You’ve probably been there. You spend an hour editing a perfect clip, hit that upload button on X—formerly Twitter, for the few still calling it that—and then... nothing. Or worse, a red error bar telling you the file is too big or too long. It’s frustrating. Honestly, the platform's rules feel like they change every time Elon Musk has a new idea at 3 AM.
The truth is that max twitter video length isn't a single number anymore. It's a sliding scale. Depending on whether you pay for a blue checkmark, which device you’re holding, and even the resolution of your file, the limits swing wildly.
The 140-Second Wall for Standard Users
If you are using a free account, you are still living in the "classic" era of the platform. For you, the limit is 2 minutes and 20 seconds.
Why that specific number? It’s a carryover from the old 140-character limit days. 140 seconds for 140 characters. It’s a bit of poetic symmetry that has somehow survived through 2026, even as the rest of the site has been overhauled.
If your video is even one second over, the app will force you to use its internal trimmer. This is usually fine for a quick meme, but it’s a nightmare if you’re trying to share a thoughtful tutorial or a gameplay highlight. You also have a hard cap on file size at 512MB. In 2026, with 4K phone cameras being the norm, 512MB vanishes quickly. You’ll often find yourself needing to downscale to 720p just to make it fit.
Paying for Time: X Premium and the 4-Hour Epic
Everything changes the moment you subscribe to X Premium. This is where the platform tries to compete with YouTube.
If you are a Premium or Premium+ subscriber, you can upload videos up to 4 hours long. That is a massive jump. We are talking full-length movies, entire podcast episodes, or long-form investigative documentaries. However, there are some technical "gotchas" that catch people off guard:
- The Web and iOS Advantage: You can only hit that 4-hour mark if you are uploading from a desktop browser (Chrome, Safari, etc.) or an iPhone.
- The Android Penalty: For some reason, Android users are still capped at 10 minutes via the app. If you're on a Samsung or Pixel and want to post a two-hour video, you have to open the browser on your phone and use the desktop version of the site. It’s a clunky workaround, but it works.
- The Quality Tier: Videos up to 2 hours can be uploaded in 1080p. If you go over that 2-hour mark, the platform typically requires you to drop the resolution to 720p to stay within the 16GB file size limit.
Technical Specs You Can't Ignore
It isn't just about the clock. If your codecs are wrong, the upload will fail even if the length is perfect.
X prefers MP4 or MOV containers. If you’re exporting from Premiere or DaVinci Resolve, stick to the H.264 video codec and AAC audio. Most people forget about the bitrate. If you try to upload a 1080p video with a massive bitrate meant for a TV screen, the 16GB limit will eat you alive.
For the best results, aim for a bitrate around 8-10 Mbps for 1080p. It keeps the file lean but keeps the visual noise low. Also, pay attention to the aspect ratio. While 16:9 landscape is the standard, 9:16 vertical video is actually what gets the most engagement in the mobile feed. If you post a 4-hour horizontal video, it might look great on a laptop, but mobile users will see tiny black bars and likely scroll right past it.
Why Engagement Usually Peaks Early
Just because you can post a 4-hour video doesn't mean you should.
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Data from 2025 and early 2026 suggests the "sweet spot" for X videos is still remarkably short. Most viral clips are between 20 and 45 seconds. The platform is designed for fast scrolling. Users are usually looking for a quick hit of information or entertainment while waiting for coffee or sitting on a bus.
If you have a 10-minute video, try posting a 30-second "hook" and then putting the full link or the long-form video in the first reply. This satisfies the algorithm's hunger for quick engagement while still giving your long-form content a chance to breathe.
Breaking the Limit Without a Subscription
If you refuse to pay for Premium on principle, you aren't totally out of luck. You just have to be creative.
The most common tactic is the Video Thread. You can post a series of 140-second clips chained together. It’s tedious, but it works for things like recipe walkthroughs or story-time threads.
Another option is using X Media Studio. This is technically for advertisers, but many professional accounts have access to it. It sometimes allows for slightly more flexibility in how files are handled, though the 140-second rule for non-premium accounts is generally hard-coded into the backend.
Future-Proofing Your Uploads
As we move deeper into 2026, expect these limits to shift again. The goal of the platform is clearly to become an "everything app," and video is the centerpiece of that strategy.
If you’re serious about using the platform for video, keep your masters in high quality but always have a compressed version ready for the web. Use tools like Handbrake to squash your files without losing the crispness of the image.
Actionable Next Steps:
Check your current account status in the "Premium" tab. If you're planning a long-form series, verify your upload source; remember to use a desktop browser for anything over 10 minutes to avoid the mobile app’s limitations. Finally, always export your videos in H.264 MP4 format at 1080p to ensure maximum compatibility across all versions of the X interface.