WeChat is not one content surface — it's four. Moments works like a social feed. Official Accounts are closer to an email newsletter combined with a website. Video Channel (Shipinhao) is WeChat's short-to-medium video platform. And Moments Ads are a premium paid placement that sits inside the Moments feed. Each surface has its own image sizes, video limits, and character counts. This guide covers all of them.
WeChat Content Surfaces at a Glance
| Surface | What It Is | Primary Use |
|---|---|---|
| Moments | Social feed visible to WeChat friends | Organic brand content, lifestyle posts |
| Official Account | Subscription channel for articles and updates | Long-form content, newsletters, product launches |
| Video Channel (Shipinhao) | Public short-to-medium video feed | Video content, brand storytelling |
| Moments Ads | Paid placements within the Moments feed | Performance marketing, lead generation |
How each surface looks inside WeChat: Moments (friends feed), Official Account (subscription articles), Video Channel (public video), and Moments Ads (sponsored placements).
WeChat Moments Specs
Moments is WeChat's equivalent of a social feed — posts are visible to friends and followers. Brands access Moments through Verified Official Accounts. Up to 9 images can be posted in a single Moments update; video posts are limited to one clip.
| Content Type | Dimensions | Max File Size | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moments Photo | 1080 × 1080 px recommended | 5 MB per image | Up to 9 images per post; square format displays best in the grid |
| Moments Video | 1080 × 1920 px (vertical) or 1920 × 1080 px (horizontal) | 100 MB | Up to 5 minutes; vertical format recommended for mobile viewing |
| Moments Text Post | — | — | Up to 1,500 characters; text-only posts are supported |
Moments supports three post types: photo grids (up to 9 images at 1080×1080 px), video clips (up to 5 minutes, 100 MB), and text-only posts (up to 1,500 characters).
Official Account Article Specs
Official Account articles are WeChat's long-form content format — readers subscribe to an account and receive article pushes. Articles render inside the WeChat app in a mobile-optimised layout. The cover image is the first thing subscribers see in their subscription list, so getting those dimensions right is critical.
| Content Type | Dimensions | Max File Size | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Article Cover (main / single article) | 900 × 383 px | 5 MB | Displayed prominently in the subscriber's article list; 2.35:1 ratio (updated from the older 900×500 / 16:9 layout) |
| Article Cover (multi-article list) | 200 × 200 px | 5 MB | Square thumbnail used when multiple articles are pushed together |
| Article Body Image | Full-width (up to 1080 px wide) | 2 MB per image | Images in the article body scale to screen width automatically |
| Article Embedded Video | — | 20 MB for direct upload | Up to 30 minutes; videos over 20 MB must be hosted on Tencent Video and embedded by link instead |
| Article Body Text | — | — | No official hard limit; 3,000–6,000 characters recommended for readability |
Official Account articles support cover images (900×383 px), full-width body images (up to 1080 px wide, 2 MB each), embedded video (up to 30 min for direct upload), and no official hard limit on body text length.
Video Channel (Shipinhao) Specs
Video Channel is WeChat's public video platform, similar in format to Douyin (the Chinese TikTok). Unlike Moments videos (which are visible only to friends), Video Channel content is publicly discoverable. It supports both vertical and horizontal video and significantly longer clips than Moments.
| Content Type | Dimensions | Max File Size | Max Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Video Channel Post | 1080 × 1920 px (9:16 vertical) or 1920 × 1080 px (16:9 horizontal) | 2 GB | Up to 60 minutes on mobile (up to 8 hours via the desktop uploader) | Vertical recommended; H.264 codec; cover image auto-generated from first frame |
| Video Channel Cover Image | 1080 × 1440 px recommended | 2 MB | — | Custom thumbnail uploaded separately; 3:4 ratio |
Video Channel (Shipinhao) supports videos up to 60 minutes and 2 GB on mobile (longer via the desktop uploader). Vertical 9:16 format is recommended, with a custom 1080×1440 px cover thumbnail uploaded separately.
WeChat Ad Specs
WeChat advertising runs primarily through Moments Ads (native placements in the social feed) and a programmatic bottom-of-article slot on Official Account articles (流量主/Media Partner). Moments Ads support both image and video formats and use a fixed creative spec; the bottom-of-article slot is system-matched, so there's no fixed banner size for publishers or advertisers to design to. Note that WeChat ad accounts require a verified Chinese business entity or an approved overseas advertiser account.
| Ad Type | Dimensions | Max File Size | Duration / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moments Ad — Single Image | 800 × 800 px (1:1 standard) | ≤ 1 MB recommended (up to ~1.7 MB for some formats) | JPG or PNG; multi-image carousel supports 3/6/9 images; confirm exact cap in Tencent Ads Manager |
| Moments Ad — Video | 1280 × 720 px (horizontal) or 720 × 1280 px (vertical) | 100 MB | 6–15 seconds; H.264 + AAC; autoplay muted |
| Bottom-of-Article Ad (流量主) | System-determined | — | Programmatic slot between article body and comments; Tencent matches creative to targeting and reader profile automatically — publishers don't upload or size a fixed banner |
| Ad Headline | — | — | 30 characters maximum |
| Ad Description / Body | — | — | 40 characters maximum |
WeChat Moments Ads sit natively inside the friends feed. Single image ads: 800×800 px, ≤1 MB recommended. Video ads: 6–15 seconds, 100 MB. Headline limit: 30 characters.
Profile & Account Setup Specs
| Asset | Dimensions | Max File Size | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal Profile Photo | No fixed pixel requirement (300 × 300 px recommended) | 2 MB | Displayed as a circle; WeChat auto-crops/compresses on upload |
| Official Account Avatar | 300 × 300 px | 2 MB | Square; displayed next to account name in subscriber lists and article bylines |
| Official Account Cover | 900 × 383 px | 5 MB | Shown on the account profile page (updated from the older 900×500 / 16:9 ratio) |
| Nickname / Display Name | — | — | Up to 20 characters |
| Bio / Signature | — | — | Up to 30 Chinese characters (~60 Latin characters) |
Profile photo: no fixed size requirement (300×300 px recommended), 2 MB, displayed as a circle. Official Account avatar: 300×300 px, 2 MB. Nickname: up to 20 characters. Bio: up to 30 Chinese characters.
Quick Reference: All WeChat Surfaces
All WeChat surfaces at a glance — save this for your next content brief.
| Surface | Image Size | Video Size | Max Duration | Key Text Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moments (organic) | 1080 × 1080 px / 5 MB | 100 MB | 5 minutes | 1,500 chars |
| Official Account Article | 900 × 383 px cover / 5 MB | 20 MB (direct upload) | 30 minutes | No official hard limit |
| Video Channel (Shipinhao) | 1080 × 1440 px cover | 2 GB | 60 minutes (mobile) | — |
| Moments Ad (image) | 800 × 800 px / ≤1 MB | — | — | 30 chars headline |
| Moments Ad (video) | — | 100 MB | 6–15 seconds | 30 chars headline |
| Bottom-of-Article Ad (流量主) | System-determined | — | — | No fixed spec |