Safe Zone Checker
for Reels, Stories, TikTok & Shorts
Upload an image or video and see exactly where the app’s buttons, captions and margins land. Check Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Facebook and Meta ads safe zones before you post, so your text, faces and logos stay visible.
1Upload creative
Upload an image, video or cover frame
Best at 1080 × 1920 px. Your file never leaves your browser.
2Select placement
Instagram Reels: 1080 × 1920 px
- Top
- 250 px (13%)
- Bottom
- 670 px (35%)
- Left / right
- 65 px / 65 px
- Safe area
- 950 × 1000 px
Source: Meta Ads Guide (facebook.com/business/ads-guide), Instagram Reels (written for ads, slightly conservative for organic).
3Display options
Instagram Reels Preview
viralsuite
Your caption appears here, check it doesn’t cover your text ✨ more
Platforms auto-crop media that isn't 9:16 to fill the frame. Upload 1080 × 1920 px to avoid surprises.
The overlay PNG holds the layers you have switched on, ready to drop on top of your design in Canva, Figma or Photoshop. Free, no email needed.
Safe zone check
- Top 250 px (13%): Reels header and camera button.
- Bottom 670 px (35%): username, Follow button, caption, audio label and navigation bar.
- Sides 65 px (6%) each: like, comment, share and more buttons on the right edge.
If any text, face or logo touches the red striped areas or sits under the app buttons, move it inside the green outline.
How to use the Safe Zone Checker
Three quick steps, all in your browser.
1. Upload creative
Add an image, a video or a cover frame. It is placed in the platform frame exactly as the app would crop it.
2. Select placement
Pick the platform, then the organic or ad placement: Reels, Stories, TikTok feed, Spark Ads, Shorts, Shorts Ads or Meta feed ads.
3. Check and download
Switch the safe zones and mock UI on, move anything that falls into a red area, then download the transparent overlay or your checked image.
Safe zone sizes for every placement
Pixel margins at the recommended upload size. Placements marked approximate use conservative values because the platform does not publish exact numbers.
| Placement | Size | Top | Bottom | Left / Right | Safe area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instagram Reels | 1080×1920 (9:16) | 250 px | 670 px | 65 / 65 px | 950×1000 | Meta Ads Guide (facebook.com/business/ads-guide), Instagram Reels (written for ads, slightly conservative for organic) |
| Instagram Reels Ads | 1080×1920 (9:16) | 250 px | 670 px | 65 / 65 px | 950×1000 | Meta Ads Guide (facebook.com/business/ads-guide), Instagram Reels ads |
| Instagram Stories | 1080×1920 (9:16) | 250 px | 250 px | 0 / 0 px | 1080×1420 | Meta Ads Guide (facebook.com/business/ads-guide), Instagram Stories |
| Instagram Stories Ads | 1080×1920 (9:16) | 250 px | 250 px | 0 / 0 px | 1080×1420 | Meta Ads Guide (facebook.com/business/ads-guide), Instagram Stories ads |
| TikTok FeedApprox. | 1080×1920 (9:16) | 160 px | 480 px | 60 / 140 px | 880×1280 | Approximate: widely cited creator values; TikTok publishes no fixed pixel numbers |
| TikTok Spark & In-Feed AdsApprox. | 1080×1920 (9:16) | 160 px | 600 px | 60 / 140 px | 880×1160 | Approximate: organic TikTok values plus ~120 px for the ad call-to-action bar |
| YouTube ShortsApprox. | 1080×1920 (9:16) | 240 px | 670 px | 60 / 190 px | 830×1010 | Approximate: widely cited creator values; YouTube publishes no Shorts pixel numbers |
| YouTube Shorts AdsApprox. | 1080×1920 (9:16) | 240 px | 760 px | 60 / 190 px | 830×920 | Approximate: organic Shorts values plus ~90 px for the ad call-to-action button |
| Facebook Reels | 1080×1920 (9:16) | 250 px | 670 px | 65 / 65 px | 950×1000 | Meta Ads Guide (facebook.com/business/ads-guide), Facebook Reels (written for ads, slightly conservative for organic) |
| Facebook Reels Ads | 1080×1920 (9:16) | 250 px | 670 px | 65 / 65 px | 950×1000 | Meta Ads Guide (facebook.com/business/ads-guide), Facebook Reels ads |
