Google Video Ads Specs by Campaign Type: Demand Gen, Performance Max, Display and YouTube (2026)

Google video ads specs start with three files: a 1920 x 1080 horizontal (16:9), a 1080 x 1920 vertical (9:16) and a 1080 x 1080 square (1:1), each hosted on YouTube. From there, each campaign type adds its own rules. Demand Gen accepts videos from 5 seconds and adds a 4:5 vertical, Performance Max wants all three orientations at 10 seconds or more, and bumpers stop at 6 seconds.

Most spec guides list YouTube formats one by one. This one is organized the way you actually buy media in Google Ads: by campaign type. You get a master table for Video campaigns, Demand Gen, Performance Max and the Display Network, the text limits for each, the places where Google's own pages disagree, and a production plan that gets every asset out of one shoot. We also cover English and Arabic versions for UAE and GCC campaigns.

In this guide

• Google video ads specs at a glance
• The rules every Google video ad shares
• Video campaign specs: in-stream, bumper, in-feed, Shorts and Masthead
• Demand Gen video specs
• Performance Max video specs
• Text limits by campaign type
• Thumbnails, companion banners and logos
• Safe zones and bilingual layouts
• One shoot, every Google asset: the production plan
• Where Google's pages disagree
• Pre-upload QA checklist and common rejections
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Get your Google video assets made in one pass

Google video ads specs at a glance

Here is the short version for each campaign type: which ratios it uses, how long the video should be, and where the video file has to live. The numbers come from Google's Help Center pages on video ad specs, Demand Gen and Performance Max assets.

The pattern is simple once you see it laid out. Every campaign type reads from the same YouTube-hosted files, but each one has a different floor for length and a different preference for vertical formats. If you build to the strictest rule in each column (all four ratios, a 15 second main cut, a 6 second cut and a 10 second cut), you can run any campaign type without going back to the edit.

Why campaign type matters more than format

In the old YouTube world you picked a format, like a skippable in-stream ad, and built a video for it. In Google Ads today, most campaign types decide the format for you. Demand Gen and Performance Max take a pool of assets and serve them wherever the system predicts a result: in-stream, in-feed, Shorts, Discover, Gmail and the Display Network.

That means the question is no longer "what size is a skippable ad?" It is "what does this campaign type need from me so it can serve everywhere it is allowed to?" Missing a vertical file in Performance Max does not cause an error. It quietly limits where your ads can show, or it lets Google build a vertical version for you.

The rules every Google video ad shares

Some specs never change, whatever campaign type you choose. Get these right once and every later step is easier.

Resolution and aspect ratio

Google recommends Full HD (1080p) for every video ad. For horizontal video that is 1920 x 1080, for vertical it is 1080 x 1920 and for square it is 1080 x 1080. The minimums are 1280 x 720 for horizontal, 720 x 1280 for vertical and 480 x 480 for square. Standard definition files are accepted, but Google itself advises against them.

The accepted ratios go beyond the big three. YouTube also takes 4:3 for older horizontal footage, 2:3 vertical and 4:5 vertical. In practice, 4:5 is the one worth making, because Demand Gen lists it as a core orientation (1080 x 1350) and it fills more of a phone feed than square.

Our advice: export at the recommended size, not the minimum. A 720p file passes upload, but it looks soft on large phones and on TV screens, and connected TV is now a normal part of YouTube delivery.

File format, size and hosting

Google recommends MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 files and accepts most common video containers, including MP4, MOV, AVI, WMV, WebM and HEVC (H.265). The maximum file size is 256 GB, which no ad will ever get close to. Audio-only files such as MP3, WAV or PCM are not accepted.

The rule that catches people out is hosting. Google video ads do not take a file uploaded straight from your laptop the way an image asset does. The video must be on YouTube first. It can be public or unlisted. Unlisted is what most brands use for ad variants, because it keeps 20 test cuts off the public channel page.

A few practical points about YouTube hosting:

• Upload to a channel your business owns, then link that channel to the Google Ads account.
• Name every file with its ratio, length and language (for example `launch-16x9-15s-en`), because the Google Ads picker only shows titles and thumbnails.
• Do not delete or make private a video that is running in an ad. The ad stops serving.

Sound, captions and AI labels

Every Google video ad needs an audio track. Plenty of ads are watched with the sound off, especially in feeds and Shorts, so build for both: a voiceover or music that carries the story, and burned-in captions or on-screen text for people watching silently.

