Free TikTok Safe Zone Checker

Quick answer: On a 1080×1920 canvas, keep key text and graphics at least 160px from the top, 420px from the bottom, 40px from the left and 140px from the right for TikTok. These are measured estimates, last reviewed 2026-09-28, and can shift if the app updates its layout.

TikTok's interface covers more of the frame than any other short-form platform, particularly at the bottom of the screen, where the caption, sound ticker and username can eat nearly a quarter of the total height. A layout that would be safe on Reels or Shorts can still get clipped on TikTok, which is why creators who design for TikTok first tend to have the least rework when they repost the same edit elsewhere. The margins below come from measuring the live app directly, not from an official spec sheet, since TikTok does not publish one.

TikTok safe-zone dimensions

Canvas	1080×1920 (9:16)
Top margin	160 px
Bottom margin	420 px
Left margin	40 px
Right margin	140 px
Profile grid crop	1080×1350 — 285 px trimmed top and bottom
Caption limit	4,000 characters
Caption cut-off	3 lines
Recommended hashtags	4
Max duration	600 s
Max file size	2,000 MB

What TikTok covers

TikTok draws a search bar and "Following / For You" toggle across the top, a column of like, comment, share, bookmark and sound-disc icons down the right edge, and the username, caption and scrolling sound ticker across the bottom. That bottom block is the tallest safe-zone margin of the three platforms covered here, because TikTok captions can run to three lines before collapsing and the sound ticker sits directly beneath them.

Why the bottom margin runs to 420 pixels

A three-line caption plus the sound ticker occupies a large, variable-height area near the bottom edge. On shorter phone screens, that block can reach even further up the frame than on a tall flagship phone, so a wide bottom margin is the safest default. Anything placed lower than roughly 420 pixels from the bottom of a 1920-pixel canvas risks being covered on at least some devices.

Captions and hashtags

TikTok allows captions up to 4,000 characters, the longest limit of the three platforms, but only the first three lines display before the "more" button appears. Put your hook and your call to action in those first three lines, and keep hashtags to around four — more than that reads as spam to both viewers and TikTok's own ranking systems.

Subtitles and text overlays

TikTok's own auto-captions and interactive stickers typically land between 1,350 and 1,650 pixels from the top of the frame. Burned-in subtitles placed in that same band will double up with native captions when a viewer turns them on, so either raise your subtitles above that zone or disable native captions for that post.

Designing once for TikTok, Reels and Shorts

If you plan to repost the same video across all three platforms, design to TikTok's margins first — they are the widest — and your layout will typically also clear Reels and Shorts. Use the "Compare TikTok/Reels/Shorts" view above to confirm before exporting a single cut for all three.

Common mistakes worth fixing

The most frequent mistake on TikTok is trusting a preview that looks clean in an editing app but was never checked against the app's own chrome — TikTok's interface, especially the sound ticker, changes height slightly across app versions, so a small buffer beyond the stated 420-pixel bottom margin is cheap insurance. Another common issue is stacking a large call-to-action sticker on the right edge, where it collides with the vertical icon column; move it left of center instead. And because TikTok supports videos far longer than Reels or Shorts, creators sometimes forget that a safe layout at second one can drift out of frame by the time a handheld shot ends — recheck safe zones at both the start and the end of a clip, not just the cover frame.

A quick pre-export checklist

Before you publish, step through the clip once with the overlay on: does the hook — spoken or on-screen — land clear of both the top search bar and the wide bottom block that holds the caption and sound ticker? If you're using a text-heavy meme format, is every line of overlaid text still inside the dashed border once you account for a three-line caption pushing the ticker up further on shorter phones? If the video runs long, check the safe zones again near the end, not only at the cover frame, since handheld footage tends to drift. And if this edit is also headed to Reels or Shorts, confirm it still clears their narrower margins in the three-way comparison before you export a single cut for all three.

Frequently asked questions

What are the TikTok safe zone dimensions?

On a 1080×1920 canvas, keep key text and graphics at least 160px from the top, 420px from the bottom, 40px from the left and 140px from the right for TikTok. These are measured estimates, last reviewed 2026-09-28, and can shift if the app updates its layout.

How long can a TikTok caption be?

Up to 4,000 characters, but only the first 3 lines show before the "more" button truncates it.

What's the maximum length for a TikTok video?

600 seconds, with a maximum file size around 2,000 MB.

Does FrameGuard upload my video or image?

No. Every file is read and drawn to a canvas inside your browser. Nothing is uploaded to a server, so your unreleased content stays private.

Are these safe zone numbers official?

No platform publishes exact pixel values for its interface. These are measured estimates, checked directly against the live apps, and each page shows the date they were last reviewed.

Is FrameGuard free?

Yes. The visualizer, caption studio, comparison view and PNG export are free with no account or sign-up.

Other platform guides

Last reviewed 2026-09-28. Found a margin that looks off? Tell us.