Spotify Canvas Size & Requirements: Complete 2026 Guide
Exact pixel dimensions, duration, file size, format, and aspect ratio for Spotify Canvas in 2026 — plus what happens if you get them wrong.
If you're about to upload a Spotify Canvas to Spotify for Artists and Spotify is rejecting your file — or you're producing one and want to make sure it'll be accepted on the first try — this is the only spec sheet you need. Everything below reflects what Spotify actually accepts in 2026 (not the often-outdated screenshots floating around forums).
Spotify Canvas spec sheet (TL;DR)
Aspect ratio: 9:16 (vertical).
Dimensions: 1080 × 1920 pixels.
Duration: between 3 and 8 seconds.
Format: MP4 (H.264 codec) — JPEG also accepted, but a static JPEG is not a real Canvas.
File size: under 8 MB.
Loop: — the last frame must connect cleanly to the first.
Audio: none. Canvases are silent; the track audio plays over them.
Why the exact dimensions matter
Spotify's Canvas validator is strict. Even a one-pixel deviation (e.g. 1080×1921, which happens when you export from CapCut at a slightly off ratio) gets rejected with a vague "format not supported" error. Same for files slightly over 8 MB — Spotify rounds down, not up.
The 9:16 aspect ratio is enforced because Canvas plays full-screen on mobile. A 16:9 horizontal video would either letterbox (ugly) or crop to a tiny strip (worse). If your source video is horizontal, you need to re-shoot the framing for vertical or pick a different shot — center-cropping a horizontal cover almost always ruins the composition.
Duration: why 5 seconds is the sweet spot
Spotify allows 3–8 seconds, but the format that performs best in our testing (and matches what most major-label releases ship) is around 5 seconds. Three seconds is too short for a real motion arc; eight seconds tends to feel repetitive on loop. Five seconds is long enough to read a complete movement and short enough that the loop seam is invisible.
AnimateCover defaults to a 5-second loop for this reason.
The -loop requirement, explained
Spotify Canvas loops while your track plays. If the last frame doesn't match the first, the listener sees a visible jump every 5 seconds — and that's the only thing they'll remember about your release.
Good loops are either: (a) cyclical — a wave that crests and falls back, smoke that drifts up and dissipates, a character that blinks; or (b) drifting — a slow camera push that ends just before it would feel like "we've moved too far". Avoid one-shot animations (a character takes a step, then stops) — those break the loop.
File size and codec gotchas
8 MB is tight for 5 seconds of 1080×1920 video. You'll need H.264 encoding with a bitrate around 10–12 Mbps. Most general-purpose AI video tools export at much higher bitrates (20+ Mbps) and end up at 15–25 MB — you'll need to re-encode in Handbrake, ffmpeg, or CapCut to get under 8 MB without obvious artifacts.
If you re-encode yourself, prefer two-pass H.264 at constrained bitrate over CRF mode. CRF often overshoots the 8 MB cap on detailed source material; constrained bitrate hits the target consistently.
What happens if you get them wrong
Wrong aspect ratio (e.g. 16:9 or square 1:1) → Spotify rejects upload with "format not supported".
Wrong dimensions (e.g. 1080×1920 cropped to 1079×1920 by an editor) → same generic rejection.
Duration outside 3–8s → rejected.
File over 8 MB → rejected, no warning that it's the size.
Non-MP4 / non-H.264 (e.g. .mov, HEVC) → rejected.
Audio track in the file → upload may succeed but Canvas plays silent and Spotify may auto-flag it.
Non-looping (visible jump) → Spotify accepts it, but listeners will notice every 5 seconds. Self-inflicted damage.
Skip the spec-wrangling: AnimateCover
Everything above is what AnimateCover handles automatically. The output is locked to 1080×1920, 5-second loop, MP4 H.264, under 8 MB — every file is Spotify-ready before you even download it. You upload your cover (or paste a Spotify link), describe the motion you want, and a couple of minutes later you have an MP4 you can drag straight into Spotify for Artists.
$9.99/month for 10 Canvas credits — unused credits roll over, so re-rolls don't cost extra until you're out.