AI disclosure is now part of the spec too. Google's video spec page notes that rules in the European Union, India and New York require disclosures or labels on ads with certain AI-generated or AI-edited assets. Google Ads has an AI label setting you can switch on for a creative, and Google says these labels do not break its policies on text overlays. If you run AI-built video in those markets, plan the label before launch, and get legal advice for your own case.

Video campaign specs: in-stream, bumper, in-feed, Shorts and Masthead

Video campaigns are the classic YouTube buy: you choose a subtype, such as reach or views, and the formats follow from it. If you want the full YouTube format breakdown with safe-zone diagrams, our YouTube ads creative specs guide goes deeper. Here we focus on what each format needs so you can plan Google-wide.

Skippable and non-skippable in-stream

Skippable in-stream ads play before, during or after other videos, and viewers can skip after 5 seconds. Google sets no maximum length but recommends staying under 3 minutes. Your first 5 seconds are the ad for most viewers, so the brand and the reason to keep watching need to land before the skip button appears.

Non-skippable in-stream ads cannot be skipped. Google's format page describes them as 60 seconds or shorter, with a length of 15 to 60 seconds depending on the campaign subtype. The longer options are tied to specific subtypes and inventory, so a 15 second non-skippable cut is the safe default.

Bumper ads

Bumpers are non-skippable ads of up to 6 seconds, with a 5 second minimum. They are built for reach and frequency, not for explaining things. One idea, one product shot, one line of copy and the logo.

Do not try to squeeze a 30 second story into 6 seconds by speeding it up. Plan the bumper as its own edit, usually built from the strongest 6 seconds of the main shoot plus a dedicated end frame.

In-feed and Shorts

In-feed video ads appear in YouTube search results, next to related videos and on the mobile home feed. They show a thumbnail, a headline and up to two lines of text, and the video plays when someone clicks or, in some places, when they hover. There is no maximum length. The thumbnail does most of the selling here, which is why it needs the same care as the video.

Shorts ads play between Shorts in the vertical feed, and viewers can swipe past them at once. Google recommends under 60 seconds. In Video reach campaigns, the vertical asset is listed at 6 to 60 seconds. For how vertical ads fit alongside Reels and TikTok in a wider plan, see our guide to short form video ads.

Masthead

The Masthead sits at the top of the YouTube home feed on desktop, mobile and TV. It is booked on a reservation basis rather than bought in the auction. The video is horizontal 16:9 at 1920 x 1080 and can be any length, though Google recommends more than 10 seconds. On desktop it autoplays without sound for up to 30 seconds, so your opening must work silently.

Masthead text is short: a headline of 40 characters or less, a description of 60 characters or less and a call to action of 15 characters or less.

Which Video campaign subtype needs what

Google's Video campaign spec page lists the assets per subtype. For Video reach with the Efficient Reach composition, it recommends a 15 second horizontal video for in-stream and in-feed, a 6 second horizontal video for bumpers, and vertical and square video of 6 to 60 seconds. The Target Frequency composition lists horizontal video only.

Video action campaigns, the older conversion-focused video type, listed videos of 10 seconds or more in all three orientations. Google has been moving those campaigns into Demand Gen, so if your goal is leads or sales, plan your video assets around Demand Gen's rules, which follow next.

Demand Gen video specs

Demand Gen is where most conversion-focused video now runs in Google Ads. It serves across YouTube (in-stream, in-feed and Shorts), Discover, Gmail and the Display Network, from one set of assets. That reach is why its spec list is the widest.

Ratios and lengths

Demand Gen video accepts four orientations, according to Google's Demand Gen video asset guidelines:

1. Horizontal 16:9 at 1920 x 1080
2. Square 1:1 at 1080 x 1080
3. Vertical 4:5 at 1080 x 1350
4. Vertical 9:16 at 1080 x 1920, optional, and recommended for Shorts

The minimum length is 5 seconds. Videos under 10 seconds will not serve on YouTube in-stream, and Google recommends videos over 15 seconds to help reach. You can add 1 to 5 videos per ad, and every one must be hosted on YouTube.

In practice, that gives you a clear target: a 15 to 30 second main cut in all four ratios, plus a short cut of 6 to 10 seconds for feeds and Shorts. If you only upload a 6 second video, you lose in-stream entirely.

Text, logo and business name

Demand Gen video ads carry text assets that the system mixes with your video:

• Headlines: up to 40 characters, used in skippable in-stream. Add at least 3.
• Long headlines: up to 90 characters, used in in-feed formats on Discover and YouTube. Add at least 3.
• Descriptions: up to 90 characters. Add at least 3.
• Business name: one, up to 25 characters.

