Platform specs
Shorts, Reels and TikTok safe zone: one common area
By the KeyMo team · Updated
Only Meta publishes safe-zone numbers: for Reels ads it suggests leaving about 14% free at the top, 35% at the bottom and 6% at each side. YouTube and TikTok print none on the pages we read. On 1080x1920 that gives a cautious box of 950x979 pixels, which we recommend for all three.
What each platform publishes, as of 11 October 2026
| Platform | What its own pages state | Source |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube Shorts | Square or vertical uploads up to 3 minutes; maximum resolution 1080p. No safe-zone margins on the help pages we read. Advises against baking padding or black bars into the video | YouTube Help |
| Instagram Reels | For Reels ads, Meta suggests leaving at least 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% of each side free of text and logos. Nothing equivalent found for regular Reels | Meta Ads Guide |
| Facebook Reels | For Reels ads, Meta suggests roughly 14% at the top, 35% at the bottom and 6% at each side. Its safe-zone help page says to leave the bottom 40% free when Reels ads carry disclaimers. Ads Manager has a Safe zone guardrail toggle | Meta Ads Guide, Meta Business Help |
| TikTok | Safe zone depends on dimension, caption length and extra formats, given as downloadable files. No margins printed | TikTok Ads Manager help |
For ads, Meta says that on screens taller than 9:16 the creative may be zoomed to fill the screen, which crops what sits outside the safe zone, or shown at 9:16 on a black background. That is one more reason to keep text well inside the frame.
A cautious common box on a 1080x1920 frame
The simplest way to cover all three apps is to use the strictest published margins on every side. The numbers below are plain arithmetic on Meta's percentages. They are our recommendation, because YouTube and TikTok have not published their own.
| Edge | Meta's ad figure | Pixels on 1080x1920 |
|---|---|---|
| Top | 14% of 1920 | 269 px |
| Bottom | 35% of 1920 | 672 px |
| Left | 6% of 1080 | 65 px |
| Right | 6% of 1080 | 65 px |
What is left is a box from x 65 to 1015 and y 269 to 1248, so 950 pixels wide and 979 tall. That is about half the frame height. Put faces, captions and logos inside it to keep them clear of the app buttons. Only Meta's figures are published, so this is a safe habit, not a guarantee. Our safe zone checker draws this overlay on a frame so you can check a clip.
Reading the box for each platform
- YouTube Shorts: the help pages we read give no margins, so use the box as is. Do not add bars to fake a vertical frame.
- Instagram Reels: the box matches Meta's ad margins, and the same area is a reasonable habit for regular Reels.
- Facebook Reels: Meta says to leave the bottom 40% clear when a Reels ad carries a disclaimer. That is stricter than the box.
- TikTok: download TikTok's own file for the final check, since the size also depends on caption length.
Platform pages for each app: TikTok safe zone and Instagram Reels safe zone.
What it means for clips, and where KeyMo fits
A talking-head clip has three things competing for the same space: a face, captions and the app's own buttons. The box leaves roughly half the frame for the first two. That is why shorter caption lines and a face placed high in the frame matter more than the caption style you pick.
KeyMo clips are 1080x1920, 9:16, 30 fps, H.264/AAC, with face-tracked reframing and a choice of 12 caption styles or none. The frame size matches the 1080x1920 box above. After you export, check one clip per style against the overlay before you post a whole batch.
Sources: YouTube Help: Create YouTube Shorts (checked 11 October 2026); YouTube Help: Upload YouTube Shorts (checked 11 October 2026); YouTube Help: Video resolution and aspect ratio (checked 11 October 2026); Meta Ads Guide: Instagram Reels video ads (checked 11 October 2026); Meta Ads Guide: Facebook Reels video ads (checked 11 October 2026); Meta Business Help: text overlays and the safe zone for ads (checked 11 October 2026); TikTok Ads Manager: auction in-feed ads (checked 11 October 2026).