TikTok Safe Zone Checker and Overlay Template
Upload a 9:16 video or image and see which parts TikTok’s caption, side buttons and top bar will cover. Switch to Reels or Shorts to check the same file there, and download a transparent 1080 × 1920 overlay for your editor.
| Top | 240 px |
|---|---|
| Bottom | 660 px |
| Left / right | 120 / 120 px |
| Button column | 180 px wide, from y 840 |
| Safe area | 840 × 1020 (38% of the frame) |
Source: TikTok Ads Manager: In-Feed Ads safe-zone file (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 TikTok safe zone?
The TikTok safe zone is the part of a 9:16 video that the app’s interface does not cover. On a 1080 × 1920 video, TikTok’s own ad template keeps the top 240 px, the bottom 660 px and 120 px on each side clear, plus a 180 px wide column on the right, from 840 px down, where the profile picture, like, comment, save and share buttons sit.
That leaves a clear box of 840 × 1020 px, minus the button column. Text, faces, product shots and logos belong in that box. Background can go anywhere.
These numbers come from the safe-zone file TikTok links on its In-Feed Ads specs page (page last updated June 2026, checked November 2026). TikTok says the safe area depends on the video shape, the length of the caption and other ad features, and it does not publish separate numbers for regular posts. The organic UI covers about the same areas, but its exact position changes with the phone, the app version and how long your caption is. Treat the zone as a guide with a little margin, not a pixel-perfect rule.
How to check your video against the TikTok safe zone
-
Upload a frame or the whole video
MP4, MOV and WebM videos play in place under the overlay, so you can scrub to the moments with on-screen text. A screenshot works too.
-
Look at the red areas
Red is where TikTok draws its interface. Any text or face that touches red is at risk of being covered. The dashed box is the clear area.
-
Turn the mock UI on and off
The white buttons and caption lines are an illustration of where TikTok puts them, to help you picture the real screen. Turn them off to see your video clearly.
-
Download the overlay
The PNG is 1080 × 1920 with a transparent middle. Put it on the top track in CapCut, Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve or Canva, line up your captions, then hide it before you export.
TikTok vs Reels vs Shorts safe zones
Each platform covers a different part of the frame. If one video goes to all three, keep text inside the area that is clear on all of them.
| 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.
Tips for keeping text and faces visible on TikTok
- Place captions in the upper middle. Burned-in subtitles at the very bottom land under TikTok’s own caption. Keep them just above the red bottom zone, not inside it.
- Watch the right side. The button column is the part people forget. Center your face or shift it slightly left.
- Leave room for a long caption. If you write a long description, TikTok expands it upward. Keep the lowest line of on-screen text well above the bottom zone.
- Hooks go high. The first words on screen should be in the top half of the clear area, where the eye lands first. More in our video hooks guide.
- Export at 1080 × 1920. TikTok’s ad specs accept 9:16 from 540 × 960, but 1080 × 1920 is the usual export. See our TikTok video size guide.
Turn long videos into captioned TikToks
Short.now finds the best moments in a long video, reframes them to 9:16 and adds captions, ready for TikTok, Reels and Shorts. 3 free videos to start, then 1 a week, no credit card.
Questions
On 1080 × 1920, TikTok’s ad template keeps the top 240 px, bottom 660 px and 120 px on each side clear, plus a 180 px button column on the right from 840 px down. The clear area is 840 × 1020 px minus that column.
Yes. Press "Download overlay PNG" above for a transparent 1080 × 1920 overlay with the covered areas in red. TikTok also offers its own file on its In-Feed Ads help page.
TikTok only publishes numbers for ads. Regular posts have the same kind of interface in roughly the same places, but it shifts with the phone, the app version and the caption length, so leave a little extra margin.
Import the PNG, put it on a track above your video, stretch it to fill the 9:16 canvas, and place your text inside the clear area. Delete or hide the overlay track before exporting.
Yes. Upload an MP4, MOV or WebM and it plays under the overlay. It is played from your device and never uploaded.
No. Reels keeps 35% of the bottom clear and only 6% at the sides, according to Meta’s ads guide. Switch the platform above to compare on the same video.
