TikTok safe zone checker
See where TikTok's buttons, caption and top tabs cover a slide, and where your text is safe, before you post. Add your slides to check each one, or download the overlay as a PNG for your own editor. Your images never leave your browser.
Free, no sign-up. Updated 29 October 2026.
What the shaded areas are
On a 1080 x 1920 px TikTok slide, the app draws over three areas. Keep text and faces inside the safe text area, the dashed box:
| Area | Size on a 1080 x 1920 slide | What sits there |
|---|---|---|
| Safe text area | 755 x 1209 px, 65 px from the left and 250 px from the top | Headlines, body text, prices and faces |
| Top | The top 250 px | Following and For You tabs, search and the phone's status bar |
| Right | 173 px wide, from 786 px to 1671 px down | Profile picture, like, comment, save and share buttons, and the sound disc |
| Bottom | The bottom 350 px | Username, caption and sound name |
These areas are the guide Wavegrain's editor uses when it places text: the shaded areas a little larger than the app's own buttons, and the safe text area smaller again. They are not an official TikTok figure. The app's layout changes with the phone, the app version and the length of your caption.
How to check a slideshow
- Choose TikTok or Instagram Reels.
- Add your slides. You can add up to 35, the most one TikTok photo post holds.
- Look for text, faces or prices outside the dashed box, and move them inside it in your design.
- Slides that are not 9:16 show with bars, as the app shows them. Export at 1080 x 1920 to fill the screen, or make the slides in the free TikTok slideshow maker, which keeps the text inside the safe area.
New to slideshows? Start with how to make a TikTok slideshow, check the Instagram carousel sizes, or borrow a format from the slideshow ideas by niche.
Questions
What is the TikTok safe zone?
It is the part of a 9:16 post that TikTok does not cover with its own buttons, caption and top tabs. Text outside it can sit under the like button or the caption, where people cannot read it.
Where is it safe to put text on a 1080 x 1920 slide?
Inside a box of about 755 x 1209 px that starts 65 px from the left and 250 px from the top. That leaves about 260 px clear on the right and 461 px at the bottom. The buttons themselves cover less than that, but their place changes with the phone, the app version and the caption length, so the box keeps a margin.
Are my slides uploaded?
No. The checker opens your images in this browser tab only. Nothing is sent to Wavegrain, and closing the tab clears them.
Does Instagram Reels cover the same areas?
The top and bottom bands are the same in our guide, and the button column is shorter: it starts at 1102 px. Switch the checker to Instagram Reels to see it.
Can I use the overlay in Canva or another editor?
Yes. Download the overlay PNG, a 1080 x 1920 image with the covered areas shaded, the safe text area outlined and the rest clear. Put it on top of your design as the last layer, and hide it before you export.