Logos are square (1:1). The general logo asset has a 128 x 128 minimum, while the video ad logo is listed at 144 x 144 minimum, both with 1200 x 1200 recommended. Upload at 1200 x 1200 and both rules are met. In Gmail the logo can show as a circle, so keep the mark away from the corners.

Display Network and video partner placements

Display-style video inventory used to be its own topic. Today, the main ways a Google video ad reaches the Display Network are Demand Gen (which can serve on the Google Display Network when you leave that channel on), Performance Max, and Google video partners in Video campaigns. Video partners are third-party sites and apps that show Google video ads outside YouTube.

None of these routes uses a separate video spec. They read the same YouTube-hosted files you made for Demand Gen or Performance Max. What changes is the context: partner placements are often smaller, often muted, and often mid-page. That is another reason to put the product and the key line in the first 3 seconds and keep text large.

Responsive display ads can also take optional YouTube video assets alongside images, which Google may show where the placement supports video. If you run display remarketing, adding your square and horizontal cuts there costs nothing extra in production.

Performance Max video specs

Performance Max serves on every Google channel at once: Search, YouTube, Display, Discover, Gmail and Maps. Its video rule is short but strict, according to Google's Performance Max spec page:

• Orientations: horizontal 16:9, square 1:1 and vertical 9:16
• Length: 10 seconds or more for each video
• Count: at least 1 of each orientation is recommended, up to 15 videos per asset group
• Hosting: YouTube, public or unlisted

Video is not required to launch. That sounds convenient, and it is the trap.

What happens if you skip video

If an asset group has no video, Google may generate videos automatically from your images, logo and text. Google also says that to reach "Excellent" ad strength and stop auto-generated AI videos, you should upload your own videos in all three orientations.

In our experience, auto-generated video tends to look like a slideshow, with stock motion and music that rarely matches the brand. Even a simple 15 second product edit beats it. If you only have a horizontal video, Google AI may also flip it into square or vertical versions for Shorts, which often crops out the product. Upload your own vertical cut and you keep control.

Text and image assets that run beside your video

Performance Max mixes your video with text and images, so the asset group needs a full set. Headlines are 30 characters (minimum 3, maximum 15, with at least one of 15 characters or less), long headlines 90 characters (1 to 5), descriptions 90 characters (2 to 5), and a business name of 25 characters. Two display URL paths of 15 characters each are optional.

Images come in three ratios. Horizontal 1.91:1 is recommended at 1200 x 628 (minimum 600 x 314), square 1:1 at 1200 x 1200 (minimum 300 x 300) and vertical 4:5 at 960 x 1200 (minimum 480 x 600). Image files are JPG or PNG up to 5 MB. Logos are square 1:1 at 1200 x 1200 (minimum 128 x 128), plus an optional horizontal 4:1 logo at 1200 x 300.

The practical tip: pull still frames from your video shoot for the image assets. Then the visuals match across placements, and a viewer who sees your Shorts ad and then a Gmail ad recognizes the same product and look.

Text limits by campaign type

The same idea needs different copy lengths across Google video ads, and the limits are easy to mix up. Use this table to write each line once, in the right length, before you upload.

Two notes make this table easier to use. First, Korean, Japanese and Chinese characters count as 2 toward these limits, so translated copy for those markets needs its own edit. Arabic counts normally, but Arabic copy is rarely the same length as the English version, so write it to the limit rather than translating word for word. Our Arabic video ads guide covers how we adapt scripts and on-screen text for the Gulf.

Second, headlines can be dropped in some placements. Google notes that in-feed headlines are excluded from desktop and TV watch pages and may not show on mobile. Never put the only mention of your offer in a headline. Put it in the video too.

Thumbnails, companion banners and logos

Video ads come with small image assets that people forget until the upload screen asks for them. They matter more than their size suggests, because in in-feed and Discover placements, the thumbnail is the first thing a viewer sees.

Thumbnails

YouTube thumbnails are recommended at 1280 x 720 (16:9), with a minimum of 1280 x 640. They can be JPG, GIF or PNG, under 2 MB for videos. Use a clear frame with the product or a face, a few large words at most, and strong contrast. For a deeper checklist on composition and testing, read our piece on video thumbnails for brands.

Companion banners

A companion banner sits next to your video ad on desktop only. It is 300 x 60 pixels (5:1), JPG, GIF or PNG, and 150 KB maximum. You can upload your own or let Google Ads build one from your channel banner. A custom banner with the logo and a short line is usually worth the ten minutes it takes.

