The ratio is not exactly 9:16
A file exported as 1080 × 1919, or padded with black bars, is not 9:16. Editors do this quietly when a preset is off. The checker reports the real ratio.
Spotify Canvas · specs
Spotify Canvas size and format.
Every requirement Spotify publishes for Canvas, in one place, quoted as written. Below it, a checker that reads your finished file in your own browser and tells you whether it matches, before you try uploading it.
Check your Canvas file
No uploadThe file is read by your browser and never leaves it. Nothing about it is sent anywhere, and there is no account.
Waiting for a file
Format——
Aspect ratio——
Length——
Dimensions——
File size——
Published requirements
What Spotify asks for.
Quoted from Spotify for Artists support pages, checked on 3 September 2026. Spotify can change these, so treat their page as the final word.
Canvas3–8 seconds long, vertical 9:16 ratio, between 720px and 1080px tall, MP4 or JPG. No audio: Canvas plays silently behind your track.
Artist header2660 × 1140 minimum, JPEG, PNG or GIF, under 20 MB. Spotify also asks for no text, no advertising and no busy backgrounds. Header sizes in detail →
Avatar750 × 750 minimum, square. Spotify displays it as a circle, so keep the subject centred.
Gallery image690 × 500 minimum. Same formats and the same 20 MB limit as the header.
Cover artSquare 1:1, between 640px and 10 000px on each side, sRGB, 24 bits per pixel, lossless TIFF, PNG or JPG. Distributors usually ask for 3000 × 3000, which is a habit of theirs, not a Spotify rule.
Sources: Canvas guidelines, artist image guidelines and cover art requirements.
The confusing part
Why "720–1080px tall" does not add up.
Spotify writes that a Canvas must be vertical 9:16 and between 720px and 1080px tall. Those two lines contradict each other: a 9:16 file that is 1080px tall would be 607px wide, and the sizes artists actually export, 720 × 1280 and 1080 × 1920, are taller than 1080px.
The likeliest reading is that the range describes width, not height. We are not going to present a guess as fact, so this page quotes Spotify as published and tells you what works in practice: 1080 × 1920 is accepted, and so is 720 × 1280. Both keep the 9:16 ratio, which is the part Spotify enforces.
The checker above follows the same rule. Format, ratio and length are judged pass or fail. Pixel dimensions are reported for information, with a note when they are unusually small.
Before you upload
What actually gets a Canvas rejected.
Four causes cover almost every rejection reported by artists.
The length sits on the limit
Exactly 8.00 seconds sometimes fails, and 8.04 always fails. Aim for around 7.9 seconds. Anything under 3 seconds is rejected too.
The container is not MP4
MOV, WEBM and GIF are common exports and none of them is accepted. Canvas takes MP4 for video and JPG for a still.
You are uploading in the wrong place
Canvas is added per track in Spotify for Artists, and only by a main artist with admin or editor access. Some artists also report that the desktop uploader refuses a file the mobile app accepts.
How this page works
Your file never leaves the browser.
The checker reads dimensions and length the same way a video player does, on your own machine. Open DevTools, Network tab: your file is never uploaded, and none of its numbers are either — the only request is the anonymous page counter. Traffic on the page is counted anonymously; the privacy page has the detail.
No upload, no server, no account
No cookies and no screen recording
Built by an independent artist, free to use
FAQ
Common questions.
What size does a Spotify Canvas have to be?
Spotify asks for a vertical 9:16 file, 3 to 8 seconds long, between 720px and 1080px tall, as MP4 or JPG. In practice artists export 1080 × 1920 or 720 × 1280, because those keep the 9:16 ratio Spotify requires.
How long can a Spotify Canvas be?
Between 3 and 8 seconds. Shorter or longer files are rejected at upload. Community guides suggest staying a fraction under 8 seconds, because files sitting exactly on the limit sometimes fail.
Can a Spotify Canvas be a still image?
Yes. Spotify accepts a JPG as well as an MP4. A still Canvas still fills the Now Playing screen, it simply does not move.
Why does Spotify say 720–1080px tall when 9:16 is taller than that?
Spotify publishes a height range of 720px to 1080px, but common 9:16 sizes such as 720 × 1280 and 1080 × 1920 are taller than 1080px. The two statements do not line up. Files at 1080 × 1920 are accepted in practice, and this page quotes Spotify's wording as published rather than reinterpreting it.
Does the checker upload my file anywhere?
No. The file is read by your own browser to get its dimensions, length and format. Nothing is sent to a server, and there is no account or upload step.
Does a Canvas need audio?
No. Canvas plays silently behind your track, so any audio in the file is ignored. Spotify also advises against footage of talking, singing or rapping, because a 3–8 second loop will not match the lyrics.