Video ads specs and format requirements
In Google Ads, you can create compelling video campaigns with a range of video ad formats to engage customers in different ways on YouTube and across video partner sites.
Below you’ll find the asset specifications for Video campaigns to ensure that your ads serve properly.
On this page
- In-video ads on YouTube
- YouTube Masthead
- Video action campaigns
- Video reach campaigns
- Thumbnails and companion banners
In-video ads on YouTube
In-feed video ads include an image thumbnail, a headline, and up to 2 lines of text (depending on where the ad appears). When a viewer interacts with the thumbnail, they’re taken to the ad’s landing page or website. In certain environments, hovering on the thumbnail will then lead to muted autoplay of the video ad.
Video asset specifications
| Ratio | Resolution | Recommended length | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 👁 Image |
Horizontal 16:9 |
1920 x 1080 pixels | 15 seconds | |
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| 👁 Image |
Vertical 9:16 |
1080 x 1920 pixels | 15 seconds | |
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| 👁 Image |
Square 1:1 |
1080 x 1080 pixels | 15 seconds | |
Text asset specifications
| Type | Maximum length | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 👁 Image |
Headlines | 2 lines 40 characters per line |
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| 👁 Image |
Descriptions | 2 lines 35 characters per line |
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YouTube Masthead
With YouTube Masthead, you can showcase your brand, product, or service in a native video-based ad format that appears in the YouTube Home feed across all devices. Learn more about YouTube Masthead.
Video asset specifications
| Ratio | Resolution | Recommended length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 👁 Image |
Horizontal 16:9 |
1920 x 1080 pixels | Any length |
Note: It's recommended to upload videos with the .MPG (MPEG-2 or MPEG-4) format, although .WMV, .AVI, .MOV and .FLV .MPEG-1, .MP4, .MPEGPS, 3GPP, WebM, DNxHR, ProRes, CineForm & HEVC (h265) are also accepted. Files should be less than 256 GB. Audio files such as MP3, WAV, or PCM files aren’t accepted.
Text asset specifications
| Type | Recommended length | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 👁 Image |
Headline | ≤ 40 characters | ||
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| 👁 Image |
Description | ≤ 60 characters | ||
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| 👁 Image |
Call to action | ≤ 15 characters | ||
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| 👁 Image |
Final URL | Any | ||
Note: You can use the YouTube Masthead Preview to preview what your ad will look like on YouTube across desktop, mobile, and TV screens.
Video action campaigns
Video action campaigns are a simple and cost-effective way to drive more conversions on and off YouTube, all in a single automated campaign. In this article, you’ll learn about the benefits of Video action campaigns and how Video action campaigns work. Learn more about Video action campaigns.
Video asset specifications
| Ratio | Resolution | Recommended length | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 👁 Image |
Horizontal 16:9 |
1920 x 1080 pixels | ≥ 10 seconds | |
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| 👁 Image |
Vertical 9:16 |
1080 x 1920 pixels | ≥ 10 seconds | |
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| 👁 Image |
Square 1:1 |
1080 x 1080 pixels | ≥ 10 seconds | |
Note: It's recommended to upload videos with the .MPG (MPEG-2 or MPEG-4) format, although .WMV, .AVI, .MOV and .FLV .MPEG-1, .MP4, .MPEGPS, 3GPP, WebM, DNxHR, ProRes, CineForm & HEVC (h265) are also accepted. Files should be less than 256 GB. Audio files such as MP3, WAV, or PCM files aren’t accepted.
Text asset specifications
| Type | Maximum length | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 👁 Image |
Headline | 30 characters | ||
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| 👁 Image |
Long headline | 90 characters | ||
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| 👁 Image |
Description | 90 characters | ||
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| 👁 Image |
Call to action | 10 characters | ||
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| 👁 Image |
Final URL | Any | ||
Video reach campaigns
Video reach campaigns are the next generation of buying reach in Google Ads, making it easier to buy skippable in-stream ads, bumper ads, and non-skippable in-stream ads for your campaigns. Learn more about Video reach campaigns.
Video asset specifications
(Efficient Reach composition)
| Ratio | Resolution | Recommended length | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 👁 Image |
Horizontal 16:9 |
1920 x 1080 pixels | 15 seconds (In-stream skippable, in-feed) and 6 seconds (Bumper) |
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| 👁 Image |
Vertical 9:16 |
1080 x 1920 pixels | 6-60 seconds (Shorts) | |
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| 👁 Image |
Square 1:1 |
1080 x 1080 pixels | 6-60 seconds | |
(Target Frequency composition)
| Ratio | Resolution | Recommended length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 👁 Image |
Horizontal 16:9 |
1920 x 1080 pixels | 15 seconds (In-stream skippable, in-feed) and 6 seconds (Bumper) |
Note: It's recommended to upload videos with the .MPG (MPEG-2 or MPEG-4) format, although .WMV, .AVI, .MOV and .FLV .MPEG-1, .MP4, .MPEGPS, 3GPP, WebM, DNxHR, ProRes, CineForm & HEVC (h265) are also accepted. Files should be less than 256 GB. Audio files such as MP3, WAV, or PCM files aren’t accepted.
Thumbnails and companion banners
Thumbnails and companion banners exist alongside your video ad and are consistent across campaign types. A companion banner appears next to your video ad on YouTube. You can either upload a custom image for the banner, or allow Google Ads to generate an image from your YouTube channel banner. Learn how to Create a companion banner for a video ad.
All thumbnails
| Ratio | Resolution | Format | File size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 👁 Image |
Horizontal 16:9 |
1280 x 720 pixels (min 1280 x 640 pixels) |
.JPG, .GIF or .PNG | < 2MB for videos < 10MB for podcasts |
All companion banners
| Ratio | Resolution | Format | File size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 👁 Image |
Horizontal 5:1 |
300 x 60 pixels | .JPG, .GIF or .PNG | < 150KB |
Note: Companion banners are shown on desktop only.