A safe zone is the part of a vertical video that the app's buttons and text won't cover. If your caption or product sits outside it, viewers won't see it.
What covers your video
- Top: your username, the "Sponsored" or "Paid partnership" label, and the audio name.
- Bottom: the caption, the audio track and the reply bar.
- Right: the like, comment, share and profile buttons.
Pixel guidance on a 1080 × 1920 canvas
| Platform | Top | Bottom | Sides | Source type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instagram Reels | ~14% (~270 px) | ~35% (~670 px) | ~6% (~65 px), plus the right-hand buttons | Meta ad guidance, as reported by third parties |
| Instagram Stories | ~14% (~270 px) | ~14% (~270 px) | n/a | Same |
| Meta (2026 unified Stories + Reels) | 14% | 20–35% | 6% | Same |
| TikTok | ~240 px | ~660 px | ~120 px, more on the right | Scaled up from TikTok's ad template; not official |
| 270 px | 790 px | 65 px left, 195 px right | Official | |
| YouTube Shorts | No official figure | Treat like TikTok | Keep the right edge clear | n/a |
Meta's own ads guide wouldn't load for us, so treat the Meta percentages as strongly reported, not officially verified here.
The easy rule: Keep everything important in the centre box: roughly the middle 1080 × 1000 px, sitting slightly above centre.