Instagram Reels Safe Zone Checker: what it does
Meta’s ad guide for Instagram Reels says to leave at least 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% of each side of your video free from text, logos and other important parts, so they are not covered by the profile icon, the caption or the buttons, or cut off on tall phones. On a 1080 × 1920 Reel that is 269 px at the top, 672 px at the bottom and 65 px on each side. Drop your Reel or its cover into the frame, scrub through it and see what stays clear. Download the preview, or a transparent overlay PNG to use as a guide layer while you edit.
How to use it
- Drop your video or its cover image into the frame. Long 4K videos are fine: nothing is uploaded.
- Pick TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, or all three. The red areas are where the app’s caption, buttons and profile row sit.
- Scrub through the video and check that your text, faces, logo and price stay inside the dashed safe area.
- Download the preview to share it, or the transparent overlay PNG to use as a guide layer in CapCut, Canva or Premiere.
Safe zones on a 1080 × 1920 video
| Platform | Top | Bottom | Left / right | Where the numbers come from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instagram Reels | 269 px | 672 px | 65 / 65 px | Meta’s Reels ad guide: “leaving at least 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom, and 6% on each side of your asset free from text, logos, or other important creative elements.” Meta Ads Guide: Instagram Reels |
| TikTok | 240 px | 660 px | 120 / 120 px, plus the right-hand 300 px below 840 px (buttons) | Measured from TikTok’s In-Feed “Standard Version LTR” safe-zone template (720 × 1280, scaled to 1080 × 1920): 80 px sides, 160 px top, 440 px bottom, and the button column 720 px from the bottom. TikTok Ads Help: In-Feed ads specs |
| YouTube Shorts | 288 px | 672 px | 48 / 192 px | Measured from Google’s vertical video safe-zone overlay (1080 × 1920) linked from the Google Ads video specs page. Google Ads Help: About video ad specs |
Checked 5 November 2026. The platforms publish these for ads; normal posts have the same caption, buttons and profile row, so the same space is covered.
Tips
- The bottom 35% (672 px) is the biggest covered area: your username, caption, sound and the audio button sit there.
- Keep subtitles just above the middle of the frame, inside the safe area, so they never collide with the caption.
- Reels play full screen at 9:16 but show as 3:4 in your profile grid. Keep the cover title in the centre.
- On phones taller than 9:16, the top and bottom of your video sit close to the screen edges. Meta’s margins allow for that too.
- Use the overlay in Instagram’s Edits app, CapCut or Premiere, then hide it before you export.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Instagram Reels safe zone?
Meta’s Reels ad guide: leave at least 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% on each side free from text, logos and other important elements. On 1080 × 1920 that is 269 px, 672 px and 65 px.
Is it the same for normal Reels, not just ads?
Meta publishes the numbers for ads. Normal Reels have the same profile row, caption and buttons at the bottom and right, so the same margins keep your text clear.
What size should a Reel be?
1080 × 1920 (9:16). Meta’s guide lists 9:16 and recommends 1440 × 2560 for Reels ads; 1080 × 1920 is the usual size for posts.
Is my video uploaded?
No. Your video is played by your browser on your device. Nothing is sent to our servers.