Instagram Reels Safe Zone Checker
Upload a Reel or a frame from it and see which parts Instagram’s caption, buttons and header can cover. The zones follow Meta’s own Reels guidance. Switch to TikTok or Shorts to check the same file there, and download a transparent overlay for your editor.
| Top | 269 px |
|---|---|
| Bottom | 672 px |
| Left / right | 65 / 65 px |
| Safe area | 950 × 979 (45% of the frame) |
Source: Meta Ads Guide: Instagram Reels (ad guidance, checked November 2026). Real app UI varies by phone, app version and caption length.
Transparent PNG. Put it on the top layer in CapCut, Premiere or Canva and hide it before export.
Mock buttons show roughly where the app draws them. They are illustrative, not measured.
What is the Instagram Reels safe zone?
Meta’s Instagram Reels ads guide (checked November 2026) asks you to leave at least 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% of each side free of text, logos and other key elements, so the profile icon and call-to-action button do not cover them.
On a 1080 × 1920 Reel that is 269 px at the top, 672 px at the bottom and 65 px on each side, which leaves a clear area of 950 × 979 px in the upper middle of the frame.
Meta publishes this for ads, not for regular posts. Organic Reels carry a similar interface: the username, caption and audio line along the bottom, and like, comment, share and more buttons up the right side. The right-hand buttons can sit above the 35% line, so for organic Reels keep faces and text a little further from the right edge than the 6% margin suggests. The mock buttons in the tool show this.
How to check a Reel for the safe zone
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Choose Instagram Reels
It is selected on this page already. The same tool can switch to TikTok or YouTube Shorts if you post the video in more than one place.
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Upload your Reel or a screenshot
Videos play under the overlay straight from your device. Pause on any frame with on-screen text to check it.
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Move anything that touches red
Red areas are where Instagram can draw its interface. Keep captions, faces and product shots inside the dashed box.
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Use the overlay in your editor
Download the 1080 × 1920 PNG, put it on the top layer in Edits, CapCut, Premiere or Canva while you place text, then hide it before export.
Reels vs TikTok vs Shorts safe zones
Reels keeps a deep strip clear at the bottom but asks for little at the sides. TikTok and Shorts reserve more on the right. For one video posted everywhere, design to the overlap.
| Platform | Top | Bottom | Left / right | Clear area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TikTok | 240 px | 660 px | 120 / 120 px, plus a 180 px button column from 840 px down | 840 × 1020 minus the column (38% of the frame) |
| Instagram Reels | 269 px | 672 px | 65 / 65 px | 950 × 979 (45% of the frame) |
| YouTube Shorts | 288 px | 672 px | 48 / 192 px | 840 × 960 (39% of the frame) |
Sources (checked November 2026): TikTok Ads Manager: In-Feed Ads safe-zone file · Meta Ads Guide: Instagram Reels · Google Ads Help: vertical video safe-zone overlay. All on a 1080 × 1920 frame. TikTok’s file is drawn at 720 × 1280 (top 160, bottom 440, sides 80, a 120 px button column 720 px tall) and scaled by 1.5 here. Meta gives percentages: 14% top, 35% bottom, 6% each side. YouTube’s numbers are measured from Google’s 1080 × 1920 overlay image. All three are published for ads; none of the platforms publishes figures for regular posts.
Keeping your Reel readable
- Subtitles above the bottom 35%. That strip holds your username, caption and the audio line. Burned-in captions placed there get covered.
- The grid crops Reels too. On your profile grid a Reel shows as a cropped preview. Keep the subject centered so the cover still makes sense.
- Facebook Reels. These numbers come from Meta’s Instagram Reels guide. Many guides use the same margins for Facebook Reels, but we could not find a separate Facebook figure from Meta, so if you run Facebook ads, check the placement previews in Ads Manager too.
- Size it right. Export at 1080 × 1920, 9:16. Our Instagram Reels size guide covers the rest of the specs.
- Start strong. The first second decides the swipe. Put the hook text high in the clear area. See our hooks guide.
Turn long videos into captioned Reels
Short.now finds the best moments in a long video, reframes them to 9:16 and adds captions, ready for Reels, TikTok and Shorts. 3 free videos to start, then 1 a week, no credit card.
Questions
Meta asks you to keep the top 14%, bottom 35% and 6% on each side free of text and logos. On 1080 × 1920 that is 269 px top, 672 px bottom and 65 px each side.
Yes. Press "Download overlay PNG" above for a transparent 1080 × 1920 image with the covered areas in red. Use it as the top layer while editing.
Meta publishes it for ads. Regular Reels have a similar interface, and the right-side buttons can reach higher than the ad margins on some phones, so leave extra space on the right.
Above the bottom 35% of the frame and away from the right edge. The middle third of the screen is the safest place for subtitles.
Probably close, but we could not confirm it. These margins come from Meta’s Instagram Reels ads guide; many guides apply them to Facebook Reels too. For ads, check the placement previews in Ads Manager.
No. It plays from your device using a temporary browser address and is never sent anywhere.
