Safe zone checker for TikTok, Shorts and Reels
Upload a frame or video and see exactly what the app buttons, caption and username cover. Drag a box over your text to check it on all three apps at once.
Drag the pink box over your caption, face or logo. Drag its corner to resize it.
Quick answer: keep text and faces in the center of the frame. On a 1080 × 1920 video, stay clear of roughly the right 15% (the button column) and the bottom 20% (caption and username), plus a thin strip at the top.
How to use it
- Upload a frame or your video, or try it on the sample clip.
- Pick TikTok, YouTube Shorts or Instagram Reels to see that app's buttons and text.
- Drag the pink box over your caption, face or logo. The result shows which app, if any, covers it.
Burning captions in? See the caption checklist, compare auto caption apps, or read what the safe zone is.
Questions
What is the safe zone on TikTok, Shorts and Reels?
It is the part of a vertical video that is not covered by the app itself. The like, comment and share buttons sit on the right, and the caption, username and sound or audio line sit along the bottom. Keep text, faces and logos in the middle of the frame, away from the right edge and the bottom fifth or so.
Is the safe zone the same on every platform?
Close, but not identical. YouTube Shorts shows a title, channel name and subscribe button at the bottom, and its button column starts a little lower than TikTok's. Checking all three at once with the tool above is the quickest way to find a spot that works everywhere.
Does this tool upload my video?
No. The file opens in your browser only. Nothing is sent to ShortStack or anyone else.
What size should a vertical video be?
Export at 1080 × 1920 pixels (9:16). The aspect ratio calculator shows how to crop a wide video to that size.