Google Ads display dimensions 2026: the complete, up-to-date reference.

A creative team showed me their handover deck last month for a Google Display campaign. Fourteen banner sizes, exported six file formats each. Two of them were never going to render in 2026. Three more were sizes Google had quietly stopped requesting in the Responsive Display Ad picker. The agency had reused a 2019 production checklist without auditing it.

The Google Ads display ecosystem changed quietly between 2023 and 2026. Gmail Ads retired. Discovery Ads became Demand Gen. Responsive Display Ads (RDAs) went from "the new option" to the default — and they want different image sets than the static IAB sizes most production specs still ship. Performance Max ate three older campaign types. Image-quality requirements got stricter.

This page is the reference I wish my creative teams had. It is the full, current, opinionated 2026 list — every dimension, every aspect ratio, every file-weight cap, every format change, and a step-by-step at the end for what to actually export for a fresh campaign. No legacy padding. No "in case you need it" sizes that won't run.

The state of Google Display in 2026 — what changed

Three structural changes since 2023:

• Responsive Display Ads are the default. When you open the Google Ads creative builder for the Display Network, RDA is what the interface assumes. Static IAB-size image ads still upload and serve, but they're now the secondary path — and Google explicitly says RDAs out-perform static on coverage and conversions in most accounts. Plan for RDA first, static as a fallback for brand-control situations.
• Discovery Ads were renamed to Demand Gen in October 2023. Same surfaces (YouTube feed, Gmail Promotions tab, Google Discover) with expanded creative options. If your spec sheet still says "Discovery," it's out of date.
• Gmail Sponsored Promotions were fully retired in 2024. Don't ship the 650×60 Gmail teaser or the responsive Gmail templates anymore. They won't traffic.
• Performance Max consumed Smart Shopping and Local campaigns and now expects a single creative library covering every aspect ratio at once (1:1, 4:5, 9:16, 1.91:1, video, logo). One asset group serves every surface.
• Image quality minimums tightened in late 2024. Stock photography, heavy text overlays, low-contrast subjects, and "before/after" creative get disapproved more aggressively than they did in 2022.

Responsive Display Ads (RDAs) — the format that actually matters

Build your RDA assets first. They serve across the entire Display Network, Gmail (the limited surfaces still standing), the Discover feed via Demand Gen, and the apps in Google's mobile network. One asset set, every placement Google can find.

Image assets — required + recommended sizes

Google asks for three image aspect ratios and a logo. Provide all three; campaigns with all three perform measurably better than campaigns missing any.

Asset	Aspect ratio	Recommended size	Minimum size	Max file
Landscape image	1.91 : 1	1200 × 628 px	600 × 314 px	5 MB
Square image	1 : 1	1200 × 1200 px	300 × 300 px	5 MB
Portrait image *	4 : 5	960 × 1200 px	480 × 600 px	5 MB
Logo (square)	1 : 1	1200 × 1200 px	128 × 128 px	5 MB
Logo (landscape)	4 : 1	1200 × 300 px	512 × 128 px	5 MB

* Portrait was added to RDAs in 2024 and is now critical for mobile in-feed placements — campaigns without it lose the largest in-feed surface.

Text assets — character limits

• Short headline: up to 30 characters · provide 5 variations
• Long headline: up to 90 characters · provide 1 (shown when the placement allows)
• Description: up to 90 characters · provide 5 variations
• Business name: up to 25 characters

Video assets (optional but recommended)

RDAs now accept video and serve it on placements that support it. Add one of each aspect ratio:

• Landscape: 16 : 9, up to 30 seconds, recommended 1920 × 1080
• Square: 1 : 1, up to 30 seconds, recommended 1080 × 1080
• Portrait: 9 : 16, up to 30 seconds, recommended 1080 × 1920

Static image ad sizes — the seven that still matter in 2026

Static IAB ads still serve and still convert — especially when you need pixel-perfect brand control (regulated industries, locked-down creative reviews, programmatic placements outside Google's ML optimization). But the historical list of 20+ sizes is overkill. These are the seven that cover ~95% of paid impressions in 2026:

