Convert Videos for LinkedIn Posts

LinkedIn video performs differently from other social platforms: longer-form content (2–5 minutes) is common, landscape and square formats are standard, and the audience watches on desktop more than mobile. The technical bar is lower than TikTok or Shorts, but there are quirks around file size limits, codec compatibility, and how LinkedIn handles audio on autoplay. This guide covers the full spec set and common conversion paths.

LinkedIn native video: exact specifications

Per LinkedIn's video post requirements:

• Formats accepted: MP4 (strongly recommended), MOV, AVI, FLV, MPEG-1, MPEG-4, MKV, WebM, H264/AVC, VP8, VP9, WMV2, WMV3, ASF, M4V.
• Video codec: H.264 recommended. VP8 and VP9 also supported.
• Audio codec: AAC, MP3, Vorbis.
• Max file size: 5 GB.
• Duration: 3 seconds minimum, 10 minutes maximum.
• Aspect ratio: 1:2.4 to 2.4:1. Common practical ratios: 16:9 (landscape), 1:1 (square), 9:16 (vertical), 4:5 (portrait).
• Resolution: 256 × 144 px minimum, 4096 × 2304 px maximum. 1280 × 720 (HD) is recommended minimum.
• Frame rate: 10–60 fps. 30fps is standard.
• Captions: SRT files can be uploaded separately for accessibility — LinkedIn displays them as burned-in subtitles. Autoplay is muted by default, so captions drive engagement significantly.

LinkedIn Ads video specs (different)

• MP4 only, H.264, 15 seconds to 30 minutes, 75KB to 200MB, 360×360 to 1920×1920 px.

Recommended source-to-target pairs

Conversion commands (curl + Python)

# curl — convert MOV to MP4 for LinkedIn
curl -X POST https://changethisfile.com/v1/convert \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ctf_sk_your_key_here" \
  -F "file=@presentation-recording.mov" \
  -F "target=mp4" \
  -o linkedin-ready.mp4

import requests
from pathlib import Path

API_KEY = "ctf_sk_your_key_here"

def convert_for_linkedin(in_path: str, out_path: str) -> None:
    """Convert video to LinkedIn-compatible MP4."""
    with open(in_path, "rb") as f:
        resp = requests.post(
            "https://changethisfile.com/v1/convert",
            headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {API_KEY}"},
            files={"file": f},
            data={"target": "mp4"},
            timeout=600,
        )
    resp.raise_for_status()
    out = Path(out_path)
    out.write_bytes(resp.content)
    print(f"Converted: {out.name} ({len(resp.content)//1048576} MB)")

convert_for_linkedin("zoom-webinar.mov", "linkedin-post.mp4")

For Zoom recordings that need audio clarity boost:

# FFmpeg: convert Zoom MP4 + normalize audio for muted-autoplay clarity
ffmpeg -i zoom-recording.mp4 \
  -c:v libx264 -crf 22 -preset medium \
  -c:a aac -b:a 128k -ar 48000 \
  -af loudnorm=I=-14:LRA=7:TP=-2 \
  -movflags +faststart \
  linkedin-ready.mp4

Batch script: prepare a content calendar's videos

#!/usr/bin/env bash
# Usage: ./convert_linkedin_batch.sh ./raw-recordings ./linkedin-ready

API_KEY="ctf_sk_your_key_here"
INPUT_DIR="${1:-.}"
OUTPUT_DIR="${2:-./linkedin-ready}"

mkdir -p "$OUTPUT_DIR"
success=0; failed=0

for vid in "$INPUT_DIR"/*.{mp4,mov,avi,mkv,webm,wmv,MP4,MOV}; do
  [ -f "$vid" ] || continue

  # Check file size — LinkedIn limit is 5GB
  size_bytes=$(stat -c%s "$vid" 2>/dev/null || stat -f%z "$vid")
  size_gb=$(echo "scale=2; $size_bytes / 1073741824" | bc)
  if (( $(echo "$size_gb > 5" | bc -l) )); then
    echo "SKIP $(basename $vid) — exceeds 5GB limit (${size_gb}GB)"
    continue
  fi

  base=$(basename "$vid" | sed 's/\.[^.]*$//')
  out="$OUTPUT_DIR/${base}.mp4"

  printf "%-55s" "$(basename $vid) → ${base}.mp4 "
  code=$(curl -s -o "$out" -w "%{http_code}" \
    -X POST https://changethisfile.com/v1/convert \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer $API_KEY" \
    -F "file=@$vid" \
    -F "target=mp4")

  if [ "$code" = "200" ]; then
    mb=$(du -m "$out" | cut -f1)
    echo "OK (${mb}MB)"
    ((success++))
  else
    echo "FAILED (HTTP $code)"
    ((failed++))
  fi
done

echo ""
echo "Done: $success converted, $failed failed"

LinkedIn video gotchas

• Autoplay is muted. LinkedIn autoplays video in the feed without audio. This means captions are essential — 85% of LinkedIn video is watched without sound. Upload an SRT file alongside your video, or burn in subtitles before uploading.
• faststart flag matters for long videos. The MP4 faststart flag moves the moov atom to the start of the file, enabling streaming playback before the full file downloads. Without it, users on slower connections see a blank player until the entire file loads. Use -movflags +faststart in FFmpeg.
• 4K upload is wasted. LinkedIn delivers a maximum of 1080p. Uploading 4K increases your upload time and LinkedIn's processing queue with no visible benefit to viewers.
• LinkedIn Ads has a separate 200MB limit. Organic posts accept up to 5GB; paid ads only 200MB. If you're repurposing organic videos for ads, check the file size after conversion.
• Variable frame rate from screen recorders. OBS, QuickTime screen recordings, and Loom exports often use VFR. LinkedIn processes these but playback can stutter. Convert to CFR 30fps before upload.
• SRT captions timing. If you upload an SRT file, ensure the timestamps match the video start time exactly. LinkedIn doesn't let you shift SRT timing after upload.

LinkedIn Live (different specs)

LinkedIn Live uses RTMP streaming — different from native video posts. For live streams:

• RTMP ingest URL provided per stream
• H.264 video, AAC audio
• Recommended bitrate: 3,500–6,000 kbps video + 192 kbps audio
• Max resolution: 1080p at 30fps

LinkedIn Live recordings are saved as native video posts after the stream ends — the same specs apply for the replay.

LinkedIn video has the most generous size limits of any major social platform (5GB, 10 minutes). The practical constraints are autoplay-muted behavior and 1080p delivery ceiling. Encode to H.264 MP4 with faststart, add captions, and keep to 2–5 minutes for best engagement. Free tier covers 1,000 conversions/month.