Safe zone checker
Drop a vertical frame or video to see where YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, TikTok and Facebook Reels put their buttons, captions and top bar, and where your text is safe.
- Free, no sign-up
- Your file stays on your device
- Specs checked October 10, 2026
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.
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.
0:00
Platform
Show
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.
Shorts, Reels and TikTok safe zones in 2026
On a 1080 × 1920 frame, keep text and logos at least 288 pixels from the top, 672 from the bottom, 120 from the left and 192 from the right, and left of 780 pixels below 840 pixels down. That box clears the safe zone each platform publishes. Each platform's own numbers:
| Platform | Top | Bottom | Left | Right | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube Shorts | 288 px | 672 px | 48 px | 192 px | Google Ads Help: safe zones for vertical video ads on YouTube · Google Ads Help: YouTube Shorts ads |
| Instagram Reels | 14% (269 px) | 35% (672 px) | 6% (65 px) | 6% (65 px) | Meta Ads Guide: Instagram Reels |
| TikTok | 240 px | 660 px | 120 px | 120 px; 300 px from 840 px down | TikTok Ads Help: In-Feed ads, safe zone file |
| Facebook Reels | 14% (269 px) | 35% (672 px) | 6% (65 px) | 6% (65 px) | Meta Ads Guide: Facebook Reels |
| All four | 288 px | 672 px | 120 px | 192 px; 300 px from 840 px down | The strictest of the four on each side |
All four publish these numbers for ads, not for ordinary posts; our short-form video statistics page found no ordinary-post safe zone from any of them. Ads play in the same player as posts, so the same buttons and captions cover a post in roughly the same places; ads also carry a call-to-action button at the bottom, which the published zones allow for.
What we measured ourselves
Meta gives no separate number for the like, comment and share buttons on the right, and none of the platforms publishes where its progress bar sits. So we measured them from current screenshots of each app: YouTube's own video of the June 2026 Shorts player and the screenshots TikTok, Instagram and Facebook show on the App Store. The positions assume the app fills the screen above its tab bar with your 9:16 frame and crops the sides, on a 19.5:9 iPhone. They move with screen shape, caption length and every app update, so the checker draws them with a dashed outline.
| Platform | Element | Measured position | Screenshot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instagram Reels | Like, comment, repost and share buttons, and the audio tile | 880–970 across, 970–1,670 down | Instagram on the App Store |
| Instagram Reels | Progress bar | 1,700–1,712 down | Instagram on the App Store |
| Instagram Reels | Tab bar, floating over the reel | 1,740–1,870 down | Instagram on the App Store |
| Facebook Reels | Like, comment, share and send buttons | 920–1,020 across, 1,130–1,870 down | Facebook on the App Store |
| YouTube Shorts | Progress bar | The bottom 8 pixels | YouTube Blog: How we’re updating the YouTube Shorts experience (June 25, 2026) |
| TikTok | Progress bar | Not shown in the screenshots we measured | TikTok on the App Store |
| Facebook Reels | Progress bar | Not shown in the screenshots we measured | Facebook on the App Store |
One thing the measurement shows: on Instagram the button column starts about 970 pixels down, well above Meta's 35% line at 1,248. Text that runs to the right edge in the lower middle of a Reel can sit under the like button even inside Meta's safe zone.
How to use it when you edit
Export one frame from your timeline as a PNG, or drop the finished video and scrub to the busiest moment. Switch between platforms, then pick All four for the area that is safe everywhere. Download the overlay-only PNG and lay it over your edit as a guide track while you place captions, lower thirds and logos. Check faces as well as text: a face low in the frame ends up under the account name and caption.
Exporting for several platforms? The aspect ratio calculator lists each platform's video size, and our guide to burned-in versus closed captions covers caption style and placement.
Sources: Google Ads Help: safe zones for vertical video ads on YouTube · Google Ads Help: YouTube Shorts ads · Meta Ads Guide: Instagram Reels · TikTok Ads Help: In-Feed ads, safe zone file · Meta Ads Guide: Facebook Reels. Screenshots measured: YouTube Blog: How we’re updating the YouTube Shorts experience (June 25, 2026) · TikTok on the App Store · Instagram on the App Store · Facebook on the App Store. All read on October 10, 2026.
Questions, answered.
Anything else? Message Mark and you'll get a written reply within one business day.
What is the safe zone for YouTube Shorts?
On a 1080 × 1920 frame, Google’s guide to vertical video ads on YouTube keeps important elements 288 pixels from the top, 672 from the bottom, 48 from the left and 192 from the right, which leaves an 840 × 960 safe area. Those ads run in Shorts. YouTube publishes no separate safe zone for ordinary Shorts.
What is the Instagram Reels safe zone?
Meta’s ads guide says to leave at least 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% on each side of a Reels ad free from text, logos and other key elements. On a 1080 × 1920 frame that is about 269 pixels at the top, 672 at the bottom and 65 on each side. Facebook Reels uses the same percentages.
What is the TikTok safe zone?
TikTok publishes its safe zone as a downloadable file. The In-Feed file is a 720 × 1280 template: 160 pixels at the top, 440 at the bottom, 80 on each side, and a 120-pixel column on the right from 560 pixels down. Scaled to 1080 × 1920 that is 240, 660, 120 and 180. TikTok says a longer caption makes the safe zone smaller.
Is there one safe zone that works on every platform?
Yes. On a 1080 × 1920 frame, keep text and logos between 120 and 888 pixels across and 288 and 1,248 pixels down, and left of 780 pixels below 840 pixels down. That area sits inside the published safe zones of YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels and TikTok. Pick All four in the checker to see it.
Where should captions go on a Short or Reel?
Inside the safe area and above the bottom band every platform reserves for its own caption and account name: 672 pixels on YouTube and Meta and 660 on TikTok, on a 1920-pixel-tall frame. Keep them left of the button column too. A common spot is the lower middle, just above that band.
Do the safe zones change?
Yes. Apps update their players: in June 2026 YouTube replaced the Shorts thumbs-up with a heart and removed the dislike button. TikTok says its safe zone shrinks as an ad caption gets longer, and Meta warns that screens taller than 9:16 crop the edges. The specs on this page were checked on October 10, 2026.
Does this tool upload my video?
No. Your browser opens the image or video itself and draws the overlay on top. Nothing leaves your device, so you can check an unreleased video or an ad before it goes live.
Rather have your Shorts edited to fit?
Mark Studios edits Shorts, Reels and TikToks with captions placed inside each platform’s safe zone, and you work directly with Mark.
- Founder-led US company
- NDAs by default
- Stripe & PayPal payments
- Top Rated on Fiverr