Platform specs
TikTok safe zone: where captions and faces should sit
By the KeyMo team · Updated
TikTok does not print safe-zone pixel margins on the pages we could read. Its ads help says the size depends on the video dimension, the caption length and any extra formats, and it offers downloadable safe-zone files instead. As of 11 October 2026, keep text and faces away from the edges.
What TikTok publishes about its safe zone
The only official safe-zone material we found is on TikTok's ads help pages. The auction page was marked last updated June 2026 when we read it on 11 October 2026. It is written for ads, and TikTok does not say that the same zone applies to a regular post.
| Point | What TikTok says |
|---|---|
| What sets the size | The video dimension (vertical, horizontal or square), the ad caption length and any additional formats |
| Format of the guidance | Downloadable safe-zone files: a standard one, one with anchor, and one for Arabic right-to-left |
| Which file to use | All regions except Arabic should use the standard file; use the anchor version if the ad has anchors |
| What to keep inside | Key elements such as text and logos; anything outside might be covered or cropped |
| Longer captions | A longer caption makes the safe zone smaller |
| Preview accuracy | Preview and live ad can differ slightly because the preview is not device-specific |
| On-screen text pace (ads) | 5 to 10 words per second when using captions or text overlays |
What TikTok does not publish
No pixel margins, no percentages, and no safe-zone statement for regular posts appear on the pages we could read. We also did not reproduce TikTok's safe-zone files here, so we cannot give you a verified template size. Numbers on other sites, such as a bottom percentage or a right-side pixel count, are not from TikTok.
A cautious layout for captions and faces (our recommendation)
Because TikTok gives no numbers, the safe choice is to borrow the strictest figures from a platform that does publish them. Meta's ad guidance for Reels suggests leaving about 14% free at the top, 35% at the bottom and 6% at each side. We turn that into pixels on the shorts, Reels and TikTok safe zone page. It is our recommendation for TikTok, not a TikTok rule.
- Put the speaker's face in the upper-middle of the frame, with space above the head.
- Put captions in the middle band, not on the bottom edge and not at the far right.
- Keep each caption to two short lines so the text block stays small.
- Export at 1080x1920 and check the first frame on a real phone with the TikTok app open.
- If you place text by hand, open our safe zone checker to preview the overlay before you post.
Captions, Spark Ads and auto-captions
TikTok's Spark Ads help says ads can show auto-generated captions and viewer translation in the US and EU. If your burned-in captions are identical to the auto ones, they are not shown twice. Text that is part of the video itself is not translated. So captions you bake into the file stay in your language, and they must still sit inside the safe zone.
KeyMo offers 12 caption styles plus a no-captions option, with word-by-word captions. Clips come out at 1080x1920, 9:16, a standard full-screen vertical frame. Pick the style, then preview against your safe-zone guide before posting. See TikTok captions.
Sources: TikTok Ads Manager: auction in-feed ads (checked 11 October 2026); TikTok Ads Manager: reservation in-feed ads (checked 11 October 2026); TikTok Ads Manager: creative best practices (checked 11 October 2026); TikTok Ads Manager: captions and translations for Spark Ads (checked 11 October 2026).