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Safe zone checker for TikTok, Reels, Stories and Shorts

Drop in a vertical video or a frame and see where TikTok, Instagram Reels and Stories, YouTube Shorts, Snapchat and Pinterest cover it with their buttons and text.

Your vertical video or frame

Choose a video or an image (9:16 works best; it stays on your computer)

Meta ad with a disclaimer (keep the bottom 40% clear)

Your frame shows here

Zones checked on the official pages on 16 October 2026. Platforms change their interface, so preview your post or ad in the app before it goes live.

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Short answer

Upload a vertical video or image and the checker draws each platform's official safe zone over it. Keep text and the product inside the dashed box. Combined, the strictest margins on a 1080 by 1920 frame are 288 pixels at the top, 790 at the bottom, 120 on the left and 195 on the right.

By the Overnight Cut team, a product video studio for software teams · Updated 16 October 2026 · Runs in your browser; nothing you type is sent to us

Vertical video apps draw their own interface on top of your video: the account name, the caption, the like and share buttons, and on ads a call to action. Anything you put under those, such as a headline, a price or the key part of your product, gets covered. The safe zone is the part of the frame that stays clear.

Each platform publishes its own safe zone, and they are not the same. This checker draws them over your own video or frame, one platform at a time or all combined, using the numbers from each platform's own pages and template files. Your file stays on your computer.

The official safe zones

All numbers are on a 1080 × 1920 frame and measure how much to keep clear from each edge. Every one comes from the platform's own page or official template file, linked under the checker.

TikTok ads (In-Feed): 240 pixels top, 660 bottom, 120 on each side, with the right side widening to 300 pixels over the bottom 1080 for the buttons. Measured from TikTok's official template.
Instagram Reels and Stories ads: 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% on each side, which is 269, 672 and 65 pixels. Meta asks for the bottom 40% to be clear when a Reels ad has a disclaimer.
YouTube Shorts ads: 288 pixels top, 672 bottom, 48 left and 192 right. Measured from Google's official vertical overlay.
Snapchat ads: 10% top, 35% bottom and 6% on each side, with a button area 15% wide over the bottom 45%.
Pinterest Pins: 270 pixels top, 790 bottom, 65 left and 195 right.

TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn do not publish numbers for normal posts, as opposed to ads, on the pages we checked. The app interface on a normal post is similar, so the ad zones are a sensible guide, but preview the post in the app before you rely on it.

Designing a video that survives every app

If one vertical film will go to several apps, design for the combined zone: the strictest margin on each side. Put the headline in the upper middle of the frame, keep the product in the centre, and leave the bottom third for the app's own caption and buttons. Large, short on-screen text reads better on a phone than small text near the edges.

Download the overlay as a transparent PNG and place it on the top track in your editor while you build the film, then turn it off before you export. For the other limits, such as length, file size and frame rate, use the video specs checker, and see the Instagram Reels specs guide for Reels in particular. Our guide to video aspect ratios for product launches covers laying out a film for each shape.

Every vertical film we make is laid out inside these zones, and Launch + Ads includes three openings in every shape, ready for Meta and LinkedIn.

How to use it

Choose your file. Pick a vertical video or a still frame. It opens on the page and is not uploaded.
Pick a platform. Choose one platform, or All combined to see the strictest margin of every platform at once.
Check the red areas. Move any text, logo or key part of the product that sits in a red area into the dashed box.
Use the overlay. Download the overlay PNG and put it on the top track in your editor while you lay out the film.

Frequently asked questions

What is a safe zone in a vertical video?

It is the part of the frame the app does not cover with its own interface, such as the caption, the account name and the like and share buttons. Text and key visuals inside the safe zone stay visible. Outside it, they can be hidden.

What is the TikTok safe zone?

For In-Feed ads, TikTok's official template keeps 240 pixels clear at the top, 660 at the bottom and 120 on each side of a 1080 by 1920 frame, with 300 pixels clear on the right over the bottom 1080 pixels for the buttons. TikTok does not publish separate numbers for normal posts.

What is the Instagram Reels safe zone?

Meta asks you to leave at least 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% on each side clear for Reels ads. On a 1080 by 1920 frame that is about 269, 672 and 65 pixels. If the ad shows a disclaimer, keep the bottom 40% clear.

Do the safe zones apply to normal posts as well as ads?

The published numbers are for ads, except Pinterest, which gives them for Pins in general. Normal posts show a similar interface, so the ad zones are a good guide. Always preview the post in the app before publishing.

Is my video uploaded?

No. The video or image is opened by your browser, and the zones are drawn on top of it on your own computer. Nothing is sent to us.

Sources

Want it made for you? Launch + Ads, $899

For launches with ad money behind them: three openings in three shapes, a 60 second demo for people who want more, and everything in Launch Day. You see a storyboard and a private preview first, and pay only once you are happy.

See what's in Launch + Ads or get a free storyboard →