Reels and TikTok safe zone checker
Overlay the caption, buttons, username and top bar zones for Instagram Reels, Stories, TikTok and YouTube Shorts on your 9:16 design, and download a transparent PNG template for each platform.
4 steps, no signup
- 01
Upload a 9:16 image or video
Drop a cover, a design or a video. For a video, scrub to the frame you want to check.
- 02
Turn platforms on and off
Overlay the zones for Instagram Reels, Instagram Stories, TikTok and YouTube Shorts, one at a time or together.
- 03
Move anything in the red
Shaded areas can be covered by the caption, username, buttons or top bar. Keep text, faces and logos in the clear centre.
- 04
Download a template
Save a transparent 1080×1920 PNG safe-zone template for any platform and place it as a top layer in your editor.
What this safe zone checker does
Vertical video apps lay their interface on top of your content. The caption and username run across the bottom, like and share buttons stack on the right, and a bar sits across the top. Text or a face placed under them is hidden. This Instagram Reels safe zone and TikTok safe zone checker draws those areas over your own image or video frame, for four platforms, and gives you a transparent template to use in any editor.
Most safe-zone guides and templates mix official numbers with measurements someone took from a screenshot, and present both as fact. This page keeps them apart: each platform is labelled either published or approximate.
Where the numbers come from
| Platform | Top | Bottom | Left | Right | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instagram Reels | 14% | 35% | 6% | 6% | Published by Meta |
| Instagram Stories | 14% | 35% | 6% | 6% | Published by Meta |
| TikTok | 8% | 25% | 6% | 12% | Approximate |
| YouTube Shorts | 8% | 25% | 4% | 12% | Approximate |
Instagram. Meta's ads guide for Instagram Reels and Instagram Stories says to leave the top 14%, the bottom 35% and 6% on each side free of text, logos and key elements, because they can be covered by the profile icon and call-to-action. At Meta's recommended 1440×2560 that is about 358 px at the top, 896 px at the bottom and 86 px each side; at 1080×1920 it is 269, 672 and 65 px.
TikTok. TikTok's Ads Help Center provides downloadable safe-zone template files rather than one fixed table, since the covered area changes with caption length and ad format. The values here are approximate, taken from the app on a 9:16 phone screen, and are meant for organic posts and quick checks. For a paid campaign, use TikTok's own template.
YouTube Shorts. YouTube does not publish pixel safe-zone figures for Shorts. These values are also approximate, measured from the app. The right-hand column (like, dislike, comment, share, remix) and the bottom title and channel area are the parts that matter most.
Interfaces change with app updates, phone shape and caption length, so treat any safe zone, including the published ones, as a margin of caution rather than an exact border.
How to read the overlay
- Shaded edges are areas the interface may cover. Keep text, faces, product shots and logos out of them.
- The clear centre is the safe zone. Turn on several platforms and the area that stays clear on all of them is safe everywhere.
- Backgrounds can extend into the shaded areas. Only content that has to be read or recognised needs to stay inside.
Using the template in your editor
- Download the platform's PNG. It is 1080×1920 with a transparent centre.
- Add it as the top layer in CapCut, Premiere, Canva, Figma or Photoshop, scaled to fill the frame.
- Lay out your text and graphics inside the clear area.
- Hide or delete the template layer before exporting.
If you design at 1440×2560 or 2160×3840, scale the template up; the zones are proportional, so they still line up.
Why safe zones differ by platform
Each app arranges its controls differently. Instagram and YouTube Shorts both stack actions on the right, but the depth of the caption area changes with how long your caption is and whether it is expanded. TikTok adds the sound label and, for ads, a call-to-action bar. Stories have a reply field at the bottom and the account name and progress bar at the top. Phone shape matters as well: on taller screens the app may fit your 9:16 video with extra space, while on shorter ones it crops the edges, which is one reason Meta asks for a margin on each side.
That is why a single "universal" safe zone is a compromise. If a video will run on every platform, turn on all four overlays and design for the area they share. If it is made for one platform, use that platform's zone and you get more room.
Common mistakes
- Hook text in the bottom third. It sits exactly where the caption opens.
- Subtitles too low. Burned-in captions placed at the default position in an editor often land under the username. Raise them to just above the shaded bottom area.
- Logos in a corner. Top corners clash with the top bar and the right side with the buttons.
- Designing on a 16:9 canvas. A horizontal video shown full screen in a vertical feed is cropped heavily; start in 9:16.
Checking a video
Upload an MP4 or WebM and drag the frame slider to check the moment that matters: the first frame, where the hook text appears, or the cover you will pick. The video is decoded by your browser, so formats your browser cannot play will not load; export a still instead.
Privacy
Images and videos are opened with object URLs and drawn on a canvas in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
Related tools
Once the video is safe, shrink the export with the video compressor or cut a looping preview with video to GIF. Planning a profile grid post? Use the Instagram grid maker. For YouTube, check thumbnails with the YouTube thumbnail tester.
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