Instagram and TikTok safe zone checker
Upload a vertical ad and see exactly where Reels, Stories, and TikTok cover it with buttons, captions, and profile UI. Keep your hook, product, and CTA inside the clear box.
Loading sample
| Top | 269px | Reels header and camera icon |
|---|---|---|
| Bottom | 672px | Caption, audio, and Sponsored CTA |
| Left | 65px | Edge of the frame |
| Right | 65px | Like, comment, share |
What is a safe zone?
A safe zone is the part of a vertical ad that no app interface covers. On Reels and TikTok, the bottom third holds the caption, audio label, and call-to-action button, and the right edge holds the like, comment, and share icons. Anything you put there, a headline, a price, a logo, gets hidden behind UI on a real phone.
Designers build in Figma or Canva on a clean 1080x1920 canvas, so the problem only shows up after launch. Checking against the overlay first is the cheapest fix in paid social.
Instagram Reels and Stories safe zones
For Reels ads, Meta's ad specs ask you to keep the top 14% (about 270px on 1080x1920), the bottom 35% (about 670px), and 6% on each side free of text and logos. That leaves a clear area of roughly 950x980px in the upper middle of the frame.
Stories ads have a smaller bottom margin because there is no caption block: keep the top 14% and the bottom 20% (about 380px) clear, with the same 6% sides. The same zones apply to Facebook Reels and Facebook Stories placements.
TikTok safe zone
TikTok's in-feed safe zone template, drawn at 1080x1920, keeps about 240px clear at the top for the Following and For You tabs, about 660px at the bottom for the caption, sound, and CTA, 120px on the left, and around 140px on the right for the profile and engagement rail. The clear area is about 820x1020px.
TikTok changes its UI between app versions and adds elements like product links and stickers, so treat these numbers as the minimum margin and confirm with the preview in TikTok Ads Manager.
How to use the checker
Upload an image or a video. It is never sent anywhere; the file is drawn in your browser. Switch between Reels, Stories, and TikTok to see each overlay, and turn the app UI mock on to see what a viewer actually sees. If your file is not 9:16, the preview shows the center crop the platforms apply, so you can see what gets cut.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Instagram Reels safe zone?
Keep the top 14%, the bottom 35%, and 6% on each side of a 1080x1920 Reels ad free of text and logos. On a 1080x1920 canvas that is about 270px at the top, 670px at the bottom, and 65px on each side.
What is the Instagram Stories safe zone?
Keep the top 14% (about 270px) and the bottom 20% (about 380px) of a 1080x1920 Stories ad clear, plus 6% on each side. The bottom margin holds the call-to-action button.
What is the TikTok safe zone in pixels?
On a 1080x1920 canvas, TikTok's in-feed template keeps roughly 240px clear at the top, 660px at the bottom, 120px on the left, and 140px on the right, leaving a clear area of about 820x1020px.
What size should a Reels or TikTok ad be?
1080x1920 pixels, a 9:16 vertical ratio. Files at 720x1280 still run but look softer on large phones. Square and 4:5 files get cropped or padded to fill the screen.
Does the safe zone apply to video and images?
Yes. The interface sits on top of whatever you upload, so the same margins apply to static images and video. For video, check every frame where text appears, not only the first.
Is my file uploaded?
No. The checker reads your image or video in the browser to draw the preview. Nothing leaves your device.
Want vertical ads that are safe-zone ready?
LocalAds produces 9:16 creatives and vertical video from one product URL, with the product and message placed where every platform shows them.