Logos

Across Demand Gen and Performance Max, the square logo does most of the work. Crop it tight to the mark, because Google adds its own padding. Google also warns that logos with transparent backgrounds may appear on white, so avoid a white logo on a transparent background, or it may disappear.

Safe zones and bilingual layouts

Google's interface puts buttons, the skip control, channel names and calls to action over your video, and they sit in different places by format and device. Google publishes transparent PNG safe-zone templates for horizontal, vertical and square video on its spec page. Use them as an overlay in your edit timeline.

Keep the message in the middle

A simple working rule we use across Google video ads: keep the logo, the product and any on-screen text in the central part of the frame, away from the bottom band and the right edge on vertical video. On Shorts, the right side holds the action buttons and the bottom holds the channel name, caption and call to action. On horizontal in-stream, the bottom corners hold the skip button and the ad link.

Do not rely on Google to crop for you. A horizontal frame cropped to 9:16 loses about two thirds of its width. If the product sat on the left third of a wide shot, it is gone in the vertical version. Plan vertical framing on set, or build vertical scenes on purpose when the ad is made with AI.

English and Arabic versions

Most of our Dubai and GCC campaigns run in both English and Arabic, and that changes the layout, not just the words. Arabic reads right to left, so the eye starts on the right of the frame. On vertical video, that is exactly where Shorts places its buttons. We move Arabic text blocks slightly toward the center and keep them clear of the right-side controls.

Some practical rules for bilingual Google video ads:

1. Make separate files for each language rather than stacking both languages in one frame. Each file stays clean, and you can target each language separately.
2. Name files by language (`-en`, `-ar`) so the right version goes into the right ad group.
3. Check Arabic captions on a real phone. Arabic script needs more line height than Latin text to stay readable at small sizes.
4. Keep the end card layout mirrored for Arabic, with the logo and call to action in a position that reads naturally right to left.

If you sell to buyers in more than one market, as many Dubai real estate developers and brokers do, you may need three or four language versions of each ratio. That is where a production plan stops being optional.

One shoot, every Google asset: the production plan

The cheapest way to meet every Google video spec is to plan for it before anything is filmed or generated. A single shoot day, or a single AI build, can produce every ratio and length if the brief says so. This table shows the deliverable set we plan for a brand running Video campaigns, Demand Gen and Performance Max at once.

The 10 second cuts are deliberate. They clear the Performance Max minimum and the Demand Gen in-stream rule at the same time, and they test well as hooks. The table assumes one language. For English and Arabic, double it.

How we build the set, step by step

1. Write the brief by campaign type. List every campaign that will use the video, then take the strictest length and ratio rule from each. This becomes the deliverables list above.
2. Script in modules. Write a 3 second hook, a 6 second core message and a strong end frame that can each stand alone. Modular scripts make the bumper and 10 second cuts easy. Our guide on how long video ads should be explains how to size each module.
3. Frame for vertical first. Keep the product and faces in the center safe area, so the same shot works at 9:16, 4:5, 1:1 and 16:9. When the footage is built with AI, we generate vertical and horizontal scenes separately instead of cropping. See how our AI video production team handles multi-ratio builds.
4. Design text and end cards per ratio. On-screen text and end cards are redrawn for each ratio, not scaled. This is usually motion design work, and it is where our motion graphics team spends most of its time on Google projects.
5. Export to one preset. We export H.264 MP4 at 1080p, at the frame rate the footage was shot or generated at, with stereo AAC audio. This is our own preset, well inside Google's accepted formats.
6. Upload to YouTube as unlisted, with clear names. Add titles that include ratio, length and language, and set custom thumbnails.
7. Build the ads and check previews. Add the videos to each campaign, then check every preview on mobile, desktop and TV before you launch.

If you want to see how these steps fit into a full brief-to-launch timeline, our production process page walks through it.

Where the video sends people

A video spec sheet is only half of the job. Every Google video ad has a final URL, and the page it opens decides whether the click turns into a lead or a sale. Match the landing page to the promise in the video: same product, same offer and the same visual style. A short video on the landing page itself can help it convert. Our guide to landing page videos covers types, length and placement.

Where Google's pages disagree

Google publishes specs across several Help Center pages, and they are updated at different times. Here are the gaps we have found, and the number we plan around in each case.

