Guide · video length
How long can an Instagram Reel be?
An Instagram Reel can be up to 20 minutes long. In 820 Reels from 45 of the most followed Instagram accounts, half ran 39 seconds or less, and Reels under 15 seconds long did best, at 1.09× their account’s usual views.
What Instagram allows
An Instagram Reel can be up to 20 minutes long, recorded as one clip or as several that add up to 20 minutes.
Reels over 3 minutes won’t be recommended to new audiences, Instagram says. A Reel meant to reach people who don’t follow you yet should run 3 minutes or less.
Source: Instagram Help Center
How long the top accounts’ Reels run
In 820 Reels from 45 of the most followed Instagram accounts, half ran 39 seconds or less. 32% ran a minute or longer, and 4% three minutes or longer.
| Length | Reels | Share | Views vs. usual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 seconds | 105 | 13% | 1.09× |
| 15–30 seconds | 173 | 21% | 1.00× |
| 30–60 seconds | 277 | 34% | 0.98× |
| 1–1.5 minutes | 108 | 13% | 1.02× |
| 1.5–3 minutes | 124 | 15% | 0.97× |
| 3–10 minutes | 31 | 4% | Too few |
| Over 10 minutes | 2 | <1% | Too few |
Views vs. usual is the median Instagram Reel’s views against its own account’s median: above 1.00× did better than usual. A length with fewer than 50 Reels shows no score.
The best length for an Instagram Reel
Reels under 15 seconds long did best: the median one earned 1.09× its account’s usual views. Those 1.5–3 minutes long did worst, at 0.97×.
How we measured
We read the latest Reels of each of the most followed Instagram accounts and kept those posted in the past year, and at least a week before we read them, once their views had settled. Any pinned post was left out, since an account pins what already did well. That left 820 Reels from 45 of the most followed Instagram accounts, posted between October 2, 2025 and September 24, 2026.
Each video is scored by its views against its own account’s median views, so the biggest account cannot outweigh a smaller one: a score of 1.20× means a fifth more views than that account usually gets. A length counts only with at least 50 Reels behind it.
These are the biggest accounts on Instagram, and smaller ones may see different results. The study measures views, not watch time or follows, and shows which lengths did well, not that the length made them do well.
Common questions
How long can an Instagram Reel be?
An Instagram Reel can be up to 20 minutes long, recorded as one clip or as several that add up to 20 minutes. Reels over 3 minutes won’t be recommended to new audiences, Instagram says. A Reel meant to reach people who don’t follow you yet should run 3 minutes or less.
What is the best length for an Instagram Reel?
Reels under 15 seconds long did best: the median one earned 1.09× its account’s usual views. Those 1.5–3 minutes long did worst, at 0.97×.
How long is the average Instagram Reel?
In 820 Reels from 45 of the most followed Instagram accounts, half ran 39 seconds or less. 32% ran a minute or longer, and 4% three minutes or longer.
Do Instagram Reels over 3 minutes get recommended?
Not to new audiences. Instagram says Reels over 3 minutes won’t be recommended to them, though a Reel can run up to 20 minutes.
Sources
- Record a reel on InstagramInstagram Help Center, read October 1, 2026