Upload a video to a Meta or LinkedIn ad

How-to guidesLast verified:

Can I upload my own video file to a Meta or LinkedIn ad? Yes. Meta single image or video, Meta story or reel, and LinkedIn single image or video previews play a video file you upload, or a public Google Drive or Dropbox link. A YouTube link still works too. The video plays in the feed, Story and Reel previews and on the share link your client opens.

Upload a video file, such as an MP4

  1. Open the ad in the editor. On a Meta ad, click Video in the media section.
  2. Click Upload video and pick the file. You can also drag the file onto the empty box that says No videos added yet.
  3. A bar shows the upload progress. When it finishes, the video is in the preview.

Files can be MP4, MOV or WebM, up to 100 MB each. The hint next to the buttons says the same: YouTube link, a public Google Drive or Dropbox link, or an MP4, MOV, or WebM up to 100 MB.

Add a video from YouTube, Google Drive or Dropbox

  1. Click Add Video.
  2. Paste the link in YouTube, Google Drive, or Dropbox link.
  3. Click Add video.

A YouTube link stays a link. The preview embeds it, so use a Public or Unlisted video your client can play. A Google Drive or Dropbox link is copied into your account. The box shows Importing… while the file comes in.

The file has to be shared publicly:

  • Google Drive. In Drive, set General access to Anyone with the link, then paste the link again. If it is not shared, the editor says That file isn't shared as "Anyone with the link".
  • Dropbox. In Dropbox, click Share and set the link to Anyone with the link. A link to a folder does not work, only a link to one file.

Under Video Library, Used in this preview and From your account list videos you added before. Click Add on one to reuse it. Change adds another video. It does not replace the first one.

Why is my vertical video cropped in the Facebook or Instagram feed preview?

Because Meta crops it that way in a feed. As of 27 October 2026, the feed preview of a Meta single image or video ad follows the shape of the file you uploaded. A tall video, such as 9:16 or 4:5, shows in a 4:5 frame and fills it, so the top and bottom of a 9:16 clip are cropped. A square video shows 1:1 and a wide one shows 16:9. The Story and Reel previews show the whole tall video full screen. To see all of a 9:16 video, check the Story or Reel placement.

How much video can I store?

Uploaded videos, and files copied in from Google Drive or Dropbox, count toward a video storage limit for the whole account. YouTube links do not count.

  • Free plan: 500 MB.
  • Paid plans: 5 GB.

When a video would go over the limit, the editor says You're using, with how much you use and your limit, and This video would put the account over its video storage limit. On the Free plan the message has an Upgrade link. To make room, remove videos you no longer need from your previews.

A stored video that no preview uses any more is deleted once it is 30 days old. A preview in the trash keeps its videos until the trash is emptied.

X and Reddit video

X and Reddit ads take a video upload too. Click Upload video, or Replace video on a Reddit ad that already has one. They take the same MP4, MOV or WebM files up to 100 MB, and they count toward the same storage limit.

Yes, as of 22 October 2026. Paste the link into Video URL and click Use link, or press Enter.

  1. In Google Drive or Dropbox, share the video file as Anyone with the link.
  2. Copy the link to the file itself, not to a folder.
  3. On the Reddit or X ad, paste it into Video URL and click Use link.

The video is copied into your account. It then plays in the preview and on the share link like a video you uploaded, and it counts toward your video storage. A YouTube watch, Shorts or youtu.be link plays from YouTube. Any other http(s) link plays as a video file.

A Drive or Dropbox folder link, or a page that is not one file, shows "Paste a YouTube link, a public Google Drive link, or a public Dropbox link." Share the file itself and paste that link.

Video errors and what they mean

  • Videos must be 100 MB or smaller. Make the file smaller and try again.
  • Use an MP4, MOV, or WebM video. The file is another type.
  • This video uses a format browsers can't play. Export it as H.264 MP4 and try again. This is common with HEVC video from a phone.
  • Paste a YouTube link, a public Google Drive link, or a public Dropbox link. The link is from another site.
  • Google Drive is rate-limiting downloads, or Dropbox is rate-limiting downloads. Wait a minute and try again.

What video does not do

  • A YouTube ad still takes a YouTube link only.
  • A Meta carousel card takes a YouTube link only, not a file or a Google Drive or Dropbox link.
  • A LinkedIn carousel has no video.
  • The editor does not edit, trim or export a video. Downloads from the live preview are pictures.
  • Programmatic video ads are separate. They take MP4 or WebM uploads, up to 100 MB each.

Still stuck? Contact support.