Vertical video · margins
Story & Reel safe zone.
Platforms cover the edges of a vertical video with buttons, captions and names. Set your own margins as percentages and get the safe box in pixels. Runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
Frame and margins
Safe box
Fill the form and press Calculate.
Worked example
On a 1080 × 1920 frame with a 10% top, 20% bottom and 5% side margins: top = 192 px, bottom = 384 px, left and right = 54 px each. The safe box is 1080 − 108 = 972 wide by 1920 − 576 = 1344 tall, starting at (54, 192), which keeps 63% of the frame.
How it works
Each margin in pixels is the frame side × the percentage, rounded to a whole pixel. The safe box is what is left. The starting values (10% top, 20% bottom, 5% sides) are a common rule of thumb we chose, not a published standard from any platform; buttons, captions and profile names sit in different places on each app and change with updates. Adjust the percentages after checking the platform’s own preview.
Where platforms do publish safe-zone files they are for ads. TikTok’s "TikTok Auction In-Feed Ads" page (opened 8 October 2026) lists vertical non-Spark ads as 9:16 at 540 × 960 px or more, and says the safe zone depends on the dimension, the caption length and any extra formats used, with downloadable safe-zone files. YouTube Help (thumbnails page, opened 8 October 2026) recommends 9:16 for Shorts thumbnails.
Sources, opened 8 October 2026: TikTok Auction In-Feed Ads - TikTok Ads Manager Business Help Centre; Add custom thumbnails on YouTube - YouTube Help. Margin percentages above are a rule of thumb, not from these pages.
FAQ
What is a safe zone?
The part of a vertical frame that stays clear of the buttons, captions and names the app draws on top of your video, so text and logos stay readable.
What are the exact safe zone margins for Reels, Stories, Shorts and TikTok?
No single published number covers them. This tool starts at 10% top, 20% bottom and 5% sides as a rule of thumb. TikTok publishes downloadable safe-zone files for ads that vary by caption length and format.
What size is a vertical video frame?
1080 × 1920 is the usual 9:16 frame. TikTok lists 9:16 at 540 × 960 px or more for vertical non-Spark ads.
Should I trust a template over this tool?
Yes, when the platform gives one. Use this tool to convert any margin percentages into pixels for your frame.
Disclaimer
Margins are a rule of thumb and apps change their layouts. Always check the platform’s own preview before you publish.