“What are the image, video and link limits on Threads?”
What are the image, video and link limits on Threads?
Short answer
Per Meta's Threads API documentation (October 2026): images are JPEG or PNG up to 8 MB, videos are MOV or MP4 up to 5 minutes and 1 GB, a carousel holds 2 to 20 images or videos, and a post can carry up to 5 links. These are the limits for posts published through the API.
Side by side
Threads API media limits, from Meta's documentation (checked October 2026)
| Feature | Threads API |
|---|---|
| Image formats | JPEG and PNG |
| Image file size | 8 MB maximum |
| Image width | 320 minimum, 1,440 maximum |
| Image aspect ratio | 10:1 limit |
| Video container | MOV or MP4 |
| Video length | 300 seconds (5 minutes) maximum |
| Video file size | 1 GB maximum |
| Carousel size | 2 to 20 images or videos |
| Links per post | 5 or fewer |
| Text post length | 500 characters |
Which limits these are
Meta publishes exact media specifications for the Threads API, the route every scheduler and publishing tool uses. Every number below comes from Meta's developer documentation, read on October 17, 2026. The Threads Help Center covers how to attach photos, videos, GIFs and polls in the app.
Use these numbers as the safe ceiling for any file you plan to publish, by hand or through a tool.
Use the numbers as a ceiling, not a target. A 4 MB image and a 60 second video are inside every limit with room to spare, and they load faster for readers.
Images
Meta's overview page lists the image specification. The officially supported formats are JPEG and PNG. The file can be 8 MB at most. The aspect ratio limit is 10:1. Width must be at least 320 pixels, and Threads scales smaller images up to that minimum. Width above 1,440 pixels is scaled down. Images are converted to the sRGB color space.
A common mistake is exporting screenshots as WebP or HEIC. Those are not on the supported list, so convert to PNG or JPEG first.
A practical size for a feed image is a width between 1,000 and 1,440 pixels. That is our rule of thumb, not Meta's: it stays under the 1,440 pixel ceiling, so nothing is scaled down, and it is well over the 320 pixel floor. A 1,200 pixel wide PNG of a chart is usually a few hundred kilobytes, far from the 8 MB limit.
Video
Video is more particular. The container is MOV or MP4. The video codec is HEVC or H264, and the audio codec is AAC. Frame rate runs from 23 to 60 frames per second. The picture can be at most 1,920 pixels wide. The aspect ratio must be between 0.01:1 and 10:1, and Meta recommends 9:16 to avoid cropping or blank space.
Duration is limited to 300 seconds, which is 5 minutes. The file can be up to 1 GB. The video bitrate maximum is 100 Mbps. Meta also recommends waiting about 30 seconds after uploading a media container before publishing it, so the server has time to process the upload.
Meta's video aspect ratio range is wide, from 0.01:1 to 10:1, but it recommends 9:16 "to avoid cropping or blank space." That is the vertical shape a phone makes when held upright. If you shoot or export in 9:16, you are inside the allowed range and in the shape Meta recommends.
A frame rate between 23 and 60 frames per second is allowed, and the picture can be at most 1,920 pixels wide. Most phone video sits well inside those numbers. The limits that catch people are length and file size: a five minute 4K clip can pass the length limit and still exceed 1 GB.
Carousels
A carousel needs a minimum of two items and allows up to 20 images, videos, or a mix of both. In the API a carousel counts as a single post against the profile's limit of 250 published posts in 24 hours, which is covered in Threads API posting limits.
Each item in a carousel follows the same image or video rules above.
For a carousel you create each item as its own media container first, marked as a carousel item. Then you create one carousel container that lists the item IDs, and publish that. The rule that trips people up is the lower bound: a carousel with a single child is not allowed, and Meta says a carousel needs at least two. Check each item against the image and video rules before you assemble them.
Links, GIFs, polls and alt text
Links: a post may carry up to 5 unique links. Since December 22, 2025, a post with more than 5 links fails at the media creation step. A link preview card is available only on text-only posts, not on image, video or carousel posts.
GIFs: they can be attached to text-only posts, and GIPHY is the only GIF provider the docs list.
Polls: the Help Center says up to four options, 25 characters each, open for up to 24 hours. Alt text: Threads creates automatic alt text and you can replace it on photos and videos before you post.
Alt text is worth the extra ten seconds on any image. Meta says automatic alt text uses object recognition to describe photos and videos for people with visual impairments, and you can replace it with a better description. The text is read only by people using a screen reader, so write what the picture shows and why it is there, not a caption.
A pre-flight check before you upload
Most failed uploads come from a short list of causes. Run through it before you blame the tool.
- Image format: save as JPEG or PNG. Meta lists only those two as officially supported.
- Image size: keep it under 8 MB. A phone photo exported at full size can be larger.
- Image width: at least 320 pixels. Threads scales small images up to that minimum and large ones down from 1,440.
- Aspect ratio: no more extreme than 10:1. A very tall screenshot of a long page can break this.
- Video: MOV or MP4, H264 or HEVC, AAC audio, at most 300 seconds and 1 GB.
- Links: 5 or fewer. Over that, the post fails with the error code THREADS_API__LINK_LIMIT_EXCEEDED.
- Timing: after you upload a media container, wait about 30 seconds before publishing it. Meta says this gives its server time to process the upload.
Where Threadgehog fits
Threadgehog writes the text of Threads and X posts and can add an image to the share of posts you pick: the image slider runs from 0 to 100% of posts in steps of 10, and your plan includes images each month (see pricing). Approved posts go to Buffer, Typefully, Publer, Metricool or Postiz. For Buffer and Metricool, you connect a free Cloudinary account under Settings, Publishing, which gives each image or video the public address those two tools need.
Compare any scheduler's own media rules with the numbers here before you queue a week of posts. For the other side of this comparison, see X media limits.
Questions
How big can a Threads image be?
8 MB at most, JPEG or PNG, per Meta's Threads API docs as of October 2026.
How long can a Threads video be?
300 seconds, which is 5 minutes, and up to 1 GB, in MOV or MP4, through the API.
How many photos can I put in one Threads post?
A carousel takes 2 to 20 images or videos, according to the API docs. A single image or video post takes one.
How many links can a Threads post have?
Up to 5 unique links. A post with more than 5 fails to publish through the API.
Can I add a link preview to a photo post?
Link preview cards are available on text-only posts. Image, video and carousel posts carry their media instead.
Are these the limits inside the Threads app?
These are the API limits from Meta's developer documentation, the numbers every scheduler works to. A file that fits them is a safe choice anywhere you publish.
Can I put a GIF on a photo post?
No. The API docs say GIFs attach only to text-only posts, and GIPHY is the only provider listed.
What error appears with too many links?
THREADS_API__LINK_LIMIT_EXCEEDED, for posts with more than 5 links, at the media creation step.
Sources
- Meta: Threads API overview and specifications (checked 2026-10-17)
- Meta: Threads API, create posts (checked 2026-10-17)
- Threads Help Center: Add a poll to your post (checked 2026-10-17)
- Threads Help Center: Edit the alternative text of your post (checked 2026-10-17)
- Threads Help Center: Start a new thread (checked 2026-10-17)
- Threadgehog: home and FAQ (checked 2026-10-17)