How the safe zone overlays and the overlap report work
What the overlays show
Each network has three shaded areas: the top bar, the action column down the right edge, and the caption and controls band at the bottom. The Instagram margins are 250 pixels at the top and 340 pixels at the bottom on a 1080 by 1920 frame, plus a 120 pixel action column that begins at the vertical midpoint. TikTok and YouTube Shorts use their own margins. All values are scaled to the frame, so a 540 by 960 preview shows the same proportions.
The clear area outline shows what is left once the top, bottom and side gutters are subtracted for that network. Placing your text inside the outline for every network you turn on keeps it visible on all of them.
How the overlap report is calculated
When you draw a box, the tool intersects it with each shaded rectangle and reports the share of the box that each zone covers. It also reports the combined share covered by all the zones of that network, counting overlapping zones once. A box that only touches a zone along an edge is not counted as covered.
Limitations
The margins are approximate. They come from widely cited creator guidance for a 1080 by 1920 frame, not from a network specification, and phones with notches, taller screens or accessibility settings can shift the real interface. A like button can also drift once a Reel has many comments or a sticker is added. Preview on an actual phone before publishing anything important.
Frequently asked questions
What is the safe zone for Instagram Reels?
The figure creators cite most for a 1080 by 1920 Reel or Story is to keep important text and faces at least 250 pixels from the top and 340 pixels from the bottom, with a small gutter on each side. This tool applies those margins and labels them approximate, because the apps move their buttons between releases and Instagram does not publish one fixed overlay.
What size should a Story or Reel be?
Instagram recommends a 9:16 aspect ratio for Stories and Reels, which is 1080 by 1920 pixels at the common export size. Instagram accepts a much wider range of ratios for Reels through its API, but anything that is not 9:16 gets cropped or letterboxed in the full-screen view.
Do TikTok and YouTube Shorts use the same safe zone?
No. TikTok puts a taller caption and sound area at the bottom, and YouTube Shorts has its own channel and subscribe row. Each network has a different set of margins here, so you can switch them on together and keep your text inside the area that is clear on all three.
Is my image uploaded anywhere?
No. The image is read by your browser and drawn on this page only. There is no upload, no account and no server step, so unreleased creative stays on your device.
Why do the overlays say approximate?
None of these networks publishes a machine-readable safe zone, and the interface shifts with app versions, device sizes and features like on-screen captions. The overlays follow widely cited margins for a 1080 by 1920 frame, scaled to your frame. Use them as a guide and test on a real phone before a big launch.
Does the checker work for video?
It checks one frame at a time. Export a frame from your editor where the text is on screen, load it, and mark the text. If your text moves, check the frame where it is closest to an edge.