YouTube Shorts ad specs

What size should a YouTube Shorts ad be?

Make it 9:16 at 1080x1920. Google's video ads specs page recommends that resolution, and the Shorts asset specs say 9:16 is recommended and prioritised.

Square and horizontal video still serve, but a horizontal ad shows with a blurred top and bottom. For AI video, generate the Shorts version in 9:16 so the product fills the screen. If you only have a 16:9 cut, the video aspect ratio converter can crop it to vertical with a focus point.

How long should a YouTube Shorts ad be?

Keep it under 60 seconds. Ads can be up to 3 minutes, but only the first 60 seconds play in the Shorts feed and an overlay appears at 50 seconds. For action-oriented ads, Google recommends 10 to 30 seconds.

The minimum depends on the campaign: 6 seconds for Video Reach, and 10 seconds for Video Action, App and Performance Max. A 6-second AI cut works for reach, but needs a longer version for action campaigns.

When does the call-to-action button appear?

Google says the button appears at 3 seconds for Performance Max, App and Demand Gen campaigns, and at 10 seconds for Video View and Video Reach. Plan the edit around that timing.

For a 3-second button, show the product and the offer early, so the button has something to point to. For a 10-second button, the first 10 seconds carry the hook and the problem, and the product moment lands as the button appears.

What are the text limits for Shorts ads?

Google lists a recommended headline of 40 characters and a description of 90 characters. Put the product and the offer in the headline, since that is the shorter field.

As on every platform, keep on-screen text out of the AI prompt. Add supers in the edit, where you can check spelling and place them away from the interface.

Where is the YouTube Shorts safe zone?

Google's Shorts ads page says to keep critical elements out of the top 10 percent, the bottom 25 percent and the right-hand 10 percent. On 1080x1920 that is 192 px top, 480 px bottom and 108 px on the right.

Google states no left margin, which differs from Meta. Put faces and products slightly left of centre and in the middle band. Check a frame in the YouTube Shorts safe zone tool or the safe zone checker.

What does Google not state officially?

The Shorts asset page does not give a minimum resolution, so the table shows "Not stated". File size and file types come from Google's general video ads page, not a Shorts-specific one: less than 256GB, with .MPG recommended and .MP4 and .MOV accepted.

Google Ads Help also has a Shorts safe zone diagram with pixel values, but those values are only in the image and were not read. The percentages on this page come from the Google Business page text.

How did we combine Google's pages?

Google spreads the Shorts specs over two pages. We took length and text limits from the Shorts asset specs page, and resolution, file size and file types from the general video ads page. The note under the spec table says which page each value came from.

Preview the cut with a caption and button in the ad mockup generator. If you make AI ads that already perform, see how Anglr works for creators.