Instagram Reels and Stories safe zone checker for Meta ads
Updated on November 6, 2026 · Team Pantheon
The safe zone is the part of a 9:16 ad that the interface leaves visible. Meta advises keeping text, logos and key elements out of the top 14%, the bottom 35% and 6% on each side, with the same values for Reels and Stories. On a 1080 × 1920 file that is 269 px, 672 px and 65 px. Upload your image below to see what falls outside.
It runs in your browser: the image is never uploaded or saved. Meta gives the margins as approximate percentages and changes its interface from time to time, so confirm the result in the placement preview of Meta Ads Manager.
Check your creative
Upload a 9:16 image or a frame exported from your video. The red areas are the ones the interface can cover.
For a video, export one frame, ideally the first one and the one with the call to action.
Free area for text, faces and logos
Top 269 px · bottom 672 px · sides 65 px, leaving 950 × 979 px (on 1080 × 1920).
- Red: can be covered by the profile name, the call-to-action button, the caption or the reaction icons.
- Dashed green: area where text, faces and logos stay readable.
How to check a Reels or Stories creative
- Export at 9:16. Meta recommends 1440 × 2560; 1080 × 1920 works the same way. For a video, export the first frame and the frame with the offer or the button.
- Upload the image in the checker above. It stays on your device.
- Move anything in the red areas into the dashed green area: headline, price, faces, logo, subtitles.
- Confirm in Ads Manager. Open the placement preview for Reels and Stories before you publish: it is the only check that reflects the current interface.
What are the safe zone margins for Reels and Stories ads?
Meta's Ads Guide gives the same margins for Reels and Stories, on Instagram and Facebook: leave about 14% at the top, 35% at the bottom and 6% on each side free of text, logos and key elements. On a 1080 × 1920 creative that is 269 px, 672 px and 65 px; on the recommended 1440 × 2560, 358 px, 896 px and 86 px.
| Size | Top | Bottom | Each side | Free area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1080 × 1920 px | 269 px | 672 px | 65 px | 950 × 979 px |
| 1440 × 2560 px | 358 px | 896 px | 86 px | 1268 × 1306 px |
Source: the Meta Ads Guide for Reels and Stories placements, checked on 6 November 2026. Meta calls the percentages approximate and changes its interface from time to time, so the placement preview in Ads Manager has the last word.
Free Instagram safe zone template (PNG)
Download the transparent overlay with the same margins as the checker. Put it on the top layer in Canva, CapCut or Premiere, design underneath, then hide or delete it before you export.
What goes in each zone
| Zone | What can cover it | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Top | Profile name, the Sponsored label and the progress bar | Keep the headline and any face below it. |
| Bottom | The ad caption and the call-to-action button | Do not draw your own button there: it will sit under the real one. Leave subtitles above it. |
| Sides | Reaction and share icons, and the screen edge | Keep text away from the right edge in particular. |
| Center | Nothing, apart from taps and swipes | Put the hook, the offer and the face here. |
Common mistakes with Reels and Stories ads
- Placing the offer or the price in the bottom third. It is the zone most often hidden by the caption and the button.
- Reusing a 4:5 feed image. Meta pads or crops it; design the vertical version on purpose.
- Following old Stories specs. Older guides give Stories a 250 px top and 340 px bottom margin. Meta's Ads Guide now asks for 35% at the bottom in Stories too, the same as Reels.
- Putting subtitles at the very bottom. Move them up, inside the green area, and check the first three seconds of the video.
- Trusting a template forever. Interfaces change: check the preview again when you reuse an old creative.
Safe zone questions
What is the safe zone in a Facebook or Instagram ad?
It is the part of the screen that the interface of Reels, Stories or Facebook leaves visible. The profile name, caption, call-to-action button and icons sit over the edges of the creative, so text and faces placed there can be hidden.
What size should a Reels or Stories ad be?
Meta recommends 1440 × 2560 pixels at 9:16; 1080 × 1920 has the same ratio and the margins scale with it. A file with a different ratio is padded or cropped by Meta, which moves the margins and makes this check less accurate.
Is the safe zone the same for Reels and Stories?
Yes. Meta's Ads Guide now gives the same margins for Reels and Stories: about 14% at the top, 35% at the bottom and 6% on each side. Older guides gave Stories a 340 px bottom margin, a value Meta's guide no longer lists.
Does this tool upload my image?
No. The file is read by your browser to draw the preview and is never sent to a server.
Can I check a video?
Export a frame as an image, ideally the first one and the one with the call to action, and upload it. The tool checks images only.
Are these margins official?
Yes. The percentages come from Meta's Ads Guide for Reels and Stories placements, which calls them approximate. The pixel values are those percentages rounded on your file. Confirm them in the placement preview of Meta Ads Manager before you publish.
Safe margins make the ad readable. To find out which ads in your market are worth studying in the first place, read how to use the Meta Ad Library and try the Ad Library search builder. To know how much each lead can cost you, use the cost per lead calculator.
Find the ads that have run the longest in your market
Pantheon builds a radar on your offer, shows how long each ad has been live and explains why it works. Start from a vertical ad that survived, then check its safe zone here before you adapt it.
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