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Spotify Canvas requirements: size, length, format

Q: Can a Canvas have sound?

No. The Canvas plays behind your track, so the listener already hears the song. Spotify also asks for footage without talking, singing or rapping, because a few seconds cannot stay in sync with the lyrics.

Q: Where do I upload a Canvas?

In Spotify for Artists, per track. Canvas is attached to a specific release, not to the artist profile.

Q: Why was my Canvas rejected?

The usual causes are a file outside 3–8 seconds, a non-vertical frame, an audio track in the file, or content that breaks the Canvas content policy. Several third-party guides also report that files at exactly 8.000 seconds fail — trimming a few frames fixes it.

A Canvas is the short vertical loop that plays behind a track in the Spotify app. The spec is small, but most rejected uploads break one of its few rules. Here is what Spotify actually asks for, what the three loop types mean, and the mistakes worth avoiding — with the facts marked as Spotify's own where they are, and as third-party reports where they are not.

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Checked against Spotify's Canvas guidelines on 9 September 2026 · Spotify changes specs from time to time — confirm before a big release

The spec, as Spotify states it

Length	3–8 seconds
Orientation	Vertical, 9:16
Resolution	Between 720 and 1080 pixels tall — 720×1280 and 1080×1920 both qualify
File	MP4 video or JPG still
Sound	Not used — the track plays underneath; choose footage without talking, singing or rapping
Text	Not needed — song and artist name already appear in the Now Playing view
Motion	Avoid rapid cuts and intense flashing

Source: Spotify for Artists, “Canvas guidelines”. Frame rate, bitrate and file-size limits are not stated there. Several third-party guides report that 720×1280 is the safe export size and that clips landing at exactly 8.000 seconds are sometimes refused — trimming a few frames below 8 s fixes it. Treat those two as practical advice, not official rules.

The three loop types

Spotify describes three ways a Canvas can repeat, and the choice changes how you should build the clip.

Continuous loop — the last frame flows into the first with no visible seam. The hardest to make and the most hypnotic to watch. Works for slow camera drift, particles, smoke, anything cyclical.
Hard cut — the clip simply restarts. Fine when the content has a natural beginning, like a title reveal or a single gesture, and you do not mind the jump.
Rebound — the clip plays forward, then backward. Any footage becomes seamless automatically, at the price of motion that reverses — good for abstract movement, odd for a person walking.

What a Canvas is for

It is not a music video and it should not try to be one. It repeats for the whole length of the track, so anything busy becomes irritating by the third pass. The clips that work are the ones that feel like a photograph starting to breathe: a slow push-in on the cover, a portrait with the background drifting behind it, light moving across artwork, grain and a gentle sweep. Save the cuts and flashes for the actual video.

Mistakes that get uploads rejected

Wrong length. Anything under 3 s or over 8 s is refused. Aim for 6–7.9 s if you want a margin.
Horizontal or square footage. Cropping a 16:9 clip to 9:16 throws away most of the frame; build vertical from the start.
An audio track in the file. Export silent. A muted track is still a track — remove it.
Singing on screen. A few seconds cannot stay in sync with the lyrics, which is why Spotify asks for footage without vocals.
Flashing and rapid cuts. Beyond being unpleasant on loop, they run into the content policy.
Burned-in titles. The app already shows the song and artist; a second copy looks like a mistake.

Making one in SLOVO

SLOVO has a dedicated Canvas mode: it exports a silent, vertical 3–8 second loop from any scene, so the format constraints are handled for you. The usual approach is to put the cover art or a portrait in the frame, pick a calm scene — depth parallax over a photo, a slow ring, a drifting wave — and turn the beat reaction down so the motion stays gentle. Then upload the file in Spotify for Artists on the track's page. The Spotify Canvas maker page walks through it step by step.

Reusing the clip elsewhere

The same 9:16 loop is a valid Instagram Story, a TikTok, a Shorts cover, and a looping background for a lyric post. Build it once, export it once, and post it everywhere the track is — that is the cheapest consistent visual identity a release can have.

FAQ

How long can a Spotify Canvas be? Between 3 and 8 seconds. It loops for as long as the track plays. What size and aspect ratio does a Canvas need? Vertical 9:16, between 720 and 1080 pixels tall. 720×1280 or 1080×1920 both fit. Which file formats does Spotify accept? An MP4 video or a JPG still image. Can a Canvas have sound? No. The track plays underneath, and Spotify asks for footage without talking, singing or rapping. Where do I upload a Canvas? In Spotify for Artists, per track — Canvas belongs to a release, not to the profile. Why was my Canvas rejected? Usually length outside 3–8 s, a non-vertical frame, an audio track in the file, or a content-policy issue. Third-party guides also report that exactly 8.000 s files fail — trim a few frames.

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