| Facebook Stories | 1080×1920 (9:16) | 250 px | 250 px | 0 / 0 px | 1080×1420 | Meta Ads Guide (facebook.com/business/ads-guide), Facebook Stories |
| Facebook Stories Ads | 1080×1920 (9:16) | 250 px | 250 px | 0 / 0 px | 1080×1420 | Meta Ads Guide (facebook.com/business/ads-guide), Facebook Stories ads |
| Meta Feed Ads 4:5Approx. | 1080×1350 (4:5) | 135 px | 135 px | 0 / 0 px | 1080×1080 | Approximate: centre 1:1 area so the creative survives square crops; Meta publishes no feed margins |
| Meta Feed Ads 1:1Approx. | 1080×1080 (1:1) | 54 px | 54 px | 54 / 54 px | 972×972 | Approximate: ~5% edge margin (common design practice); no platform overlay on square feed images |
Reels vs TikTok vs YouTube Shorts safe zones
All three apps show vertical video at 1080×1920, but they stack their interface differently. Instagram and Facebook Reels reserve the most room at the bottom for the caption, audio and call-to-action. YouTube Shorts needs the widest right margin because its button rail includes dislike and remix. TikTok keeps a slimmer bottom band but its button rail still eats into the right side.
If one video is going to all three, design for the overlap: keep text and logos inside roughly the middle 825×1000 px, a little above centre, and keep faces away from the bottom third.
| Placement | Size | Top | Bottom | Left / Right | Safe area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instagram Reels | 1080×1920 (9:16) | 250 px | 670 px | 65 / 65 px | 950×1000 |
| Facebook Reels | 1080×1920 (9:16) | 250 px | 670 px | 65 / 65 px | 950×1000 |
| TikTok FeedApprox. | 1080×1920 (9:16) | 160 px | 480 px | 60 / 140 px | 880×1280 |
| YouTube ShortsApprox. | 1080×1920 (9:16) | 240 px | 670 px | 60 / 190 px | 830×1010 |
What this tool helps you with
Stop guessing where the app will cover your content.
Mock App UI
Action rails with counts, profile rows, captions, music lines, progress bars and ad call-to-action buttons.
Labelled Safe Zones
Hatched unsafe bands labelled by what covers them, with the safe area outlined and measured in pixels.
Transparent Overlay PNG
Download a full-size transparent overlay for every placement and drop it into Canva, Figma or Photoshop. No email needed.
Private by Design
Your images and videos are processed in your browser and never uploaded to a server.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about safe zones and this checker.
What is a safe zone checker?
It is a preview that puts your creative inside a platform’s vertical or feed frame and draws the app’s interface and no-go margins on top, so you can see whether text, faces or logos will be hidden before you publish.
Why do Reels, TikTok and Shorts need safe zones?
Vertical video apps lay buttons, captions, account names and progress bars directly over the video. Anything important placed under them is hard or impossible to see, which hurts both readability and ad performance.
Are ad safe zones different from organic ones?
Usually yes. Ads add a call-to-action button and a “Sponsored” label near the bottom, so the bottom margin grows. Meta’s published Reels and Stories numbers already include that button, so this tool uses the same values for organic and ad placements on Instagram and Facebook.
Where do the safe zone numbers come from?
Instagram and Facebook values follow Meta’s published guidance for Reels and Stories. TikTok and YouTube do not publish pixel values, so those placements use conservative values widely used by creators and are labelled approximate.
What happens if my video is not 9:16?
The apps crop it to fill the frame. The checker does the same and tells you roughly how much of the edges will be cut off, so you can reframe before posting.
Can I use the overlay in my design tool?
Yes. Download the transparent overlay PNG at full size, place it as the top layer in Canva, Figma, Photoshop or your video editor, and hide it before you export.
Is the safe zone checker free?
Yes. It is free, needs no signup or email, and runs entirely in your browser.