talkcuts › Free tools
Safe zone checker for Reels, TikTok and Shorts
Add your vertical clip or a screenshot. Red is where the app's buttons, name and caption sit; keep your captions in the clear middle. Your video never leaves your device.
Updated 3 November 2026. The red areas are approximate.
What is the safe zone on Reels, TikTok and Shorts?
It is the middle part of a vertical video that no app button, name or caption covers. On a 1080 × 1920 clip, text inside about 120 to 870 pixels across and 290 to 1230 pixels down is clear on all three apps, with a little room to spare. The bottom is the riskiest part: that is where each app puts your name, your post caption and the music line.
How much does each app cover?
Approximate, on a 1080 × 1920 clip, as of November 2026.
| App | Top | Bottom | Right (buttons) | Sides |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instagram Reels | about 270 px (14%) | about 670 px (35%) | about 180 px, lower half | about 65 px (6%) |
| TikTok (our estimate) | about 200 px | about 560 px | about 180 px, from 40% down | about 60 px |
| YouTube Shorts (our estimate) | about 240 px | about 560 px | about 190 px, lower half | about 60 px |
Source for Instagram Reels: Meta's ad guidance for Reels, "leave at least 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom, and 6% on each side" free of text and logos (Meta Ads Guide, Instagram Reels, checked 3 November 2026). That guidance is written for ads, and we use it for ordinary Reels too. TikTok and YouTube do not publish fixed numbers for ordinary posts, so their rows, and the button column on every app, are our own estimates from looking at the apps. A long post caption takes more room, and phones differ.
5 tips for podcast and interview clips
- Put captions around the middle, not at the very bottom, where every app puts its own name and caption.
- Keep the right edge free. The like, comment and share buttons sit there on all three apps.
- Keep faces and eyes above the bottom third. A guest's face under the post caption looks cut off.
- Use one caption spot for every clip, so you check it once and every clip from the episode is right.
- Look once in the app before you post. Save the clip as a draft, open it on your phone and read every caption.
Want clips with the captions already in the clear?
talkcuts finds the best 2 or 3 moments in your episode and cuts each into a vertical clip, with captions placed clear of the buttons on Shorts, Reels and TikTok.
Get free clipsFree for 15 days or 3 episodes. No card.
Questions
Is it free?
Yes. No account, no email and no watermark. Check as many clips as you like.
Is my video uploaded?
No. Your video or picture is opened in your own browser. It is never sent to us or saved anywhere.
How exact are the red areas?
They are approximate, as of November 2026. The Instagram Reels areas follow Meta's own guidance; the TikTok and YouTube Shorts areas are our own estimates, because neither publishes fixed numbers for ordinary posts. Apps change their layout, a long caption takes more room, and phones differ, so leave a little space and check the clip in the app before you post.
What size should a vertical clip be?
1080 pixels wide and 1920 pixels tall (9:16) works for Instagram Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts. The areas on this page are measured on that size.
My video won't open. What can I do?
Some phone videos, such as iPhone HEVC files, don't open in every browser. Take a screenshot of the clip while it plays and add the screenshot instead. The check works the same.