Guide
Safe zones are the part of the video the app does not cover
Updated
Safe zones are the parts of a vertical video that TikTok, Reels and Shorts leave uncovered. The apps put buttons, names and captions over the edges, so anything important belongs in the middle.
In short
- Safe zones are the parts of a vertical video that TikTok, Reels and Shorts do not cover with buttons or text.
- The apps cover the bottom with your name and caption, the top with icons, and on TikTok the right side with buttons.
- On a 1080 × 1920 video, keep the top 220 and the bottom 420 pixels clear to be safe on every app.
- Captions belong above the bottom band, not at the very bottom of the video.
- You can check a video on your phone, or with a free safe-zone checker.
- Biggest top band on a 1080 × 1920 video (Reels)
- 220 px
- Biggest bottom band on a 1080 × 1920 video (Reels)
- 420 px
- Safe box in the middle that works on every app
- 900 × 1280
What is a safe zone?
It is the part of the video where your text and face stay visible after the app adds its buttons and text.
- TV had safe zones first. Old TV sets cut off the edges of the picture, so titles were kept inside a smaller box.
- On a phone the whole picture arrives, but TikTok, Reels and Shorts draw their buttons, names and captions over it.
- The covered areas change a little whenever an app changes its design.
What does each app cover?
Each app covers the top and the bottom. TikTok also covers the right side, where its buttons sit.
- Text at the very bottom ends up under the app's own caption and your account name.
- A logo or product in the lower right can end up behind TikTok's buttons.
- Something important at the very top can end up behind the app's icons.
What each app covers on a 1080 × 1920 video
The same numbers our free safe-zone checker uses. Apps change them with updates.
| Edge | What sits there | TikTok | Reels | Shorts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top | Status bar, search, camera icons | 108 px | 220 px | 120 px |
| Bottom | Account name, caption, sound, buttons | 320 px | 420 px | 360 px |
| Right | TikTok's like, comment and share buttons | 120 px | 0 px | 0 px |
| Left | A small margin on TikTok | 60 px | 0 px | 0 px |
Edge: Top
- What sits there
- Status bar, search, camera icons
- TikTok
- 108 px
- Reels
- 220 px
- Shorts
- 120 px
Edge: Bottom
- What sits there
- Account name, caption, sound, buttons
- TikTok
- 320 px
- Reels
- 420 px
- Shorts
- 360 px
Edge: Right
- What sits there
- TikTok's like, comment and share buttons
- TikTok
- 120 px
- Reels
- 0 px
- Shorts
- 0 px
Edge: Left
- What sits there
- A small margin on TikTok
- TikTok
- 60 px
- Reels
- 0 px
- Shorts
- 0 px
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
What is the safe zone for every app at once?
If one video goes to TikTok, Reels and Shorts, use the biggest margin on each edge. That leaves a 900 × 1280 pixel box in the middle.
- Frame your face in the upper half of that box.
- Put captions in the lower half of the box, above the bottom band.
- Using the biggest margins means the same video keeps working when one app changes its layout.
About two thirds of the height is safe on every app
The biggest top band (220 px) and bottom band (420 px) leave 1,280 of the 1,920 pixels.
Where should captions go?
Captions get covered more than anything else, because the bottom centre is exactly where the app writes its own text.
- Put captions above the bottom 420 pixels and away from the right edge.
- Keep them in the same place in every video, so you only have to check it once.
- In Cutroom you can move the captions up or down and set their size with a slider.
How do you check your safe zones?
Look at the finished video the way viewers will see it, with the app's buttons on top.
- Our free safe-zone checker draws the TikTok, Reels and Shorts bands over your video or image.
- You can also post the video privately, or save it as a draft, and look at it in the app on your phone.
- Check one video for each caption style you use. After that, the same style stays safe.
Questions people ask
- Are safe zones the same on every app?
- No. On a 1080 by 1920 video, TikTok covers 108 pixels at the top and 320 at the bottom, Reels 220 and 420, and Shorts 120 and 360. Apps change these with updates, so leave some extra room.
- What is the TikTok safe zone in pixels?
- On a 1080 by 1920 video, keep the top 108 pixels, the bottom 320, the left 60 and the right 120 clear. That leaves a 900 by 1492 pixel area for text and faces.
- What is the Instagram Reels safe zone?
- On a 1080 by 1920 video, keep the top 220 pixels and the bottom 420 pixels clear. That leaves the middle 1,280 pixels of height for text and faces. The bottom band holds the account name, the caption and the buttons.
- What is the YouTube Shorts safe zone?
- On a 1080 by 1920 video, keep the top 120 pixels and the bottom 360 pixels clear. The bottom holds the title, the channel name and the subscribe button.
- Do safe zones apply to normal posts too, or only to ads?
- Both. The app covers the video the same way whether it is an ad or a normal post.
- What about horizontal or square video?
- These margins are for full-screen vertical video. A 16:9 or square video in a vertical feed gets bars above and below it, so the app's buttons cover less of the picture.
Keep your text and face in the middle, and one video works on every app. Your first video is free.