YouTube Shorts Safe Zone 2026: Dimensions, Template and Checker

Short answer: Google's template for vertical YouTube video ads, which covers Shorts ads, keeps the top 288 px, the bottom 672 px, the left 48 px and the right 192 px of a 1080×1920 frame free of text and logos. That leaves a safe box of 840 × 960 px, from (48, 288) to (888, 1248). YouTube publishes no safe zone for organic Shorts: measured in the app, the interface covers about 380 px at the top, 390 px at the bottom, 60 px on the left and 201 px on the right.

YouTube Shorts safe zone in pixels

Google publishes one vertical template, in the "Universal safe zones for video ads on YouTube" section of its video ad specs, and it applies to every vertical YouTube video ad, Shorts ads included. The organic column below is our measurement from the YouTube app, because Google does not publish one.

Two things stand out. The ad template reserves far more at the bottom than the organic interface, 672 px against about 390 px, because the ad adds a call to action and advertiser details under the caption area. And the box is not centred: 48 px on the left against 192 px on the right. A title that is centred on the frame is therefore 72 px off centre inside the safe box. On a 4K master (2160×3840) double every value: 576 px top, 1344 px bottom, 96 px left and 384 px right.

What sits in each zone

• Top: on organic Shorts, the search, camera and menu controls. On ads, Google's template keeps 288 px clear.
• Right column: like, dislike, comment, share and remix, with the sound or channel icon at the bottom. This is why the right margin is four times the left one.
• Bottom: the channel avatar and name, the Subscribe button, the title and the sound line. Ads add the advertiser details and a call to action button to this band, which is why the ads margin is 672 px.
• Left edge: only a thin margin. Google keeps 48 px clear so text does not touch the edge of the phone.

Shorts ads and organic Shorts

A Shorts ad is a vertical video served between Shorts in the Shorts feed. Viewers can skip it immediately by swiping, so the first second matters more than on any other YouTube format. Google recommends keeping Shorts ads under 60 seconds, and for video reach campaigns it lists 6 to 60 seconds as the recommended vertical length.

Organic Shorts can now run up to 3 minutes and must be square or vertical. Because organic Shorts carry no ad call to action, their bottom band is shallower, but their top band is deeper than the ad template. The safest single layout is the intersection of both: keep key content between y 380 and y 1248 and between x 60 and x 879. That box is 819 × 868 px and clears both the ad template and the measured organic interface.

If the same video runs as an organic Short and as an ad, design to that intersection. If it runs only as an ad, the Google template alone is the reference.

Shorts monetization and what it changes on screen

Monetized Shorts earn from ads that are viewed between videos in the Shorts feed, not from ads laid over them. YouTube pools that revenue each month in a Creator Pool, allocates it by each channel's share of engaged Shorts views, and monetizing creators keep 45% of what is allocated to them, whether or not they used music. Revenue tied to Shorts that use music is split between the Creator Pool and music licensing costs.

So monetization itself adds nothing on top of your frame. What does add an overlay is YouTube Shopping. You can tag up to 60 products in a Short. The tags always appear in the description and may also appear on the video as a product sticker, which sits in the bottom left corner by default. On shoppable Shorts, keep the lower left of the frame clear as well as the right column.

Views that do not count as engaged views, such as unedited clips from others' films or shows and reuploads without original additions, do not earn from the pool. That has nothing to do with the safe zone, but it matters more to revenue than any margin.

Where to put titles, subtitles and logos

• Subtitles: keep the lowest line above y 1248 for ads, and above roughly y 1530 for organic Shorts. Keep them left of x 888.
• Hooks and titles: the upper half of the safe box (y 288 to 768 on ads) is where a viewer's eye lands first, and it is clear on organic Shorts too once you stay below y 380.
• Logos: the top left of the safe box, (48, 288) on ads. Avoid the top right, where the menu sits on organic Shorts.
• Products: frame them left of centre rather than right, since the right 192 px is buttons.

Using the template in your editor

1. Download the YouTube Shorts template from the templates page. It is drawn from Google's vertical ads template at 1080×1920 or 2160×3840.
2. Place it on the top track of your Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve or CapCut timeline for the full duration, at around 50% opacity.
3. Move titles, captions and graphics into the clear box.
4. Turn the guide off before exporting, then run the export through the checker with the preset that matches where the video will run.

For the upload itself, YouTube recommends MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio, at about 8 Mbps for 1080p at 24 to 30 fps and 12 Mbps at 48 to 60 fps. The full list is in our YouTube ad specs guide.

Common mistakes

1. Centring text on the frame. The safe box is offset to the left, so centred text drifts toward the buttons.
2. Using organic measurements for an ad. The ad template reserves 672 px at the bottom, not 390.
3. Copying old numbers. Values such as 380 px top and bottom with an 885 × 1160 box were never in Google's template. The official vertical box is 840 × 960.
4. Forgetting the product sticker on shoppable Shorts, which lands in the bottom left.
5. A slow opening. Shorts ads can be skipped with a swipe from the first frame, so branding in second five may never be seen.

YouTube Shorts safe zone FAQ

What is the YouTube Shorts safe zone in pixels?

For ads, Google's vertical template on 1080×1920 is 288 px top, 672 px bottom, 48 px left and 192 px right, a safe box of 840 × 960 px. For organic Shorts there is no official value; about 380 / 390 / 60 / 201 px is measured from the app.

Does the same safe zone apply to vertical in stream and in feed ads?

Yes. Google publishes one vertical template for all vertical video ads on YouTube, so a vertical skippable in stream ad, a vertical in feed ad and a Shorts ad share it. Horizontal ads have a separate template, covered in the YouTube ad specs guide.

What resolution and length should a YouTube Short be?

1080×1920 at 9:16 is the standard. Organic Shorts can be up to 3 minutes and must be square or vertical. For Shorts ads Google recommends under 60 seconds.

Do ads appear on top of my Shorts when I monetize them?

No. Shorts revenue comes from ads viewed between videos in the Shorts feed. The only extra overlay on a monetized Short is a product sticker if you tag products.

How much of Shorts ad revenue does a creator keep?

Monetizing creators keep 45% of the revenue allocated to them from the Creator Pool, which is shared out by engaged views.

Can I test how my Short looks with the interface on?

Yes. The Safe Zone Checker draws the overlay on your file, and the Social Mockup Preview shows how a title and caption wrap on a phone screen.

Related guides and tools

• YouTube ad specs 2026: lengths, sizes and text limits for every YouTube ad format.
• TikTok safe zone: the In-Feed ads template and its action column.
• Instagram Reels safe zone template: Meta's 14% top and 35% bottom rule.
• Social media video aspect ratios: sizes for every platform in one chart.
• Social and IAB specs matrix: every safe zone with its source.

Sources, checked 27 and 28 September 2026: About video ad specs (universal safe zones for video ads on YouTube), About video ad formats, Video ads specs and format requirements, Upload YouTube Shorts, YouTube Shorts monetization policies, Tag products in your content, YouTube recommended upload encoding settings. Organic values are measured in the YouTube app.