TikTok Video Format Guide: Dimensions, Length, and Export Settings

TikTok videos should be in 9:16 vertical format at 1080 x 1920 pixels for the best visual quality. This full-screen portrait orientation is designed for mobile viewing and fills the entire phone screen without black bars. While TikTok accepts other aspect ratios, vertical content performs significantly better because it occupies the maximum screen area.

Always export at 1080 x 1920 pixels when creating TikTok content. Lower resolutions appear blurry on modern phone screens, and TikTok may further compress low-resolution uploads. Starting with the maximum supported resolution gives you the best chance of maintaining sharp, clear video on the platform.

Your TikTok cover image is displayed on your profile grid and is crucial for attracting viewers to older content. The cover is shown at a 9:16 aspect ratio, but the visible area on the profile grid is closer to 3:4. This means the top and bottom portions of your cover may be cropped on the profile view.

264 encoding. Upload your source video in any format and select MP4 as the output. This guarantees compatibility with TikTok's upload requirements and avoids format-related processing errors.