Spotify Canvas: Size, Length and How to Add One

Spotify Canvas is a short looping video that replaces your album art while a song plays in the Spotify mobile app. Spotify's spec: 3 to 8 seconds long, vertical 9:16, between 720 and 1,080 pixels tall, as an MP4 or JPG file. You add it per track in Spotify for Artists, on the web or in its mobile app.

We read Spotify's Canvas help pages and its Canvas page for artists on October 24, 2026.

About 9,900 people search "canvas spotify" each month, and 8,100 search "spotify canvas," up 30% in recent months.

What are the Spotify Canvas specs?

Spec	What Spotify asks for
Length	3 to 8 seconds
Shape	Vertical, 9:16
Height	Between 720 and 1,080 pixels
File	MP4 or JPG
Where it plays	The Now Playing view in the Spotify mobile app

Spotify for Artists, "Canvas guidelines" and "Fix a Spotify Canvas upload error," read October 24, 2026.

Be exact. "If the length or size is even slightly off, the upload can fail," Spotify warns.

The height rule trips people up. At 9:16, a frame 1,080 pixels tall is only about 608 pixels wide. Guides such as artist.tools recommend exporting at 1080 x 1920, and they say MP4 is the only accepted format, which isn't what Spotify's own sheet says. Spotify's community forum even has a thread titled "Issues with uploading asset to Spotify Canvas, that fits the spec sheet." If an upload fails, Spotify suggests checking your file against the specs or trying the Spotify for Artists mobile app.

How do you add a Canvas to a song?

On the web:

1. Log in at artists.spotify.com.
2. Select your track.
3. Click Add Canvas.

In the mobile app, open Spotify for Artists, select your track and add it there. You can add a Canvas "to any track, including upcoming releases."

Not everyone on a team can do it. Spotify limits Canvas to the first main artist on a track, or the main artist on both the track and its release. You'll also need an Admin or Editor role. Our guide to Spotify for Artists covers getting that access.

What makes a good Canvas?

Spotify's own tips, from its guidelines:

• Skip the singing. "Choose footage without talking, singing, or rapping," since a few seconds won't sync with the lyrics.
• Go easy on cuts. "Avoid rapid video cuts or intense flashing graphics."
• Mind the edges. "The edges may get cut off on some phones."
• Leave the name off. Your song and artist name already show in the Now Playing view.
• Pick a loop style. A Continuous Loop hides where it starts again, a Hard Cut has clear edit points, and a Rebound plays forward and then in reverse.
• Change it up. You can swap a Canvas any time to keep things fresh.

Spotify also pitches it for reach beyond the app. When a listener shares your track to Instagram Stories, your Canvas "will loop in the background of the Story," with a link to play it on Spotify.

What can't a Canvas show?

It can't sell. Canvas "shouldn't be used to sell anything or be overly promotional," Spotify says. That rules out:

• Links to websites, ticket sellers or other URLs
• Asking people to follow or like you on social media
• Text about other songs, unrelated albums, brands, products, deals or contests

"We might remove your Canvas if it's used for overly promotional purposes," Spotify adds. Canvases that break its Platform Rules get removed too.

Some content needs a label. Mark your Canvas explicit if it shows profanity, violence, drug use, sexual behavior or other sensitive topics.

How are Canvas views counted?

A view counts "when someone opens the Now Playing view and sees your Canvas." Spotify counts at most one view per stream, however long someone listens. So a song can show more Canvas views than streams, because a stream only counts after 30 seconds. You'll find the numbers in Spotify for Artists.

Why is my Spotify Canvas not showing?

Check these in order:

1. The device. Canvas plays only in the mobile app, on iOS 12 or later or Android 6.0 or later.
2. Data Saver. In Settings and privacy, then Data-saving and offline, set Data Saver to Off.
3. The Canvas switch. In Settings and privacy, then Content and display, turn Canvas on.
4. Ownership. Labels with split rights can add Canvas only to the versions they own.
5. The country. Canvas shows to listeners in a set list of countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas and Oceania, the US, UK, Canada, Brazil and Japan among them.

How do you turn off Canvas on Spotify?

Use the same switch. Open Settings and privacy, then Content and display, and turn Canvas off.

Frequently asked questions

What size is a Spotify Canvas?

Vertical 9:16, between 720 and 1,080 pixels tall, per Spotify's guidelines.

How long can a Spotify Canvas be?

3 to 8 seconds. It loops while the song plays.

Can a Canvas be a still image?

Yes. Spotify accepts a JPG as well as an MP4.

Does Canvas show on desktop?

No. It plays only in the Spotify mobile app.

Can I put my Instagram handle on my Canvas?

No. Spotify's content policy rules out asking people to follow you on social media.

Who can upload a Canvas?

The first main artist on the track, or the main artist on the track and the release, with Admin or Editor access.

More for artists: how to upload music to Spotify and Spotify monthly listeners. Hclout sells Spotify plays, followers and listeners, so weigh our advice the way you'd weigh any seller's.

Sources

• Spotify for Artists help center, "Adding a Canvas to Spotify," "Canvas guidelines," "Canvas content policy," "How we count Canvas views," "Canvas not showing in the Spotify app" and "Fix a Spotify Canvas upload error," read October 24, 2026
• Spotify for Artists, Canvas page (artists.spotify.com/canvas), read October 24, 2026
• artist.tools, "Spotify Canvas specifications" (updated May 1, 2026), and the Spotify Community thread "Issues with uploading asset to Spotify Canvas, that fits the spec sheet," read October 24, 2026
• A web search for Spotify Canvas sizes, October 24, 2026
• Google Ads Keyword Planner, worldwide, read October 24, 2026