The Instagram Reels safe zone is the middle of a 9:16 frame. On a 1080 x 1920 video, keep text, logos and faces out of roughly the top 270 pixels, the bottom 672 pixels and about 65 pixels on each side. That's Meta's own Ads Guide margin, worked out in pixels, and Stories use the same margins.
Every spec and rule on this page comes from Meta's own Ads Guide and Business Help Center, read as of October 2026. Meta gives the margins as shares of the frame, so the pixel figures below are those shares calculated on the two sizes people use most.
The bit most people get wrong is the bottom. It isn't a thin strip. Meta asks you to keep more than a third of the frame clear at the bottom, because that's where the caption, the audio line, the call to action and the profile name sit. A headline placed where it looks fine in your editor is very often the line that ends up hidden.
The safe zone in pixels
Meta's Ads Guide pages for Instagram Reels and Instagram Stories use the same wording: leave the top, the bottom and each side free of text, logos and other key elements. Here are those margins on the two common 9:16 sizes.
| Edge | On 1080 x 1920 | On 1440 x 2560 (Meta's recommended Reels ad size) |
|---|---|---|
| Top (keep clear) | About 270 pixels | About 360 pixels |
| Bottom (keep clear) | 672 pixels | 896 pixels |
| Each side (keep clear) | About 65 pixels | About 86 pixels |
| Safe area left for text | About 950 x 980 pixels in the middle | About 1,268 x 1,306 pixels in the middle |
If your video is a different 9:16 size, scale the same way: the top margin is a little under a seventh of the height, the bottom margin is just over a third of the height, and each side is a thin sliver of the width.
Why the bottom margin is so big
Meta's help page on text overlays explains the reason in one line: the safe zone is the area where important elements won't be cropped out or covered by the interface, such as the profile icon or a call to action. On Reels the bottom of the screen carries your account name, caption, audio and the button. On Stories ads, Meta adds a call-to-action sticker that's placed at the bottom automatically, and it tells you to follow the safe zone so the sticker doesn't cover your text or logo.
There's a second reason that catches people out. Meta says that on phones taller than 9:16, it may zoom your creative to fill the screen, which crops whatever sits outside the safe zone, or show it at 9:16 with black bars. You can't control which one a viewer gets, so the only safe plan is to keep anything important in the middle.
The stricter rule for ads with disclaimers
If your Reels ad carries a disclaimer, Meta's help page asks for more room: leave the bottom two fifths of the ad free of text, logos and other key elements. On a 1080 x 1920 video that's the bottom 768 pixels, nearly 100 pixels more than the normal margin. If your ad needs small print, plan for this from the start: the Ads Guide page for Reels doesn't repeat it.
Planning a clip for Reels or Stories? Check how long an Instagram video ad can run as well.
How to check your safe zone before you publish
- Build your video at 1080 x 1920 or 1440 x 2560 in a 9:16 ratio. Meta's Ads Guide recommends 1440 x 2560 for Reels ads and 1080 x 1920 is Meta's recommended Stories resolution.
- Draw guides in your editor at the pixel lines in the table above, then keep every word, logo and product shot inside them.
- In Meta Ads Manager, turn on the Safe zone guardrail when you add your media. Meta shows the safe zone as the area inside a yellow overlay on your creative.
- Preview the ad in the Stories and Reels placements, and look at where the caption and button land over your design.
- If a line sits close to the bottom guide, move it up. Bigger and higher is safer than small and low.
Need the full canvas size before you work out the margins? See every Instagram ad placement's dimensions.
Feed ads and the safe zone
Meta's guidance isn't only for full-screen placements. For Instagram Feed ads in 1:1 or 4:5, keep the bottom and side edges clear. And a 9:16 video shown in Instagram Feed follows the same safe zone guidance as Reels and Stories, so one vertical edit with clean margins works across all three. That saves you making and checking a separate version for every placement.
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If you need the full list of sizes for each placement, the guide to Instagram Story dimensions for photos and videos covers the organic side, and the Facebook Reels ads specs and safe zones page covers the same rules on Facebook.
My advice
Design for the middle and treat everything else as background. I'd put the main message in the upper half of the safe area, keep it to one short line, and add captions rather than packing text into the frame. Then check one preview on a real phone before you spend money. It takes two minutes and it's the cheapest fix you'll ever make to an ad.
Related guides live in the Instagram Help: 81 Guides to Followers, Hashtags, Money, Accounts and Fixes.
Related reading: instagram reels dashboard link.
Frequently asked questions
What is the safe zone for Instagram Reels?
On a 1080 x 1920 video, keep text and logos out of roughly the top 270 pixels, the bottom 672 pixels and about 65 pixels on each side. These are Meta's Ads Guide margins worked out in pixels.
Is the Instagram Story safe zone the same as Reels?
Yes. Meta's Ads Guide gives Instagram Stories and Instagram Reels the same top, bottom and side margins for video ads.
Why does Instagram cover the bottom of my Reel?
The caption, audio, account name and call to action sit at the bottom of the screen. Meta also says taller phones may zoom your creative, which crops anything outside the safe zone.
What size should a Reels ad be?
Meta's Ads Guide recommends 9:16 at 1440 x 2560 pixels, MP4 or MOV, with a duration of up to 15 minutes and a maximum file size of 4 GB.
Does Ads Manager show the safe zone?
Yes. Turn on the Safe zone guardrail and Meta shows the safe zone as the area inside a yellow overlay on your creative.
