Safe zone checker for Reels, TikTok and Shorts
Load a frame of your video or a cover and see where the Reels, TikTok and Shorts screens put captions and buttons over it. Mark your text or logo to find out where it gets covered, and download a transparent 1080 × 1920 guide for your editor. The margins come from the ad specifications each company publishes, linked below. Nothing is uploaded.
- Free
- No sign-up
- Runs in your browser
Your images stay on this device. Nothing is uploaded: the work happens in your browser. One frame of the video is read here, in your browser. The video is not uploaded.
Preview
Add a frame to see it under the overlay. The guide can be downloaded without one.
Mark your text or logo on the preview to check it against each app.
The guide is a 1080 × 1920 px PNG with a transparent background. Put it on the top layer of your editor and hide it before you export.
The margins used here and where they come from
Read on October 11, 2026. Values for a 1080 × 1920 px frame. Each source is the specification its company publishes for vertical video ads. None of them publishes margins for organic posts: the screen is similar, and it changes with the caption length, the device and the app version, so treat these areas as the reference and keep what matters well inside.
| App | Keep clear at 1080 × 1920 | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instagram Reels and Stories | Top 269 px, bottom 672 px, left 65 px, right 65 px. | Consider leaving at least 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% on each side free from text, logos and other key elements. Said for Reels ads and for Stories ads. The percentages are turned into pixels here. Worked out from what the source states. | Meta Ads Guide: Video ad specs: Instagram Reels Meta Ads Guide: Video ad specs: Instagram Stories |
| TikTok | Top 240 px, bottom 660 px, left 120 px, right 120 px and a column 180 px wide and 420 px tall next to the right margin. | The safe zone depends on the format, the caption length and the add-ons used. The standard In-Feed file marks 160 px top, 440 px bottom, 80 px on each side and a column 120 px wide and 720 px tall on the right, on a 720 × 1280 px frame. Multiplied by 1.5 here. Worked out from what the source states. | TikTok Ads Manager Help: TikTok Auction In-Feed Ads |
| YouTube Shorts | Top 288 px, bottom 672 px, left 48 px, right 192 px. | Safe zone image for vertical video ads at 1080 × 1920 px: 288 px top, 672 px bottom, 48 px left and 192 px right. It covers Shorts and the other places where a vertical ad plays. Pixels stated by the source. | Google Ads Help: Use square and vertical video to engage mobile customers |
Independent tool. Instagram, TikTok and YouTube are trademarks of their owners and are not affiliated with VISU. No logo or screen of these apps is reproduced.
The caption is not a link. Your bio is.
Reels, TikToks and Shorts send people to your profile, where there is room for one link. VISU Link is a free page at visu.to/yourname that puts your shop, booking, menu and contacts behind it.
Create your VISU Link See VISU LinkHow to use it
- Drop a frame of your video or a cover, choose it from your device or paste it. You can also pick a video file and choose the moment to check.
- Tick the apps where the video will be posted. Each one shades the areas where its captions and buttons sit, and the dashed outline shows what is safe in all of them.
- Press "Mark my text or logo" and drag over it on the preview. The list says in which app it is clear and in which it is covered.
- Download the transparent guide, put it on the top layer of your editor while you place text, and hide it before exporting.
Examples
Subtitles that vanish under the caption
Subtitles placed near the bottom edge sit inside the lowest 660 to 672 px, where the three apps show the caption, the audio line and buttons. Moving them above that band keeps them readable everywhere.
One video for the three apps
With Reels, TikTok and Shorts ticked, the area that is safe in all of them is 660 × 960 px, starting 120 px from the left and 288 px from the top. Text and logos placed inside it are not covered in any of the three.
A cover with a title
Load the cover image, mark the title and check the list. If it says the top is covered, lower the title until it is clear and export again.
Questions
Is my video or image uploaded?
No. The page loads once and then everything happens in your browser: the picture is drawn on your device and a video file is opened locally to read one frame. Nothing is sent to a server and there is no account.
Where do these margins come from?
From the specifications each company publishes for vertical video ads: the Meta Ads Guide for Instagram Reels and Stories, the TikTok Ads Manager help page with its safe zone file, and Google Ads Help for YouTube. The table on this page links each source and says what it states.
Are these the margins for normal posts too?
No company publishes margins for organic posts. The screen of a normal post is very close to the ad screen, but it changes with the caption length, the device and the app version. Use these areas as the reference and keep important things comfortably inside.
Why is the TikTok area not a simple rectangle?
The TikTok file marks a column on the right side, above the caption area, where the buttons sit. Above that column the right side is free, so the safe area has a step in it.
How do I use the transparent guide?
It is a 1080 × 1920 px PNG with only the shaded areas. Add it as the top layer in your video or image editor, place your text inside the clear area and hide or delete the layer before exporting.
My picture is not 9:16. What happens?
These apps show vertical video at 9:16. A picture with another shape is cropped from the centre in the preview, and the page tells you its real size. For the areas to match what viewers see, export your video at 9:16, for example 1080 × 1920 px.
Can I check a video without taking a screenshot?
Yes. Choose a video file and move the slider to the moment you want. If your browser cannot open that format, which can happen with some phone recordings, take a screenshot of the frame and load the image.
What about phones with taller screens?
Meta says that on screens taller than 9:16 the video may be enlarged to fill the screen, which trims the edges, or shown at 9:16 with bars. That is one more reason to stay away from the edges.