Name	Dimensions	Where it serves
Medium Rectangle	300 × 250	The single most-served Display unit. In-feed, sidebar, in-article. Build this first.
Large Rectangle	336 × 280	Heavier in-article placements. ~70% of Medium Rectangle's reach but higher CTR per placement.
Leaderboard	728 × 90	Desktop site headers and content boundaries.
Half-Page	300 × 600	Premium sidebar placement. High viewability.
Large Mobile Banner	320 × 100	Mobile sticky and in-feed.
Mobile Banner	320 × 50	Mobile sticky standard. Lower CTR but huge volume.
Billboard	970 × 250	Premium desktop top-of-page. Limited inventory but strong brand impact.

Sizes still technically accepted but not worth producing

These render correctly when uploaded, but the placements that request them are a long tail. Skip unless you have an account-specific reason (a known publisher requirement, a regulated industry, etc.):

• Banner (468 × 60) and Half-Banner (234 × 60) — late-1990s sizes, almost no inventory
• Square (250 × 250) and Small Square (200 × 200) — superseded by 300 × 250
• Skyscraper (120 × 600) and Wide Skyscraper (160 × 600) — replaced by Half-Page (300 × 600)
• Large Leaderboard (970 × 90) — niche; 728 × 90 covers the same intent
• Netboard (580 × 400) — Scandinavian market only

Performance Max — creative requirements

Performance Max is now the default campaign type for most advertisers that have a Merchant Center feed, a lead form, or a conversion event. It expects a single asset library that can serve every Google surface — Search, Display, YouTube, Discover, Gmail, Maps. Ship the full set:

Image assets

• Landscape (1.91:1): 1200 × 628, up to 20 images
• Square (1:1): 1200 × 1200, up to 20 images
• Portrait (4:5): 960 × 1200, up to 20 images
• Logo square (1:1): 1200 × 1200, up to 5
• Logo landscape (4:1): 1200 × 300, up to 5

Video assets

• Horizontal (16:9): minimum 10 seconds, recommended 1920 × 1080
• Square (1:1): minimum 10 seconds, recommended 1080 × 1080
• Vertical (9:16): minimum 10 seconds, recommended 1080 × 1920 — required for Shorts and Discover placements

Pro tip: Performance Max will auto-generate video if you don't provide one. The auto-generated videos are weak and limit campaign reach on YouTube. Always provide at least one of each aspect ratio.

Text assets

• Short headlines: up to 30 characters · provide 3–5
• Long headlines: up to 90 characters · provide 1–5
• Descriptions: up to 90 characters (one can be up to 60) · provide 1–5
• Business name: up to 25 characters
• Call-to-action: selected from Google's preset list (or "Automated")

Demand Gen (formerly Discovery Ads) — creative requirements

Demand Gen serves the YouTube feed, Shorts feed, Gmail Promotions tab, and the Discover feed. Three creative formats:

Single image

• Landscape (1.91:1): 1200 × 628, minimum 600 × 314
• Square (1:1): 1200 × 1200, minimum 300 × 300
• Portrait (4:5): 960 × 1200, minimum 480 × 600
• Logo: 1200 × 1200 (1:1), minimum 128 × 128

Carousel (2 – 10 cards)

• Square (1:1): 1080 × 1080, all cards same aspect ratio
• Landscape (1.91:1): 1200 × 628, all cards same aspect ratio
• Each card has its own headline and final URL

Video

• Horizontal (16:9): up to 3 minutes
• Square (1:1): up to 3 minutes
• Vertical (9:16): up to 3 minutes — required for Shorts feed placement

YouTube ad formats — video specs

YouTube ads have their own campaign type but share creative specs with Demand Gen and Performance Max video. The formats that exist in 2026:

