Complete Spotify Canvas Requirements Guide
Here's everything you need to know about Spotify's technical requirements. Skip the guesswork and get it right the first time.
The Exact Requirements
Quick Reference
Spotify has specific technical requirements for canvases. Get any of these wrong, and your upload gets rejected. Let's break down exactly what you need.
Aspect Ratio: 9:16
This is vertical video format - the opposite of regular video. Think Instagram Stories or TikTok. Your canvas needs to be 9 units wide by 16 units tall. If you upload 16:9 (horizontal), it gets rejected immediately.
Most phones shoot in 16:9 by default, so you'll need to crop. This is where a lot of people mess up - they forget to convert, or they try to letterbox it. Spotify wants true 9:16, no black bars.
Duration: 3-8 Seconds
Your canvas needs to be at least 3 seconds long. Shorter than that, and Spotify rejects it. Longer than 8 seconds, same thing. The sweet spot? 6 seconds. Long enough to loop smoothly, short enough to keep file sizes manageable.
Remember, this video loops continuously while someone listens to your track. You want smooth, seamless looping - the end should flow naturally back to the beginning.
File Format: MP4 with H.264 Codec
Spotify only accepts MP4 files encoded with H.264. If you export as MOV, AVI, or any other format, it gets rejected. Even if you rename a .mov file to .mp4, Spotify knows - they check the actual codec.
Most modern video editors can export to H.264, but you need to make sure it's selected. It's also called MPEG-4 AVC in some software.
File Size: Under 10MB
Spotify for Artists has a hard 10MB upload limit. If your file is larger, the upload fails. For a 6-second video, this is usually fine, but if you go up to 8 seconds with complex motion, you might hit the limit.
The key is balancing quality with file size. Lower the bitrate if you need to compress, but don't go so low that it looks pixelated.
Common Mistakes That Get Canvases Rejected
Using the wrong aspect ratio
Most people shoot or export in 16:9 (horizontal) instead of 9:16 (vertical)
File too large
High bitrate or long duration pushes the file over 10MB
Wrong format
Exporting as MOV, AVI, or other non-MP4 formats
Duration out of range
Canvas is shorter than 3 seconds or longer than 8 seconds
How to Upload to Spotify
Step-by-Step Process
- 1Go to Spotify for Artists and sign in
- 2Select the track you want to add a canvas to
- 3Click "Canvas" in the track menu
- 4Upload your MP4 file (max 10MB)
- 5Preview how it looks
- 6Submit for review (usually approved within 24 hours)
Pre-Upload Checklist
- Aspect ratio is 9:16 (vertical)
- Duration is between 3-8 seconds
- File format is MP4 with H.264 codec
- File size is under 10MB
- Video loops smoothly
- No copyrighted content
- No explicit or promotional text