• Non-skippable length. One Google format page lists 15 to 60 seconds depending on subtype, and older guidance capped non-skippable ads at 15 seconds, or 20 in some regions. We plan a 15 second non-skippable cut, which fits everywhere, and only make longer ones for a specific subtype that allows them.
• Logo minimums. The Demand Gen page lists 128 x 128 for the logo asset and 144 x 144 for the video ad logo. Uploading at 1200 x 1200 makes the difference irrelevant.
• Thumbnail minimum. The minimum is listed as 1280 x 640, which is not a true 16:9 frame. Always upload 1280 x 720.
• Shorts length. Google recommends Shorts ads under 60 seconds, while the Video reach page lists vertical video at 6 to 60 seconds. We keep Shorts cuts between 10 and 30 seconds.
• Demand Gen 9:16 in other buying tools. The Demand Gen asset page notes that 9:16 images may be rejected for Demand Gen in Display & Video 360, and suggests 4:5, 1.91:1, 1:1 or vertical video instead. If you buy through more than one Google tool, keep a 4:5 version ready.

Specs also change. Campaign types get merged, as Video action campaigns did with Demand Gen. Check the live Help Center page for your campaign type before final export, and treat any third-party spec sheet, including this one, as a planning aid rather than the final word.

Pre-upload QA checklist and common rejections

Most problems with Google video ads are not disapprovals. They are limited serving: the ad runs, but only in some placements, because an asset is missing or too short. This table lists the issues we catch most often in QA, what they cause, and the fix.

A last check before you upload

Run through these points for every file:

1. The video is 1080p or higher in the right ratio, with no black bars added to fake a ratio.
2. There is an audio track, and the story still works with the sound off.
3. The brand, the product and the offer appear within the first 5 seconds.
4. All text sits inside Google's safe-zone template for that ratio.
5. The YouTube title includes ratio, length and language, and a custom thumbnail is set.
6. Text assets are written to the right character limit for this campaign type.
7. AI labels are set where your markets require them.
8. The final URL works on mobile and matches the promise of the video.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the Google video ads specs for size?

Google recommends Full HD for every video ad: 1920 x 1080 for horizontal 16:9, 1080 x 1920 for vertical 9:16 and 1080 x 1080 for square 1:1. Demand Gen also uses 4:5 vertical at 1080 x 1350. Minimums are 1280 x 720 horizontal, 720 x 1280 vertical and 480 x 480 square, but files at the minimum look soft on large screens, so export at the recommended size.

How long can a Google video ad be?

It depends on the format. Skippable in-stream ads have no maximum, though Google recommends under 3 minutes. Bumpers run up to 6 seconds. Non-skippable ads run 15 to 60 seconds by subtype. Demand Gen accepts videos from 5 seconds, but videos under 10 seconds skip in-stream. Performance Max asks for 10 seconds or more. A 15 second main cut works almost everywhere.

Do Google video ads have to be uploaded to YouTube?

Yes. Video assets for Video campaigns, Demand Gen and Performance Max must be hosted on YouTube. You cannot upload an offline file the way you upload an image. The video can be public or unlisted, and unlisted is the usual choice for ad variants. Do not make a running video private or delete it, or the ad stops serving.

What video specs does Performance Max need?

Performance Max takes horizontal 16:9, square 1:1 and vertical 9:16 videos, each 10 seconds or more, hosted on YouTube. Google recommends at least one of each orientation, with up to 15 per asset group. Video is optional, but if you skip it Google may generate videos from your images. Uploading all three orientations helps you reach Excellent ad strength.

What is the difference between Demand Gen and Performance Max video specs?

Demand Gen accepts four orientations, adding 4:5 vertical, and allows videos from 5 seconds, though in-stream needs 10 seconds. Performance Max uses three orientations and needs 10 seconds or more for each. Headlines also differ: 40 characters in Demand Gen video ads versus 30 in Performance Max. Both read the same YouTube-hosted files, so one well-planned asset set serves both.

What is the maximum file size for Google video ads?

Google's video ad spec page lists a maximum of 256 GB per file, which is far more than any ad needs. Recommended formats are MPEG-2 or MPEG-4, and common containers such as MP4 and MOV are accepted. Audio-only files such as MP3 or WAV are not. Thumbnails must be under 2 MB and companion banners under 150 KB.

Get your Google video assets made in one pass

Google video ads specs look complicated because they are spread across many pages and campaign types. Planned together, they come down to a short list: four ratios, a 15 to 30 second main cut, a 10 second cut and a 6 second bumper, all on YouTube, with copy written to each campaign's limits. Build that set once and you can run Video campaigns, Demand Gen and Performance Max without going back to the edit.

If you would rather hand it to a team, we plan the shoot or AI build, cut every ratio and length in English and Arabic, and check each file against Google's specs before launch. Book a strategy call with XMA and tell us which campaigns you are running. We will come back with a plan and a quote for the full asset set.