Format	Aspect	Length	Notes
Skippable in-stream	16:9 (also 9:16, 1:1)	≥ 12 sec, no upper limit	Skippable after 5 seconds. The workhorse format.
Non-skippable in-stream	16:9 (also 9:16, 1:1)	up to 15 sec	Brand reach. Charged per impression.
Bumper	16:9 (also 9:16, 1:1)	up to 6 sec	Six-second forced exposure. Strong for frequency.
In-feed video	16:9 thumbnail, video file 1:1 or 16:9	any length	Appears in YouTube search and "Up next" suggestions.
Shorts ad	9:16 required	up to 60 sec	Native vertical. Highest growth surface 2024–26.
Masthead	16:9	up to 30 sec	YouTube home page takeover. Reserved buy only.

Recommended resolution for all video: 1920 × 1080 (16:9), 1080 × 1080 (1:1), 1080 × 1920 (9:16). Container MP4 (H.264 + AAC). Max file size 256 GB (effectively unlimited for ad creative — keep under 1 GB for upload speed).

File requirements — formats and weights

Image ads

• Formats accepted: JPG, PNG, GIF (static or animated)
• Maximum file size: 150 KB for static image ads, 5 MB for RDA / Performance Max / Demand Gen images
• Animation limit: 30 seconds total, ≤ 5 fps for animated GIFs
• Recommended export: JPG at 80–85% quality for photographic, PNG-8 for flat brand graphics, optimized via imagemin, sharp, or squoosh

HTML5 ads

• Build with Google Web Designer or convert from Adobe Animate (ZIP package)
• Max file size: 150 KB per ad
• Loop count: 3 max
• Total animation: 30 seconds max
• Required meta tag in the HTML: <meta name="ad.size" content="width=300,height=250">

Video

• Container: MP4 strongly preferred (also MOV, AVI, MPEG-4, WMV, FLV, ProRes, DNxHD)
• Codec: H.264 video + AAC audio
• Frame rate: match source (typically 24, 25, 30, or 60)
• Audio: required for skippable / non-skippable in-stream; optional for Shorts but heavily recommended

What's been retired or deprecated — don't ship these in 2026

• Gmail Sponsored Promotions (GSP) — retired September 2024. The teaser format (650 × 60) and the expanded Gmail-template ads no longer serve.
• Smart Shopping campaigns — absorbed into Performance Max in 2022, fully removed as a standalone campaign type by 2023.
• Local campaigns — absorbed into Performance Max in 2022.
• Discovery campaigns — renamed Demand Gen, October 2023. Same surfaces, expanded creative.
• Standard Shopping campaigns — still exist for advertisers without conversion data, but Performance Max is now the recommended path for any account with ≥ 30-day conversion history.
• App install campaigns (old format) — replaced by App campaigns (now AC) which run automatically across Search, Play, YouTube, Display, and Discover.

Step-by-step: the asset set to actually export for a new 2026 campaign

For a new advertiser launching a Display + Performance Max campaign, here is the exact file list to send the production team. Skip anything not on this list — it's either retired or low-impact.

1. RDA / Performance Max images (the priority set)

1. 5 × 1200 × 628 landscape (1.91:1) — JPG, ≤ 5 MB
2. 5 × 1200 × 1200 square (1:1) — JPG, ≤ 5 MB
3. 5 × 960 × 1200 portrait (4:5) — JPG, ≤ 5 MB
4. 1 × 1200 × 1200 square logo on transparent background — PNG, ≤ 5 MB
5. 1 × 1200 × 300 landscape logo on transparent background — PNG, ≤ 5 MB

2. Video — minimum viable set

1. 1 × 1920 × 1080 (16:9), 15–30 sec, MP4 H.264, audio included
2. 1 × 1080 × 1080 (1:1), 15–30 sec, MP4 H.264, audio included
3. 1 × 1080 × 1920 (9:16), 15–30 sec, MP4 H.264, audio included — required for Shorts and Discover

