TikTok Safe Zone 2026: Dimensions, Template and Checker
Short answer: on a 1080×1920 TikTok In-Feed ad, keep text, logos and faces out of the top 240 px, the bottom 660 px and 120 px on each side. From y 840 down, the action button column also covers x 780 to 960, so the right margin grows to 300 px in the lower part of the frame. What remains is a clear box of 840 × 1020 px that narrows to 660 px wide below y 840. These numbers come from TikTok's own In-Feed ads template. TikTok publishes nothing for organic posts: measured in the app, the organic interface covers about 200 px at the top, 334 px at the bottom, 86 px on the left and 140 px on the right.
Check your video against the TikTok safe zone
Drop a 9:16 video or image into the Safe Zone Checker and the TikTok overlay is drawn over your own frame. It runs in your browser, so nothing is uploaded. Use the ads preset for In-Feed Ads and Spark Ads, and the feed preset for organic posts.
TikTok safe zone in pixels
TikTok's template is annotated on a 720×1280 canvas: 160 px top, 440 px bottom, 80 px on each side and an action column 120 px wide. Multiply by 1.5 for the 1080×1920 frame most teams deliver, and by 2 again for a 2160×3840 master. The organic column is our own measurement from the app, because TikTok does not publish one.
| Edge | In-Feed Ads (TikTok template) | Organic post (measured) |
|---|---|---|
| Top | 240 px (12.5%) | 200 px (10.4%) |
| Bottom | 660 px (34.4%) | 334 px (17.4%) |
| Left | 120 px (11.1%) | 86 px (8.0%) |
| Right | 120 px (11.1%), 300 px (27.8%) from y 840 down | 140 px (13.0%) |
| Action column | x 780 to 960, from y 840 down (180 px wide) | Inside the right margin |
| Clear box | 840 × 1020 px, from (120, 240) to (960, 1260), 660 px wide below y 840 | About 854 × 1386 px |
On a 4K master (2160×3840) the same template is 480 px top, 1320 px bottom and 240 px on each side, and the action column starts at x 1560 and y 1680. If you design at 720×1280, use TikTok's numbers as they are.
What sits in each zone
The margins are not arbitrary. Each one is reserved for a piece of the TikTok interface that is drawn on top of your video:
- Top 240 px: the app header with the Following and For You tabs, LIVE and search. It is not part of the ad, but it covers your frame on every view.
- Right column: the profile photo with the follow button, then like, comment, save and share, and the sound disc. On Spark Ads these stay live: viewers can tap the profile photo or nickname to open the account and follow it with the plus sign.
- Bottom 660 px: the account name, the ad caption, the Sponsored label, the call to action button and the progress bar. For app install ads TikTok also generates a download card automatically.
- Sides 120 px: nothing is drawn there on most phones, but TikTok's template reserves the space anyway. Treat it as a margin for devices that crop or cover the edges differently.
The profile photo has its own rule: TikTok asks for a 98×98 image and keeps key elements inside the central 66×66 px, because the photo is shown as a circle.
Spark Ads, non Spark ads and organic posts
Three kinds of TikTok video look alike in the feed but carry different overlays. The mistake media buyers make most often is assuming the organic safe zone still applies once a post is boosted.
| Non Spark In-Feed Ads | Spark Ads | Organic post | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A video uploaded as an ad | An existing organic post from your account or a creator's, boosted with permission | A normal post |
| Safe zone | TikTok template: 240 / 660 / 120 px plus column | Same template, because the ad interface is added on top | No official numbers, about 200 / 334 / 86 / 140 px measured |
| Caption | Uniform white font, no clickable links, @ mentions or hashtags | The organic caption, up to 4 lines displayed | The organic caption |
| Call to action | Yes | Yes | No |
| Engagement | Counted on the ad | Views, likes, comments, shares and follows go to the organic post | On the post |
The practical consequence: a creator video with subtitles sitting cleanly above the caption can be covered the moment you spark it, because the call to action button and the Sponsored label now sit in the band the creator used. Run the post through the checker with the ads preset before you ask for an authorization code, not after the campaign is live, since TikTok does not let you change ad assets once a reservation campaign has started.
How caption length changes the safe zone
The template's 660 px bottom margin assumes a normal caption. TikTok states that the safe zone adjusts with the video dimensions, the caption length and any interactive add ons, and that the longer the caption, the smaller the safe zone becomes. In practice:
- Up to 4 lines of caption are displayed, and anything longer is folded behind See more.
- For reservation In-Feed ads TikTok suggests keeping ad captions within 100 characters (50 in Chinese, Japanese and Korean) so they are not cut off by See more.
