Safe Zone Checker for TikTok, Reels and Shorts: what it does
On TikTok, Reels and Shorts, the app draws its own caption, username, buttons and tabs on top of your video. Anything you put under them, like a price, a subtitle, a face or your logo, gets covered. Drop your video or cover image into the frame and see exactly which parts each app covers, using the margins the platforms publish in their own ad specs: Meta’s 14% top, 35% bottom and 6% sides for Reels, and TikTok’s and Google’s safe-zone templates, measured pixel by pixel. Choose one platform, or “All three” for the strictest margin of each on every side, so one edit works everywhere. Scrub through the video to check every moment, download the preview to show a client, or download the overlay as a transparent 1080 × 1920 PNG to use as a guide layer in CapCut, Canva or Premiere.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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
- Put subtitles in the middle third of the frame, a little above the centre. That spot is clear on all three apps.
- Keep your logo and any price or offer out of the bottom third: that is where the caption, the username and the sound name go.
- Leave the right edge empty from the middle down: the like, comment and share buttons sit there on all three apps.
- Long captions grow upward over your video on TikTok and Reels. Keep the first line short, or keep the lower half of the video simple.
- Check the cover image too. It is cropped differently in the profile grid, so keep the title in the centre.
- Use the overlay PNG as the top layer while you edit, then hide it before you export.
Frequently asked questions
Where do the safe zone numbers come from?
From each platform’s own ad specs, linked in the table on this page: Meta’s Reels ad guide gives the percentages, and TikTok and Google publish safe-zone templates, which we measured on a 1080 × 1920 frame. Normal posts show the same caption, buttons and profile row, so the same space is covered.
What is the TikTok safe zone in pixels?
On a 1080 × 1920 video, measured from TikTok’s In-Feed template: 120 px on the left and right, 240 px at the top and 660 px at the bottom, plus the right-hand 300 px from 840 px down, where the buttons are.
What does “All three” use?
The largest margin of TikTok, Reels and Shorts on every side (Shorts’ top and right, Reels’ bottom, TikTok’s sides), plus TikTok’s button column. If your text fits inside it, it is clear on all three apps.
Is my video uploaded?
No. The video is played by your browser on your device. Nothing is sent to our servers, so even long 4K videos work instantly.
Can I use the overlay in CapCut?
Yes. Download the overlay PNG, add it as an overlay or picture-in-picture layer on top of your video, stretch it to fill the frame, and delete it before you export.