3. Static image fallback set (only if brand control matters)

1. 300 × 250 (Medium Rectangle) — JPG, ≤ 150 KB
2. 336 × 280 (Large Rectangle) — JPG, ≤ 150 KB
3. 728 × 90 (Leaderboard) — JPG, ≤ 150 KB
4. 300 × 600 (Half-Page) — JPG, ≤ 150 KB
5. 320 × 100 (Large Mobile Banner) — JPG, ≤ 150 KB
6. 320 × 50 (Mobile Banner) — JPG, ≤ 150 KB
7. 970 × 250 (Billboard) — JPG, ≤ 150 KB

4. Text assets

1. 5 short headlines (≤ 30 characters each)
2. 1 long headline (≤ 90 characters)
3. 5 descriptions (≤ 90 characters each)
4. 1 business name (≤ 25 characters)
5. Final URL + display URL path

That's the entire production list. 11 images, 3 videos, 7 static banners (optional), 12 text variants. Anything else is legacy padding or platform-specific (App campaigns, Shopping feed images, etc. have their own spec sheets).

Common 2026 mistakes I keep seeing on audits

• Skipping portrait (4:5). The single biggest miss in 2024–26 production. Without 4:5 images and 9:16 video your campaign cannot serve the in-feed mobile and Shorts surfaces — which is where most of the growth is.
• Stock photo overuse. Google's quality classifier has been bumped repeatedly since 2024. Real photography, real product, real people. Stock keys to the same handful of disapproval reasons across thousands of accounts.
• Heavy text overlay. The 20%-text rule was removed from Meta in 2020 but Google's quality scoring still penalizes heavy text. Move text into the headline and description fields, not into the image.
• Shipping the legacy 13-size IAB set. Six of those sizes do almost nothing in 2026. Production hours wasted.
• Logos on coloured backgrounds. Always export logo assets on transparent backgrounds (PNG). Google renders them on multiple background colours and a non-transparent logo looks broken on at least one of them.
• Forgetting audio in video. Skippable in-stream assumes audio is present. Silent video gets discounted in auction pricing on YouTube.
• Auto-generated video as the primary asset. Google's auto-video is workable as a backup; it should never be your only video asset. Limits Shorts coverage significantly.

Quick reference — print this and hand it to production

Asset type	Recommended dimension	File format	Max weight
RDA / PMax landscape image	1200 × 628 (1.91:1)	JPG	5 MB
RDA / PMax square image	1200 × 1200 (1:1)	JPG	5 MB
RDA / PMax portrait image	960 × 1200 (4:5)	JPG	5 MB
Logo (square)	1200 × 1200 (1:1)	PNG transparent	5 MB
Logo (landscape)	1200 × 300 (4:1)	PNG transparent	5 MB
Video — horizontal	1920 × 1080 (16:9)	MP4 H.264 + AAC	—
Video — square	1080 × 1080 (1:1)	MP4 H.264 + AAC	—
Video — vertical (Shorts)	1080 × 1920 (9:16)	MP4 H.264 + AAC	—
Static — Medium Rectangle	300 × 250	JPG / PNG / GIF	150 KB
Static — Large Rectangle	336 × 280	JPG / PNG / GIF	150 KB
Static — Leaderboard	728 × 90	JPG / PNG / GIF	150 KB
Static — Half-Page	300 × 600	JPG / PNG / GIF	150 KB
Static — Large Mobile Banner	320 × 100	JPG / PNG / GIF	150 KB
Static — Mobile Banner	320 × 50	JPG / PNG / GIF	150 KB
Static — Billboard	970 × 250	JPG / PNG / GIF	150 KB
HTML5 (per ad)	any of above	ZIP (HTML+CSS+JS)	150 KB

Sources + verification

Specs verified against Google Ads Help documentation (current as of May 2026). Google updates these specs without notice; if you're shipping a campaign more than 6 months after the date stamped above, cross-check the latest at:

• Google Ads Help — image ad specs
• Google Ads Help — Responsive Display Ad assets
• Google Ads Help — Performance Max asset specifications
• Google Ads Help — Demand Gen creative specs

— Michael Morakis 2026-05-06 · Athens · 12 min read

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