Safe zone templates for TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts

Which safe zone template do I download?

If the video goes to one platform, download that platform's template. If you cross-post one export to TikTok, Reels and Shorts, download "All three": it uses the largest margin on each edge, so a caption that fits there fits everywhere.

Pick tinted when you want to see the danger area at a glance while editing. Pick line only when the red tint hides too much of your footage; the dashed outline marks the same edge.

Download the TikTok safe zone template

TikTok publishes safe zone files for In-Feed ads. The standard version leaves 12.5% at the top, 34.375% at the bottom and 11.111% on each side. A column of buttons (like, comment, share) covers the right side from about 44% to 66% of the height, so the template marks it as a separate no-text box.

Download the Instagram Reels safe zone template

Meta asks you to leave at least 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% on each side free of text, logos and other important elements. On a 1080x1920 frame that is 269 px at the top, 672 px at the bottom and 65 px on each side.

Download the YouTube Shorts safe zone template

Google's vertical video ad overlay leaves 288 px at the top, 672 px at the bottom, 48 px on the left and 192 px on the right of a 1080x1920 frame. The wide right margin is where the action buttons sit.

Download the combined template for posting everywhere

This overlay takes the largest margin of the three on each edge: top from YouTube (288 px), bottom from YouTube and Meta (672 px), left from TikTok (120 px) and right from YouTube (192 px). The safe box is 768 x 960 px. It is stricter than any single platform, which is the price of one export that works on all three.

What are the exact safe zone numbers?

Meta words its numbers as "at least", and the Google help page publishes the margins only inside its overlay image, so we measured the pixels of that file. Percentages scale to any size: for a 1440x2560 export multiply each pixel value by 4/3.

Does the TikTok bottom margin change with a longer caption?

Yes, for ads that carry an anchor (the business name and call-to-action block). TikTok's files for In-Feed ads with an anchor grow the bottom margin with the caption length. Scaled to 1080x1920, the bottom margin is 812 px for a one-line caption, 878 px for two lines, 946 px for three and 1,014 px for four. Our TikTok template shows the standard version without an anchor; if you run anchored ads, use the line-only version and keep text above these heights.

How do I use a safe zone overlay in CapCut?

1. Set the project, timeline or design to 1080 x 1920 (9:16) and add your video.
2. Import the PNG and place it on the top video track, above your footage. Stretch it to the full length of your edit and make sure it fills the whole frame.
3. Lock the overlay track so you do not move it by accident, then place text, stickers and faces inside the dashed box.
4. Before you export, hide the overlay track or delete the PNG clip so the guide is not burned into the video.

How do I use a safe zone overlay in Premiere Pro?

1. Set the project, timeline or design to 1080 x 1920 (9:16) and add your video.
2. Import the PNG and place it on the top video track, above your footage. Stretch it to the full length of your edit and make sure it fills the whole frame.
3. Lock the overlay track so you do not move it by accident, then place text, stickers and faces inside the dashed box.
4. Before you export, hide the overlay track or delete the PNG clip so the guide is not burned into the video.

How do I use a safe zone overlay in DaVinci Resolve?

1. Set the project, timeline or design to 1080 x 1920 (9:16) and add your video.
2. Import the PNG and place it on the top video track, above your footage. Stretch it to the full length of your edit and make sure it fills the whole frame.
3. Lock the overlay track so you do not move it by accident, then place text, stickers and faces inside the dashed box.
4. Before you render, disable or delete the overlay track so the guide is not burned into the video.

How do I use a safe zone overlay in Final Cut Pro?

1. Set the project, timeline or design to 1080 x 1920 (9:16) and add your video.
2. Import the PNG and place it in a lane above your footage. Stretch it to the full length of your edit and make sure it fills the whole frame.
3. Place text, stickers and faces inside the dashed box.
4. Before you export, hide or delete the overlay so the guide is not burned into the video.

How do I use a safe zone overlay in Canva?

1. Set the project, timeline or design to 1080 x 1920 (9:16) and add your video.
2. Import the PNG and place it on top of your video and stretch it to the full page.
3. Lock the overlay element so you do not move it by accident, then place text, stickers and faces inside the dashed box.
4. Before you download, delete the overlay (or work on a duplicate page), because Canva has no hide switch for elements we could confirm.

What does the platform interface cover on my video?

Three things sit on top of a vertical video: the action buttons (like, comment, share) down the right side, the caption, name and sound line along the bottom, and the tabs and search bar across the top. Each template shades those areas, and the pixel size of each margin is printed on it.

The right-hand column is the one people forget. On TikTok it reaches from roughly 44% to 66% of the frame height, and on Shorts the right margin is 192 px, more than four times the left.

Where do I put text, subtitles and faces?

• Subtitles: center them horizontally inside the box, above the bottom margin. Pick the lowest line that still sits inside the dashed outline.
• Faces and the main subject: keep them in the upper-middle of the box, away from the button column.
• Logos and call-to-action text: keep them at least a few pixels inside the dashed line, not on it.
• Background art and video can run to the edges. Only text, logos and faces need to stay inside.

What are the common safe zone mistakes?

• Checking only one platform, then cross-posting. Use the combined template instead.
• Using a 16:9 or square clip without re-framing it to 9:16 first.
• Exporting with the overlay track still visible.
• Treating the percentages as laws. They are the platforms' ad guidance, and organic layouts can differ.

Do safe zones apply to organic posts as well as ads?

The platforms publish exact margins for ads. Organic posts use similar interface layers (username, caption, buttons), but we found no official numbers for organic posts on any of the three, so treat the templates as a conservative guide, not a rule. When a platform ships a new interface, the measured margins can shift; we recheck them against the official files and date the check at the top of this page.

Where the template does not fit: horizontal and square videos, carousels, and any post where the platform lets you move the caption. For other platforms, see the safe zone pages linked below.