What covers a vertical video
On short-video feeds the app draws its own interface over the video. Google's help for Shorts ads describes a right-hand panel with like, dislike, comment and share buttons, and Meta's ads guide for Reels names the profile icon and the call-to-action button. Meta's guide says to keep margins free so important parts of a design are not cut off, covered by the profile icon or call to action, or placed too close to the edges on screens taller than 9:16.
The safe zone is the area left after those margins. Burned-in captions, titles, logos, prices and faces belong inside it.
The margins in pixels
Meta's video ad specs for Reels and for Stories give the same rule: keep at least 14 percent at the top, 35 percent at the bottom and 6 percent on each side free of text, logos and other key design elements. The format is 9:16, and Meta recommends 1440 x 2560 pixels. Converted to pixels:
| Frame | Top | Bottom | Each side | Safe box |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 720 x 1280 | 179 px | 448 px | 43 px | 634 x 653 |
| 1080 x 1920 | 269 px | 672 px | 65 px | 950 x 979 |
| 1440 x 2560 | 358 px | 896 px | 86 px | 1268 x 1306 |
The safe box is only about 44.9% of the frame. On a 1080 x 1920 video it runs from 269 px to 1248 px from the top and from 65 px to 1015 px from the left. The bottom margin is by far the largest.
A worked layout
Say a 1080 x 1920 clip needs a title at the top and two lines of burned-in captions. The title can start at 269 px from the top, not at the edge. For the captions, pick a line height, here 64 px with 16 px between the lines. Two lines then take 144 px, so the block runs from 1104 px down to 1248 px and ends exactly on the bottom of the safe box. Anything you want to show between title and captions, such as a product or a face, has the 835 px in between. If the captions sometimes run to three lines, move the whole block up by one line height rather than letting it slide into the margin.
Other apps place things differently
There is no shared standard. Google's help for square and vertical video ads shows a reference image with a red safe area and says to keep the logo, product and text inside it, because overlays, calls to action and buttons may appear in different places depending on the format, campaign type and screen. For Shorts ads, Google says vertical 9:16 video is best suited to the format.
TikTok's ads help gives the minimum size for vertical in-feed video as 540 x 960 pixels and says the safe zone depends on the dimensions, the length of the ad caption and any additional formats used: a longer caption leaves a smaller safe zone. TikTok publishes downloadable safe-zone files instead of fixed numbers and notes that the preview can differ slightly from the live ad.
These figures come from ad specifications. Regular posts can have a different overlay, and interfaces change. Treat the margins above as a sensible default for any vertical feed, then check the specific platform's template or preview before you publish.
Where to put captions
Burned-in captions, also called open captions, are part of the picture, so the app's interface covers them like anything else. A few rules keep them readable:
- Keep them above the bottom margin. On a 1080 x 1920 frame with Meta's margins, the lowest caption line should end above about 1248 px from the top. A position close to the bottom edge, common on television, falls inside that margin.
- Keep them inside the side margins. At least 65 px from each edge, so a line does not run under the button column on the right.
- Do not cover faces. The U.S. caption quality rules for television ask that captions not block important visual content such as faces and on-screen text. The same idea works for social video: place captions where they cover the least of what matters.
- Short lines. The safe box is only 950 px wide at 1080 x 1920. Two short lines read better than one long one.
If you can, also upload a separate caption file. A closed caption track can be turned on and off by the viewer. The guide to closed captions vs subtitles explains the difference and the formats.
Reframing a horizontal video
A 16:9 video does not fill a 9:16 frame. There are two ways to fit one, and both cost something:
| Method | Result in 1080 x 1920 | What you lose |
|---|---|---|
| Fit to width | Video 1080 x 608, fill above and below | Picture uses 31.6% of the height |
| Crop to fill | Center 608 of 1920 px kept | 68.4% of the width cut |
Google says horizontal assets in the vertical Shorts feed are shown with blurred tops and bottoms, which is the fit-to-width method. Cropping fills the screen but needs the subject near the center. The video resizer does both in your browser: it crops or fits a video to 9:16, 1:1, 4:5 or 16:9 and fills the gaps with blur or a color. The aspect ratio calculator works out the matching height or width for any other size.
A quick check before posting
- Export a still frame at full size and draw the margins on it: 269 px top, 672 px bottom, 65 px sides at 1080 x 1920.
- Check that every caption, title, logo and price sits inside the box for its whole time on screen.
- Use the platform's own preview or template, since caption length and ad formats change the covered area.
- Watch it once on a phone with the sound off, to see whether the captions alone carry the message.
Frequently asked questions
What is a safe zone in vertical video?
The part of the frame that the app's own interface does not cover. Profile names, captions, like and share buttons and call-to-action buttons sit over the top and bottom of a full-screen vertical video. Text and logos placed outside the safe zone can be hidden or cut off.
What are the safe zone margins for 1080 x 1920 video?
Meta's ads guide for Reels and Stories asks you to keep about 14 percent at the top, 35 percent at the bottom and 6 percent on each side free of text and key elements. At 1080 x 1920 that is about 269 pixels at the top, 672 at the bottom and 65 at each side, leaving a box of about 950 x 979 pixels.
Are safe zones the same on every app?
No. Google's help for vertical video ads says overlays, calls to action and buttons can appear in different places depending on the format, campaign type and screen, and TikTok's ads help says the safe zone depends on the dimensions, the caption length and any extra ad formats. Use each platform's own template or preview.
Where should captions go in a vertical video?
Inside the safe zone, usually in its lower part, above the bottom margin where the account name, description and buttons sit. On a 1080 x 1920 frame using Meta's margins, that means keeping the lowest caption line above about 1,248 pixels from the top.
What happens to a horizontal video in a vertical feed?
Google says horizontal assets in the vertical Shorts experience are shown with blurred tops and bottoms. Fitted to the width of a 1080 x 1920 frame, a 16:9 video fills only about a third of the height. Cropping it to 9:16 instead keeps only about a third of its width.
Sources
- Meta Business Help Center, ads guide: Reels video ad specs (keep at least 14% at the top, 35% at the bottom and 6% on each side free of text, logos and key elements; 9:16; 1440 x 2560 recommended)
- Meta Business Help Center, ads guide: Stories video ad specs (same 14%, 35% and 6% margins; 9:16; 1440 x 2560)
- Google Ads Help: Use square and vertical video (keep logo, product and text inside the red safe area; overlays, calls to action and buttons vary by format, campaign type and screen)
- Google Ads Help: Shorts ads asset specs and best practices (9:16 best suited; horizontal assets shown with blurred top and bottom)
- TikTok Ads Help: In-feed ads (9:16 recommended, at least 540 x 960; safe zone depends on dimension, caption length and added formats; downloadable safe zone files; preview may differ slightly from live)