Instagram has officially increased the maximum duration of Reels to 3 minutes, doubling the previous limit of 90 seconds.
The announcement came from Instagram head Adam Mosseri, who attributed the change to user feedback, explaining that many felt the 90-second cap was “just too short.”
This shift marks a significant departure from Mosseri’s stance last year when he stated that Instagram would not focus on long-form videos to preserve the platform’s primary purpose of connecting people with their friends. The timing of this update is noteworthy, as TikTok—Instagram’s main competitor in shortform video content—prepares to suspend operations in the U.S. on Sunday due to an impending federal ban.
Instagram’s approach to extending video lengths has been cautious. While Reels first allowed videos up to 90 seconds over two years ago, the company has only now made a move to 3-minute clips. Instagram has also tested increasing Reels’ limits to 10 minutes but has chosen to restrict longer video uploads to non-Reels posts for now.
