | JPEG or PNG up to 8 MB. |
| Video | 1 file video: mp4, mov, up to 1 GB, duration up to 5 min, aspect 9:16, width up to 1920 px, 23–60 fps | 500 characters | — | — | links in the text topic tag 50 characters; refused: "." "&" | Up to 5 minutes and 1 GB. |
| Carousel | 2–20 files video: mp4, mov, up to 1 GB, duration up to 5 min, aspect 9:16, width up to 1920 px, 23–60 fps image: jpg, jpeg, png, up to 8 MB, aspect 0.10–10.00, width 320 px–1440 px | 500 characters | — | — | links in the text topic tag 50 characters; refused: "." "&" | 2 to 20 photos or videos. |
Source: developers.facebook.com/docs/threads/posts · checked 2026-09-15
TikTok
Section titled “TikTok”The connector is in progress; the rules are already in the product. See TikTok.
| Content type | Media | Text | Title | Tags | Other | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Video | 1 file video: mp4, mov, webm, duration 3 s–10 min, width ≥ 360 px, 23–60 fps | no text | 2,200 characters | — | no links | Privacy has no default: choose it for every post. |
| Photo | 2–35 files image: jpg, jpeg, png, webp, up to 20 MB, width up to 1080 px | 4,000 characters | 90 characters | — | no links | 2 to 35 photos. |
Source: developers.tiktok.com/doc/content-posting-api-reference-direct-post; developers.tiktok.com/doc/content-posting-api-reference-photo-post · checked 2026-09-15
Compose checks this for you
Section titled “Compose checks this for you”When you choose a file, the media card in Compose shows a verdict per target network: fits, shows with changes (for example a 16:9 video in a Reel slot gets black bars) or will not go out (an image of 2.2:1 in an Instagram feed post). The same checks run again on the server in the plan, so the row for an account that would fail is marked before anything is created. See Compose.
Related
Section titled “Related”- Uploading - direct upload, import from a URL, the one-time upload URL used by the API and MCP.
- Publishing limits - how many posts, not how large: plan quotas, Dropslate’s own caps and the networks’ daily limits.
- The network pages under Connect accounts repeat the table of one network next to its connect steps and common errors.