Safe zone checker for Reels, TikTok and Shorts

Safe zone sizes for Reels, TikTok and Shorts

Numbers are pixels on a 1080 by 1920 (9:16) frame: how much to keep clear of text, captions and logos from each edge.

If one video goes to every platform, use the last row: it is the strictest edge of each. That leaves a safe area of 768 by 960 pixels in the middle of the frame.

Where the numbers come from

The platforms publish safe zones for ads, not for normal posts. Ad zones are the strict version: they leave room for the call-to-action button as well as the caption, likes and share buttons. Ordinary posts show less on screen, so a frame that clears the ad zone clears a normal post too. That is why this checker uses the ad numbers. Read 2 November 2026:

• Instagram Reels: Meta Ads Guide, Instagram Reels: keep 14% top, 35% bottom and 6% each side free of text and logos. Source
• Facebook Reels: Meta's published figure is for Instagram Reels; we found no separate Facebook Reels figure, so the Instagram Reels numbers are used here too. Source
• TikTok: TikTok In-Feed Ads safe zone template (720 by 1280), scaled to 1080 by 1920. Source
• YouTube Shorts: Google Ads Help, YouTube Shorts ads safe zone diagram (Google gives a diagram, not numbers; pixel values are read from it). Source

Third-party guides publish smaller organic numbers, and they disagree with each other by up to 300 pixels at the bottom. The platforms also change their layouts without notice, so we use the published ad numbers and show the date we read them.

How to keep text inside the safe zone

1. Captions sit in the middle third. On a 1080 by 1920 frame that is roughly between 700 and 1,250 pixels from the top. Lower than that and the caption, handle and music line cover them.
2. Keep faces and hooks away from the right edge. The like, comment and share buttons run down the right side, widest on YouTube Shorts.
3. Logos go top-left inside the margin, not in the corners, where the platform name, search and camera icons sit.
4. Check the frames that carry text, not only the first one. Load the video, slide to each title card and drag a box over it.
5. Export at 1080 by 1920. Other sizes scale, so the pixel numbers above stop matching your edit.

Editing in Premiere Pro, CapCut, Final Cut or Canva? Download the overlay PNG above and put it on the top track while you edit, then hide it before export.