Last checked: October 2026
X API Video Upload Limit in 2026
Since September 1, 2026, the X API video upload limit is 20 minutes and 8 GB on standard accounts, and up to 125 minutes and 16 GB for X Premium or verified accounts. Direct Message video stays at 140 seconds and 512 MB, or 10 minutes and 1 GB with Premium.
The numbers come from the X developer changelog entry dated September 1 2026. Below is the full table, why other pages quote different limits, and what OpenTweet itself accepts when you schedule a video.
X video limits through the API
The limit depends on where the video goes (a post or a Direct Message) and whether the account has X Premium or is verified.
Source: docs.x.com/changelog, entry "Media upload and Post-create size and duration limits", September 1 2026. Read in October 2026.
Why other pages show different numbers
Search for the Twitter maximum video length and you will find 140 seconds and 512 MB next to 20 minutes and 8 GB. Both are real X numbers, they just describe different things. 140 seconds and 512 MB is the long quoted figure that now applies to Direct Message video. 20 minutes and 8 GB is what the X API accepts for video attached to a post since September 2026.
The X apps are a third source. The X Help Center documents in-app upload limits separately, and they are not guaranteed to match the API numbers. This page only covers the API numbers, because that is the path schedulers, bots and AI agents use. If you post from the app, check the X Help Center.
Going over the length cap returns a 403
The changelog ties the 125 minute and 16 GB limits to X Premium or verified accounts. A video longer than the account's cap is rejected with a 403 error that reads "This user is not allowed to post a video longer than N minutes."To check a specific file before you upload, run it through the X video specs checker. For the upload calls themselves, see how to upload media with the X API.
What OpenTweet accepts for video
OpenTweet does not pass the full X API video limit through. Its own upload step has smaller caps, because files are stored before they are published to X:
- Web composer: MP4 or MOV, up to 20 MB per video.
- OpenTweet API (POST /api/v1/upload): MP4 or MOV, up to 200 MB per video by default.
- Per post: one video per X post.
So OpenTweet cannot post a 20 minute, 8 GB file. It suits short clips, demos and screen recordings that fit those sizes. For a longer video, compress it below the cap or upload it to X directly. The API upload returns the exact limit and the size it received when a file is too large, so a script can tell what went wrong. The endpoint is documented in the OpenTweet developer docs.
Cross-posting the same clip to Bluesky? Bluesky has its own video rules, which the Bluesky video checker tests. Posting caps per day are a separate question, covered in X daily limits 2026.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the X API video upload limit in 2026?
Since September 1 2026, video posted through the X API can be up to 20 minutes and 8 GB on a standard account, and up to 125 minutes and 16 GB on an X Premium or verified account. The change is listed on the X developer changelog at docs.x.com.
What is the X video length limit without Premium?
Through the X API, a standard account without Premium can post video up to 20 minutes long and 8 GB in size, per the September 1 2026 changelog entry. Video sent in a Direct Message is capped at 140 seconds and 512 MB without Premium.
Did the Direct Message video limit change too?
No. The September 2026 changelog keeps Direct Message video at 140 seconds and 512 MB for standard accounts, and 10 minutes and 1 GB for Premium. Only video attached to posts got the higher API limits.
Why do other sites say the X video limit is 140 seconds or 512 MB?
Those numbers were quoted for years and still apply to Direct Message video, so older guides and DM documentation repeat them. For video attached to a post through the X API, the September 1 2026 numbers on docs.x.com are the current ones. Limits inside the X apps are documented separately in the X Help Center.
Can OpenTweet post a 20 minute, 8 GB video to X?
No. OpenTweet accepts MP4 and MOV video up to 20 MB when you upload in the web composer, and up to 200 MB by default through the OpenTweet API upload endpoint. Files above those sizes are rejected before they reach X, so very long or very large videos need to be compressed or posted another way.
Which video formats does OpenTweet accept for X?
MP4 and MOV. Both the web upload and the API upload reject other video types up front. One video can be attached per X post.
Keep exploring
More on X video specs, media uploads and posting limits.
X video specs checker
Check a video file against X length, size and format limits before you post.
How to upload media with the X API
The upload flow for images and video, step by step.
X daily limits 2026
Posts, replies, follows, DMs and X API caps in one table.
Bluesky video checker
Size, length and format checks for video posted to Bluesky.
X API rate limit 429
Which bucket returned 429 and how to retry without making it worse.
Schedule video posts to X with OpenTweet
Upload MP4 or MOV clips within OpenTweet's limits and queue them for the right time. Plans from $11.99 a month, with a 7-day free trial.
7-day free trial. Cancel anytime.