Instagram Story & Reels Safe Zone Checker - TikTok, Shorts Too

Overlay the real app UI on your vertical image to catch hidden text.

Updated October 2026

Platform

Image or cover (any size)

Safe area for text is roughly 900 x 1280 px, centre-left.

Red areas are covered by the app's interface. Anything there is hidden.
White dashed boxes show the 1:1 and 4:5 crops used in the profile grid and feed.
Drag the image and zoom until faces and text sit in the clear area.

Private by design: your files are processed on your own device and never uploaded.

How to use

1 Pick the platform (Instagram Story, Reel, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Facebook Story).
2 Choose your image or Reel cover. It is fitted to 1080x1920.
3 Red areas are covered by the app interface; dashed boxes show the 1:1 and 4:5 grid crops.
4 Drag and zoom until text and faces are in the clear, then save the clean 1080x1920 image.

What the safe zones are

Vertical video apps draw their own interface over your content: profile name and progress bar at the top, caption, audio and reply bar at the bottom, and a column of like, comment and share buttons on the right. Instagram's Reels guidance leaves roughly a 900x1280 clear area; TikTok hides more of the bottom; YouTube Shorts covers a wide strip for the title. If your text sits in those areas, viewers never see it.

The grid crop problem

Reel covers and story highlights are also shown as 1:1 or 4:5 crops in the profile grid and the feed. The dashed boxes mark both crops so the main subject stays visible everywhere, not just in the full-screen player.

Workflow

Check the cover or thumbnail frame here before exporting from CapCut or Premiere, then place captions above the bottom zone in your editor. Export the clean 1080x1920 image from this tool to use as a Reel cover or story background.

Guides that use this tool

Questions

Are the overlay sizes official?

They follow Instagram's and TikTok's published creative guidelines and are updated when the apps change. Phones with different aspect ratios shift them slightly.

Can I check a video?

Upload a frame or the cover image. Video checking is on the roadmap.

Does the saved image include the red overlay?

No. The export is the clean fitted image at 1080x1920.

Is the image uploaded?

No. Everything runs in your browser.

What about Threads and Pinterest?

Threads uses feed posts (4:5). Pinterest idea pins use 9:16 with a small top overlay; the Instagram Story preset is close enough.