- In reservation campaigns, Spark Ads that pull an existing post accept a caption of up to 150 characters, or none at all.
- TikTok's download also contains an In-Feed with Anchor version of the template. Use that version instead of the standard one for any ad that carries an anchor.
If your ad runs a four line caption or an interactive add on, keep subtitles and offers well above y 1260, and preview the caption on a phone frame in the Social Mockup Preview before you export.
Where to put subtitles, logos and offers
- Subtitles: the lowest safe line is y 1260. Below y 840 they must also stay left of x 780, so a subtitle block from x 120 to 780 and roughly y 1000 to 1240 clears both the caption and the buttons.
- Logos: anchor them at or below y 240, inside the side margins. The top left corner of the safe box, (120, 240), is the usual spot.
- Prices, offers and legal text: the upper half of the safe box (y 240 to 840) is the only area with the full 840 px width, so put wide text there.
- Faces and products: keep them in the centre. Anything framed at the right edge is where the like and share buttons sit.
Using the template in Premiere Pro, CapCut and After Effects
The safe zone templates page draws the TikTok mask from the same numbers as the checker, at 1080×1920 or 2160×3840, as a transparent PNG.
- Download the TikTok template and import it into your project.
- Place it on the top video track, above everything else, for the full length of the sequence. In CapCut, add it with Overlay and scale it to fill the canvas.
- Set the layer to around 50% opacity so you can see the footage underneath.
- Position subtitles, stickers and lower thirds inside the clear box, and keep anything below y 840 out of the column on the right.
- Disable or delete the guide layer before you export.
- Load the export into the checker with the ads preset as a final check.
Common mistakes
- Designing ads with organic numbers. The organic interface covers about 334 px at the bottom. The ad template reserves 660 px, almost twice as much.
- Ignoring the action column. A full width lower third between y 840 and y 1260 runs straight into the buttons.
- Reusing numbers from third party blogs. Figures such as 150 px top, 440 px bottom and 60 px sides are not in TikTok's file. Neither are the 220 px top, 480 px bottom and 250 px right values that older guides, this site included, have printed.
- Forgetting to scale. The template is annotated at 720×1280. Using 160 px at 1080p leaves your text 80 px too high in the danger zone.
- Uploading landscape by default. TikTok accepts 16:9 and 1:1 ads, but 9:16 is its recommended format and the only one that fills the screen.
- Exporting with the guide still visible. It happens more often than anyone admits. Check the first frame of every export.
TikTok safe zone FAQ
What is the TikTok safe zone in pixels?
For In-Feed Ads on 1080×1920: 240 px top, 660 px bottom, 120 px on each side, plus the action column at x 780 to 960 from y 840 down. That leaves 840 × 1020 px, narrowing to 660 px wide in the lower part.
Is there an official TikTok safe zone template?
Yes, for ads. TikTok's In-Feed ads help article links a ZIP with the In-Feed Standard and In-Feed with Anchor templates, in left to right and right to left versions. Our PNG template redraws the standard version at 1080×1920.
Does TikTok publish an organic safe zone?
No. TikTok's safe zone files are for ads only. The organic values used here (about 200 / 334 / 86 / 140 px) are measured from the app and should be treated as a guide.
Do Spark Ads use the organic or the ad safe zone?
The ad safe zone. A Spark Ad is an organic post, but it is shown with the ad interface, including the call to action button, so the 660 px bottom margin applies.
What resolution should a TikTok video ad be?
Vertical 9:16 is recommended, at 540×960 px or more. 1080×1920 is the usual delivery size. Horizontal 16:9 (960×540 or more) and square 1:1 (640×640 or more) are also accepted. The full list is in our TikTok ad specs guide.
Why is the right side of the TikTok safe zone wider in the lower half?
Because the profile photo, like, comment, save and share buttons form a column on the right. TikTok's template marks it as a separate block from y 840 down, which is why the checker draws a notch rather than a straight margin.
Related guides and tools
- TikTok ad specs 2026: every In-Feed, Spark, TopView and carousel requirement in one table.
- Instagram Reels safe zone template: Meta's 14% top and 35% bottom rule.
- YouTube Shorts safe zone: Google's vertical ads template.
- Snapchat safe zone: including a side by side comparison with TikTok.
- Social and IAB specs matrix: every platform's safe zone with its source.
Sources, checked 27 and 28 September 2026: TikTok auction In-Feed ads specifications and its In-Feed Standard template (Feed.png, dated 15 April 2025), TikTok reservation In-Feed ads specifications, About Spark Ads. Organic values are measured in the TikTok app.