Reels and Stories safe zones, in pixels
Meta asks you to keep text, logos and key visuals out of the top 14%, the bottom 35% and 6% on each side of a 9:16 Reels or Stories ad. On a 1080 x 1920 frame that's the top 269 pixels, the bottom 672 pixels and 65 pixels on each side. What's left is a box about 950 x 979 pixels in the upper middle.
By Emma Hollis. Writes our guides to Meta video ads, from what we see making ads with RhythmAds.
A pen name for the RhythmAds team. The photo is AI-generated.
Updated
RhythmAds keeps text, captions and the logo out of the top 14%, the bottom 20% and 6% each side of a 9:16 ad: 269, 384 and 65 pixels. Our bottom margin is smaller than the 35% Meta lists today, so the lowest caption line can sit in the band Meta says the button may cover. On 4:5 and 1:1 we keep the top 6% and bottom 10% clear.
The safe zone on a 1080 x 1920 frame
| Edge | Meta's margin | Pixels on 1080 x 1920 |
|---|---|---|
| Top | 14% | 269 px (y 0 to 269) |
| Bottom | About 35% | 672 px (y 1248 to 1920) |
| Left | 6% | 65 px |
| Right | 6% | 65 px |
| Safe box left over | About 88% wide, 51% tall | x 65 to 1015, y 269 to 1248 |
Meta names the profile icon and the call-to-action button as what covers these areas, and says anything placed there may be cropped or hidden. The same three numbers appear on the Instagram Reels, Instagram Stories and Facebook Stories pages of the Ads Guide.
Our numbers next to Meta's
| Size | Top | Bottom | Each side |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:16, 1080 x 1920 | 14% (269 px) | 20% (384 px) | 6% (65 px) |
| 4:5, 1080 x 1350 | 6% (81 px) | 10% (135 px) | 6% (65 px) |
| 1:1, 1080 x 1080 | 6% (65 px) | 10% (108 px) | 6% (65 px) |
| 16:9, 1920 x 1080 | 7% (76 px) | 12% (130 px) | 5% (96 px) |
Top and sides match Meta on 9:16. The bottom doesn't: we stop at 20% where Meta now asks for about 35%. If your ad text is long, preview the Reels placement in Ads Manager and check that the last caption line isn't hidden behind the button.
Sources: [1]
What has to stay inside, and what can bleed out
- Keep inside: the hook line, captions, prices and offer text, your logo, the product name.
- Keep inside: the product itself in the scene that shows it, or at least the part that makes it recognizable.
- Fine outside: background, scenery, hands, the rest of the room. Being covered costs nothing.
- Fine outside: motion that enters the frame from an edge, as long as it ends inside the box.
Checking a frame by eye
- Pause on the busiest frame of each scene, usually the hook and the offer.
- Draw a line about one seventh of the way down from the top, and one a third of the way up from the bottom.
- Anything you need people to read should sit between the two lines and away from the side edges.
- Meta also offers a Reels safe zone checker template if you'd rather overlay it in your editor.
Sources: [5]
Where this stops being true
Meta describes the bottom margin as 'about' 35%, and the real overlay height changes with how long your ad text is and which button you choose. These numbers are for 9:16 Reels and Stories only. Feeds have their own, smaller overlays and Meta doesn't publish a pixel safe zone for them; our 4:5 and 1:1 margins are our own choice, not Meta's.
Questions
- What is the safe zone for Instagram Reels ads?
- Meta's Ads Guide asks you to keep key text and logos out of the top 14%, the bottom 35% and 6% on each side. On 1080 x 1920 that's 269 pixels at the top, 672 at the bottom and 65 on each side.
- Is the Stories safe zone the same as Reels?
- Yes. Meta lists the same 14%, about 35% and 6% margins on its Instagram Stories and Facebook Stories pages as on Instagram Reels.
- What happens if my text is outside the safe zone?
- Meta says it may be cropped or covered by the profile icon or the call-to-action button. The ad still runs; people just may not be able to read that part.
- Do feed ads have a safe zone?
- Meta's Ads Guide doesn't give one for Facebook or Instagram Feed. We still keep the top 6% and bottom 10% of our 4:5 and 1:1 ads clear so nothing touches the edge.
See it on your own product
Paste a product page link. You get three ad ideas and a scene-by-scene storyboard, free, before you sign up.
Sources
- 1.Meta Ads Guide: Instagram Reels ad specs, safe zone guidance, checked October 30, 2026
- 2.Meta Ads Guide: Instagram Reels video ad specs, checked October 30, 2026
- 3.Meta Ads Guide: Instagram Stories video ad specs, checked October 30, 2026
- 4.Meta Ads Guide: Facebook Stories video ad specs, checked October 30, 2026
- 5.Meta for Business: Instagram and Facebook Reels ads, checked October 30, 2026