Reels, TikTok and Shorts Safe Zones in Pixels

On a 1080 × 1920 Reel, keep text and faces out of about the top 220 px, the bottom 400 px and the right 180 px, where Instagram's buttons and caption sit. TikTok and Shorts need a little more at the bottom. No platform publishes these for ordinary posts, so they are measured from the apps; Meta does publish margins for ads.

Checked against each platform's help pages on 5 November 2026.

The short answer

Instagram Reels: Top 220 · bottom 400 · right 180 px
TikTok: Top 200 · bottom 480 · right 140 px
YouTube Shorts: Top 200 · bottom 470 · right 190 px
Instagram Stories: Top 250 · bottom 250 px
One design for all four: 830 × 1190 px, 60 px from the left, 250 px from the top
Reels and Stories ads (Meta): 14% top (269 px), 35% bottom (672 px), 6% sides (65 px)

Why vertical videos need a safe zone

Reels, TikTok and Shorts fill the phone screen and draw their own interface on top of your video: a header at the top, a column of like, comment and share buttons down the right, and your name, caption and sound along the bottom. Subtitles, prices or faces in those places end up hidden.

No platform publishes safe zones for ordinary posts. The post figures below are measured from the apps on common phones (October 2026) and rounded outwards. Meta publishes margins for Reels and Stories ads; TikTok and Google publish their ad safe zones only as template images. Layouts move a little between phones and app versions, so leave some margin.

Safe zones for posts, in pixels

All figures are for a 1080 × 1920 (9:16) frame. The safe box is what's left once you keep clear of every margin. For video and cover sizes, see Instagram post sizes.

Margins to keep clear on a 1080 × 1920 post, and the safe box inside them
App	Top	Bottom	Left	Right	Safe box
Instagram Reels	220 px	400 px	60 px	180 px	840 × 1300 px
Instagram Stories	250 px	250 px	60 px	60 px	960 × 1420 px
TikTok	200 px	480 px	60 px	140 px	880 × 1240 px
YouTube Shorts	200 px	470 px	48 px	190 px	842 × 1250 px
All four at once	250 px	480 px	60 px	190 px	830 × 1190 px

Measured from the apps on common phones, October 2026, and rounded outwards; not published by Instagram, TikTok or YouTube. The left margin allows for rounded and curved screen edges.

Check your own video against each appSee where Reels, Stories, TikTok and Shorts buttons and captions cover your image or video.

Safe zones for Reels, Stories, TikTok and Shorts ads

Ads add a “Sponsored” label and a call-to-action button, so they need more room at the bottom. Meta's Ads Guide says to leave at least 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% of each side of a Reels or Stories ad free of text and logos. TikTok and Google show their ad safe zones as downloadable or on-page images without figures, and TikTok's shrinks with a longer caption or an interactive add-on, so those rows are estimates.

Ad margins to keep clear on a 1080 × 1920 video
App	Top	Bottom	Left	Right	Safe box	Source
Instagram Reels	269 px	672 px	65 px	180 px	835 × 979 px	Published by Meta
Instagram Stories	269 px	672 px	65 px	65 px	950 × 979 px	Published by Meta
TikTok	160 px	560 px	60 px	140 px	880 × 1200 px	Estimate from template images
YouTube Shorts	288 px	672 px	48 px	192 px	840 × 960 px	Estimate from template images

Meta: Ads Guide for Instagram Reels and Stories video ads, checked 5 November 2026. On Reels ads the right margin is our measurement of the button column, which still shows on ads. TikTok and YouTube Shorts: our readings of the platforms' template images.

One video for Reels, TikTok and Shorts

If you post the same video everywhere, design for the strictest of each margin. That leaves a box of 830 × 1190 px, starting 60 px from the left and 250 px from the top. Keep subtitles, prices, logos and faces inside it and they'll be clear on all four.

Instagram Reels alone is more forgiving: about 840 × 1300 px. TikTok's caption sits higher than Instagram's, and Shorts puts its title and subscribe button in a deep band at the bottom. Photos to Reel keeps its captions inside the box that's clear on Reels, TikTok and Shorts alike.

Reel covers and the 3:4 profile grid

Since January 2025 Instagram shows Reels on your profile grid as 3:4 rather than square. On a 1080 × 1920 cover that's the middle 1080 × 1440: 240 px are cut off the top and bottom. Keep the cover's title inside that middle area, and large enough to read on a small tile.

Safe zone templates (PNG)

A template is the safe zone overlay as an image you can lay over your video while you edit. The Safe Zone Checker makes one for each app and post type: choose the app and Organic post or Ad, then download the transparent overlay, a see-through 1080 × 1920 PNG.

In CapCut, Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve, put the PNG on a track above your video, stretched to fill the frame.
In Canva or Figma, place it on a 1080 × 1920 design as the top layer and lock it.
Hide or delete the overlay before you export, or it will be in your video.
Use the checker's blank template (a dark background with the zones) if you'd rather design on it directly.

Download a transparent safe zone overlaySee where Reels, Stories, TikTok and Shorts buttons and captions cover your image or video.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Instagram Reels safe zone in pixels?

On 1080 × 1920, keep text and faces out of about the top 220 px, the bottom 400 px, the right 180 px and the left 60 px. That leaves about 840 × 1300 px.

What is the TikTok safe zone?

About 200 px at the top for the Following and For You tabs, 480 px at the bottom for your name, caption and sound, and 140 px on the right for the buttons. TikTok publishes nothing for ordinary posts.

What is the YouTube Shorts safe zone?

About 200 px at the top, 470 px at the bottom for the title, channel name and subscribe button, and 190 px on the right for the buttons.

Are Reels safe zones official?

Only for ads: Meta's Ads Guide gives 14% top, 35% bottom and 6% each side for Reels and Stories ads. Instagram, TikTok and YouTube publish no safe zones for ordinary posts, so every figure you see for those is someone's measurement.

Why do different sites give different safe zones?

Because they're measured on different phones and app versions, and some quote Meta's ad margins for ordinary Reels. Ad margins are larger because of the call-to-action button, so they're a safe choice if you want one rule.

Is there a free Reels safe zone template PNG?

Yes. The Safe Zone Checker downloads a transparent overlay PNG for Reels, Stories, TikTok or Shorts, for posts or ads, to lay over your video in an editor.