Instagram Story safe zone template
A transparent 1080 × 1920 overlay of the Instagram Story safe zone, from Meta's own Stories ads guidance, which Facebook Stories share. Lay it over your design, then check a finished frame below.
- Free, no sign-up
- Your file stays on your device
- Specs checked November 10, 2026
Free Instagram Story safe zone overlay
A 1080 × 1920 PNG with a transparent background, so your footage shows through while you edit.
- Meta's Stories margins: 14% top, 35% bottom, 6% each side
- The same margins Meta gives Facebook Stories
- Safe area for text outlined in blue
Other apps: TikTok · Instagram Reels · YouTube Shorts · Facebook Reels · all four in one
Check a frame from your edit against it: drop a still or the finished video and the overlay is drawn on top.
Drop a 9:16 frame or video
Or paste an image with Ctrl+V or ⌘V. PNG, JPG, WebP, MP4, MOV or WebM. Your file stays on your device.
No file yet? Download the transparent Instagram Story template (1080×1920 PNG).
Example: a Short Mark Studios edited. This is the 540-pixel still from our site, so it is smaller than a real 1080 × 1920 export.
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The PNG is drawn in your browser at your file's size. Overlay only is a 1080 × 1920 transparent template you can drop on an editing timeline.
Instagram Story safe zone dimensions
| Platform | Top | Bottom | Left | Right | Safe area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instagram Stories | 14% (269 px) | 35% (672 px) | 6% (65 px) | 6% (65 px) | 950 × 979 px | Meta Ads Guide: Instagram Stories · Meta Ads Guide: Facebook Stories |
Meta's ads guide for Instagram Stories says to consider leaving roughly 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% on each side free from text, logos and other key elements, to avoid cropping them or covering them with the profile icon or call-to-action. Its Facebook Stories page gives the same three numbers. On a 1080 × 1920 frame they come to 269, 672 and 65 pixels, which leaves a 950 × 979 pixel safe area: the blue box on this template.
Meta's Stories ad specs list a 1440 × 2560 resolution, the same 9:16 shape. Scale the template up to fill a 1440 × 2560 canvas and the margins stay in proportion: about 358 pixels at the top, 896 at the bottom and 86 on each side.
These are Meta's numbers for Stories ads, which play between people's Stories in the same viewer; Meta publishes no separate safe zone for ordinary Stories. Reels use the same percentages but add a button column on the right, which the Reels safe zone template draws; the safe zone checker covers Reels, Shorts and TikTok side by side.
How to use the template in your editor
The PNG is a guide, not part of your video: put it on the top track, place text and faces inside the blue box, then switch it off before you export.
- CapCut: on the desktop app, import the PNG, drag it onto a track above your video and stretch it to fill the 9:16 canvas. On the phone, tap Overlay, then Add overlay, pick the PNG and pinch it to fill the frame. Delete it before you export.
- Premiere Pro: drag it to the top video track, right-click it and choose Set to Frame Size. Turn off that track's eye icon before you export.
- DaVinci Resolve: drop it on a track above your footage; on a 1080 × 1920 timeline it already fits. Disable the track before you render.
- Final Cut Pro: connect it above the primary storyline, then select it and press V to disable it before you share.
- Canva: upload it to a 1080 × 1920 design, stretch it over the page and lock it while you work. Delete it before you download.
Editing at 720 × 1280 or in 4K? Scale the PNG to fill the frame and the margins stay in proportion.
Sources: Meta Ads Guide: Instagram Stories · Meta Ads Guide: Facebook Stories. Read on November 10, 2026.
Embed this template
Teachers, bloggers and course creators can put this Instagram Story safe zone template on their own page for free. Paste the code below into your page's HTML. It loads from markstudios.com, so it stays current when we update the numbers.
Questions, answered.
Anything else? Message Mark and you'll get a written reply within one business day.
What is the Instagram Story safe zone?
Meta asks for roughly 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% of each side to stay free of text and logos. On a 1080 × 1920 Story that is 269 pixels at the top, 672 at the bottom and 65 on each side, leaving a 950 × 979 pixel safe area.
Is the Facebook Story safe zone the same?
Yes. Meta’s Facebook Stories ad specs give the same numbers, about 14% at the top, 35% at the bottom and 6% on each side, so one template works for both.
What size should the template be for a 1440 × 2560 Story?
Meta’s Stories ad specs list 1440 × 2560 pixels; 1080 × 1920 is the same 9:16 shape. Scale the PNG to fill the canvas and the margins become about 358 pixels at the top, 896 at the bottom and 86 on each side.
How do I use the template in Canva or CapCut?
In Canva, upload the PNG to a 1080 × 1920 design, stretch it over the page and lock it, then delete it before you download. In CapCut, add it as an overlay above your video, pinch it to fill the frame, and delete it before you export.
Is the Story safe zone the same as the Reels safe zone?
The percentages are the same. Reels also have a column of buttons on the right that reaches above the bottom 35%, which the Reels template draws from our measurements; Meta’s Stories guidance names only the profile icon at the top and the call to action at the bottom.
Rather have your Stories edited to fit?
Mark Studios edits vertical videos for Stories, Reels, TikTok and Shorts with text placed inside each app’s safe zone, and you work directly with Mark.
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