The short answer: on TikTok, keep text, logos, prices and the product inside roughly the left two thirds of a 9:16 frame, between about 12 and 70 percent of its height. Above that sit the feed tabs, below it the caption, creator name and nav bar, and down the right edge the like, comment, share and profile buttons. The same box clears Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts too, which is the dashed area the checker draws.
TikTok safe zone
The TikTok safe zone is the part of a full-screen vertical video that the app's own interface never covers. On a 1080×1920 frame that is about x 65 to 800 and y 230 to 1340, give or take the length of your caption. Everything outside it is still shown, it is just partly behind something.
- Top, about 9 percent: the Following / For You tabs and the search and live icons.
- Right column, from about 40 percent down: the profile picture, like, comment, save and share buttons and the spinning sound disc.
- Bottom left, from about 72 percent: the creator name, the caption (it grows with every extra line) and the sound line.
- Bottom, about 9 percent: the navigation bar.
These are measured off the app's current layout and drawn on the generous side. TikTok moves them a little between releases and phone sizes, so a frame that only just clears a tight template is the one that gets clipped next month.
TikTok ads safe zone
For In-Feed ads, TikTok's own ad specifications (Business Help Center, last updated June 2026, read October 2026) say the safe zone depends on three things: the video's shape (vertical, horizontal or square), how long the ad caption is, and any extra formats on the ad, such as an anchor or a card. TikTok publishes the zone as downloadable template files rather than as pixel numbers, with a separate version for ads that carry an anchor and a right-to-left version for Arabic. An ad also shows a call-to-action button under the caption, so leave more room at the bottom left than an organic post needs. The same specs ask for 9:16 at no less than 540×960 for vertical video.
So treat the dashed area here as the practical rule and TikTok's template as the final check for an ad with an anchor or a long caption.
Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts safe zones
- Instagram Reels: top about 8 percent, bottom about 10 percent, the right column from about 42 percent down, and the caption and audio line at the bottom left.
- YouTube Shorts: top about 8 percent, a taller bottom band of about 14 percent for the title and channel line, and the right column from about 44 percent down.
The dashed rectangle is where all three leave the frame alone. If you post the same vertical video everywhere, design to that box once.
Why the zones are generous
The apps move these elements a little with every release and with every phone size, and captions grow taller when a creator writes more. The boxes here are drawn on the large side on purpose. A frame that clears them clears the real thing on the phones we tried.
What this checker does not do
It does not resize, crop or re-encode your video. It does not know your caption length, so it cannot tell you how tall your own caption block will be on the day. It does not send the frame anywhere. Reload the page and it is gone, because no copy existed anywhere but in the tab.
For the right pixel size per placement, see the aspect ratio calculator. To check caption lengths against each app's limit, use the caption length checker.
If you would rather not lay this out by hand
Hermoso renders vertical ads with the product and text already placed inside the safe area for the channel you are posting to, then schedules them to TikTok, Instagram and YouTube from one place. Try it free, or read how the TikTok scheduler and the AI TikTok ad generator work.
Frequently asked questions
What is the safe zone for TikTok?
Keep text and anything that must be read inside roughly the left two thirds of a 9:16 frame, between about 12 and 70 percent of its height. The feed tabs cover the top, the caption block and creator name cover the bottom left, the icon column covers the right edge and the nav bar covers the bottom.
What are the TikTok safe zone dimensions in pixels?
On a 1080x1920 frame, about x 65 to 800 and y 230 to 1340. TikTok does not publish these as numbers: its ad specifications say the zone depends on the video shape, the caption length and any extra formats, and offer template files to download instead.
Is the TikTok ads safe zone different from organic?
A little. An In-Feed ad adds a call-to-action button under the caption, and an anchor or card takes more room again, so keep the bottom left clearer on an ad. For an ad with an anchor, check against TikTok's own anchor template as well.
Is the safe zone the same for Reels and Shorts?
Close but not identical. Shorts reserves a taller strip at the bottom for the title and channel line, and Reels keeps a slightly narrower right column. The dashed area on this page is the part all three leave alone.
Can I load a video instead of a screenshot?
Yes. Drop a video file and the checker grabs a frame from about a second in, in your browser. If your browser cannot decode the format, export one frame as an image and load that.
Is my frame uploaded?
No. The drawing happens in your browser, there is no network request carrying the image and nothing is stored.
Does it work for 4:5 or 1:1 posts?
The overlays are for full-screen 9:16 vertical video. A 4:5 or square post is shown inside the feed with the interface around it rather than over it, so there is no safe zone to check.
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