TikTok, Reels and Shorts safe zones.
Upload a frame and see where each app covers your 9:16 video — for organic posts and for paid ads. Check the 4:5 and 1:1 feed crops, and download the overlay to use in your editor.
1080 × 1920 · 9:16
Your file stays in your browser — nothing is uploaded.
Safe on TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts at once — the strictest margin of the three on every side. About 51% of the frame stays clear.
Drop it on top of your video in any editor, then hide it before you export.
Planning a 9:16 ad? Storyboard it first — every shot framed for the safe area.
Storyboard itSafe-zone margins on a 1080 × 1920 frame.
Pixels to keep clear on each side. Careful estimates — the apps change their layouts, so check your final export in the app.
| Where | Top | Bottom | Right | Left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TikTok | 160px | 480px | 150px | 60px |
| Instagram Reels | 220px | 420px | 120px | 60px |
| YouTube Shorts | 140px | 380px | 140px | 60px |
| All three at once | 220px | 480px | 150px | 60px |
| Paid ads (Meta + YouTube) | 288px | 672px | 192px | 65px |
Text and logos inside
Headlines, prices, logos and legal lines go inside the safe area. The bottom third is the most covered part of the frame on every app.
Faces in the upper middle
Keep faces and the product in the upper-middle of the frame, away from the right-hand buttons. It also survives the 4:5 and 1:1 feed crops.
Plan it before the shoot
It is far easier to frame a shot for the safe area on set than to fix it in the edit. Sketch every 9:16 shot first.
Safe-zone questions.
What is a safe zone?+
The part of a vertical video that the app does not cover. TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts draw buttons down the right side, a caption and username along the bottom, and tabs or a header at the top. Text, logos and faces outside the safe zone can end up hidden under them.
What safe zone works on TikTok, Reels and Shorts at once?+
Keep important things at least 220px from the top, 480px from the bottom, 150px from the right and 60px from the left of a 1080×1920 frame. That is the strictest margin of the three apps on each side.
Are ads different?+
Yes — ad placements add a sponsor label, a call-to-action button and a longer caption. For paid 9:16 ads keep about 288px clear at the top, 672px at the bottom and 192px on the right, based on Meta's and Google's vertical ad guides.
What survives if the same video runs in the feed?+
A 4:5 feed crop keeps the middle 1350px of the 1920px height; a 1:1 crop keeps the middle 1080px. Turn on "Show the 4:5 and 1:1 feed crops" to see both on your frame.
Are these numbers exact?+
No — they are careful estimates. The apps change their layouts, show different things on different phones, and publish only part of this. Guides disagree by a hundred pixels or more, so we use the cautious end. Always check your final export in the app before posting.
Is my video uploaded?+
No. The image or video you choose is shown from your own browser and never sent anywhere. The overlay PNG is drawn in your browser too.
Storyboard your 9:16 ad.
StoryboardAI turns your idea or script into vertical shots with the same faces in every frame, and a link your client can approve shot by shot. Also free: the script timer and storyboard templates.
Start free — 50 credits, no cardstoryboardai.studio · no credit card required
TikTok, Instagram and YouTube are trademarks of their owners. StoryboardAI is not affiliated with them; the margins here are our own estimates.