Instagram Reels safe zone in Reels, the feed and the profile grid.
On Instagram Reels, on a 1080 x 1920 video, the interface covers about 250 pixels at the top, 420 at the bottom, with the profile, post caption and audio, and 130 on the right, where the buttons are. Load a frame and see where text shows in Reels, in the 4:5 feed preview and in an ad.
Free, no sign-upWant the vertical clip done for you? We reframe your video to 9:16 following the speaker and add captions wherever you place them. Try it free
At 4:5 and 1:1, the app shows your video centered with bars above and below. The overlay marks only what the interface covers inside your frame.
Approximate reference, reviewed October 2026: every app moves its buttons between versions, phones and account types. Use this as a guide, not an official spec.
How to check the Reels safe zone
- 01
Open it with Reels selected
The overlay starts on Reels at 9:16. Switch to Instagram feed to see the preview crop, or to Stories.
- 02
Load a frame of the video
Use the cover image or the video itself, at the moment the hook text or the caption is on screen.
- 03
Check all three places
Reels, the feed and ads cover different parts. Adjust the text until it fits all of them and download the transparent overlay for your editor.
What is the Instagram Reels safe zone in 2026?
Reels fill the whole screen, 1080 x 1920 pixels. At the top are the tab title and the camera icon, in a taller band than TikTok's. On the right, top to bottom: like, comment, repost, send, the three-dot menu and the audio thumbnail. At the bottom, the profile picture and name, the Follow button, the first line of the post caption, the audio and tags.
The overlay uses margins reviewed October 2026 against recent creator measurements. They shift a little with the phone and app version, so leave room beyond the numbers in the table.
| Part of the screen | Margin at 1080 x 1920 | What sits there |
|---|---|---|
| Top | 250 px | Tab title, camera |
| Right | 130 px | Like, comment, repost, send, audio |
| Bottom | 420 px | Profile, Follow, post caption, audio |
| Left | 60 px | Screen edge |
Where should captions go on Reels?
On Reels, captions stay visible between the middle of the screen and the start of the profile block, up to about 1500 pixels high, centered and with 130 pixels clear on the right. The safest spot is between 1050 and 1350 pixels: above the profile picture and Follow, and away from the button column, which starts around the middle of the screen.
A hook in the first seconds needs care at the top: the 250 pixel band is the tallest of the short video apps. Start opening text from about 300 pixels down. A logo or show name works best top left, below that band.
- Captions: centered, between 1050 and 1350 px high.
- Hook: from 300 px down, in the top third.
- Nothing important within 130 px of the right edge.
- Logo: top left, below the top band.
Why do Reels look cropped in the feed and on the profile?
Outside the Reels tab, the video doesn't show in full. In the feed, Instagram shows a Reel as a 4:5 preview, cropping about 285 pixels off the top and 285 off the bottom of the 1920 frame. On the profile grid, which has used 3:4 thumbnails since 2025, the crop is about 240 pixels on each end. A hook written high in the video, perfect in the Reels tab, disappears in the feed preview.
Pick Instagram feed in the tool to see the 4:5 preview area on your frame. Text that must show everywhere belongs in the middle band, between 300 and 1500 pixels, which survives the feed crop, the grid crop and the Reels interface at once.
| Where it shows | Ratio | Crop on a 1080 x 1920 Reel (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Reels tab | 9:16 | None, just the interface on top |
| Feed | 4:5 | 285 px top and bottom |
| Profile grid | 3:4 | 240 px top and bottom |
What is the Reels ad safe zone?
Meta's ads guide recommends leaving about 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% of each side free of text, logos and key elements for Reels and Stories. On a 1080 x 1920 frame, that's 269 pixels at the top, 672 at the bottom and 65 on the sides. On Reels, the button column also reaches into the bottom-right corner.
The bottom is much bigger than a post's because an ad adds the sponsored label, the ad text and the call to action button. Pick Ad (official guide) as the type of post to see those areas, and check the Ads Manager preview too before publishing.
More than a safe zone template. Vertical clips that come out framed right.
See also
Frequently asked questions
What is the Reels safe zone in pixels?
On a 1080 x 1920 frame, keep about 250 pixels clear at the top, 420 at the bottom, 130 on the right and 60 on the left on a regular post. For ads, Meta recommends 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% of the sides: 269, 672 and 65 pixels.
Where do captions stay visible on Reels?
Centered, between 1050 and 1350 pixels high on a 1920 video, above the profile and post caption and away from the buttons on the right. Pinned to the bottom, they sit behind the profile name and Follow button.
Why is my Reel cropped in the feed?
Because the feed shows a Reel as a 4:5 preview, which crops about 285 pixels off the top and bottom. Keep the hook and faces in the middle band of the frame so they show in the feed and in Reels.
Is the Stories safe zone the same as Reels?
No. Stories have no button column on the right: the interface covers the progress bar and profile at the top and the reply field at the bottom. The tool has a Stories option, with post margins and the ones from Meta's ads guide.
What size is an Instagram Reel?
1080 x 1920 pixels, 9:16. Instagram takes other formats, but only 9:16 fills the screen in the Reels tab. The cover shows cropped to 4:5 in the feed and to 3:4 on the profile grid.
How do I use the Reels overlay in my editor?
Download the overlay only as a transparent PNG and put it on a layer above the video, at 1080 x 1920. Keep titles and captions outside the marked areas and turn the layer off before exporting.
Reels ready, with captions in the right spot. We make them.
Upload the long video. We find the best moments, reframe them to 9:16 following whoever is speaking and add animated captions where you choose, clear of the Reels profile block and buttons.
See the result on your own recording before adding a card.