Ijharul Islam
On a 1080×1920 YouTube Short, keep text, captions and logos at least 288 pixels from the top, 672 from the bottom, 48 from the left and 192 from the right. That leaves an 840×960 safe area. The margins come from Google's safe zone for vertical video ads; YouTube doesn't publish a separate one for organic Shorts.
More on this topic: Video specs by platform, every guide in one place.
The right and bottom margins are large because that's where the Shorts player puts its buttons, channel name, title and description. Here's what the official figures cover, how to use them for ordinary Shorts, and where to place captions.
The short answer
Shorts safe zone (1080×1920): top 288 px, bottom 672 px, left 48 px, right 192 px. The safe area runs from x 48 to 888 and y 288 to 1248, so it's 840×960 pixels. Google publishes these numbers for vertical video ads on YouTube; there's no official safe zone for organic Shorts, but the player's overlays sit in the same places, so it's a sound working layout. Put captions in the lower part of the safe area, around y 1000 to 1240.
Key takeaways
- Google's vertical ad safe zone on 1080×1920 is 288 px top, 672 px bottom, 48 px left, 192 px right.
- That's an 840×960 box, a little left of centre, because the action buttons sit on the right.
- YouTube doesn't publish an official safe zone for organic Shorts; use Google's ad figures as a cautious layout.
- Bottom-of-frame captions are the most common thing to get covered: lift them above y 1248.
- Shorts are up to 3 minutes and must be square or vertical, per YouTube Help.
What is the YouTube Shorts safe zone?
The YouTube Shorts safe zone is the part of a vertical frame that the player's buttons and text don't cover. The only figures Google publishes are for vertical video ads: on a 1080×1920 frame, Google's safe zone diagram leaves 288 pixels at the top, 672 at the bottom, 48 on the left and 192 on the right. Google says to keep your logo, product and supers (on-screen text) inside it, so they aren't covered in some placements. Checked on 26 October 2026 against Google Ads Help, which publishes the diagram on its square and vertical video page.
| Edge | Margin (px) | Share of the frame | What usually sits there |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top | 288 | 15% of the height | Search, menu and other player icons |
| Bottom | 672 | 35% of the height | Channel name, title, description, sound, progress bar; for ads, the call-to-action card |
| Left | 48 | 4% of the width | Edge of the screen |
| Right | 192 | 18% of the width | Like, dislike, comment, share and remix buttons |
| Safe area | 840×960 | From x 48 to 888, y 288 to 1248 | Your text, captions, logo, product |
What YouTube hasn't published: a safe zone for ordinary, non-ad Shorts. YouTube Help defines a Short (square or vertical, up to 3 minutes) but says nothing about overlays. Third-party overlays and templates exist and vary by a few pixels; the Google figures are official and on the cautious side, so they're the ones to design to.
Where should you put text and captions in a YouTube Short?
Put text and captions inside the box from 288 to 1248 pixels down and 48 to 888 pixels across a 1080×1920 frame. In practice:
- Captions: in the lower third of the safe area, roughly y 1000 to 1240, two lines at most. Not at the very bottom of the frame, where the title and description cover them.
- Hook or title text: near the top of the safe area, starting around y 300 to 450, so it reads before the eye drops to the face.
- Logo or watermark: top left, inside the 48 px and 288 px margins.
- Faces and products: centred a little left of the frame's middle, since the safe area's centre is at x 468, not 540.
- Nothing important on the right edge: the action buttons sit in the last 192 pixels.
If you burn captions in with an editor that only offers top, middle or bottom, choose middle or set a custom position: a bottom setting usually lands under the description. QuickVeed's auto subtitles burn captions at the bottom, middle or top in 11 styles, so pick middle for Shorts. The best caption style for Reels and TikTok covers size and contrast, which carry over to Shorts.
What size is the Shorts safe zone at other resolutions?
The safe zone scales with the frame, so use the same percentages at any size. If you edit at 720×1280 (the minimum Google lists for vertical ads), or export at 4K, the margins are:
| Frame | Top | Bottom | Left | Right | Safe area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 720×1280 | 192 | 448 | 32 | 128 | 560×640 |
| 1080×1920 | 288 | 672 | 48 | 192 | 840×960 |
| 2160×3840 | 576 | 1344 | 96 | 384 | 1680×1920 |
For a square Short (1:1), YouTube shows the video with space above and below on a phone, so the overlays cover less of the picture; keep text away from the right and bottom edges anyway. Use the free video aspect ratio calculator to check any frame size.
Is there an official YouTube Shorts safe zone template?
There's an official safe zone for vertical video ads, not for organic Shorts. Google Ads Help shows a 1080×1920 diagram with the 288, 672, 48 and 192 pixel margins and says a transparent PNG template is available from its video ad specs page. You can drop that PNG on a top layer in your editor, line up your text, then hide the layer before export.
Google also notes that overlays, calls to action and buttons can appear in different places depending on format, campaign type and screen, which is why a margin with some slack is better than designing to the pixel.
Do YouTube Shorts ads have different safe zone rules?
Shorts ads use the same vertical safe zone, plus a few ad-only overlays. From Google's guide to Shorts ads:
| Shorts ad detail | What Google says |
|---|---|
| Aspect ratio | Vertical 9:16 is best; horizontal ads show with blurred bands at the top and bottom |
| Length | Up to 3 minutes; under 60 seconds recommended; only the first 60 seconds play in the Shorts feed |
| Call-to-action button | Appears after 3 seconds (Performance Max, App, Demand Gen) or 10 seconds (Video View, Video Reach) |
| CTA overlay card | Can show a headline; Google recommends a 40-character headline and a 90-character description |
| Resolution | 1080×1920 recommended, 720×1280 minimum (video ad specs) |
Because the call-to-action card sits in the bottom margin, keep your own offer text above it. For other ad formats, see TikTok ad specs and Facebook video ad specs.
How do you check a Short before posting it?
You check a Short by viewing it at phone size with the safe zone over it. Three quick ways:
- Lay a 1080×1920 guide with the 288, 672, 48 and 192 pixel margins on a top layer in your editor and scrub through the video.
- Export a still from the busiest moment with the free frame extractor and check it at phone size.
- Upload as private or unlisted, open it in the YouTube app on your phone, and look at every caption change before making it public.
If text runs into the margins, move it, or shrink it with the free add text to video tool. If the subject sits too close to the right edge, the free video cropper lets you reframe a vertical crop. Size and length rules for the upload itself are in YouTube Shorts size and length.
Do TikTok and Reels use the same safe zone?
Not exactly. Each app puts its buttons and captions in slightly different places, but all three cover the right edge and the bottom, so a layout that fits the Shorts safe zone is usually safe on the others too. TikTok publishes downloadable safe zone files for its ads; see TikTok video size and Instagram Reels dimensions for each app's sizes.
Frequently asked questions
What is the safe zone for YouTube Shorts?
On 1080×1920, keep text 288 px from the top, 672 px from the bottom, 48 px from the left and 192 px from the right. These are Google's vertical video ad figures; YouTube doesn't publish one for organic Shorts.
Where should captions go on a YouTube Short?
In the lower part of the safe area, roughly 1000 to 1240 pixels down a 1080×1920 frame, not at the very bottom.
Is there an official YouTube Shorts safe zone?
Only for vertical video ads, in Google Ads Help. There's no separate official figure for organic Shorts.
Why is the right side of a Short unsafe?
The like, comment, share and remix buttons sit along the right edge, covering about the last 192 pixels.
What size should a YouTube Short be?
1080×1920 (9:16). YouTube also counts square videos as Shorts, up to 3 minutes.
Does the safe zone change for 4K Shorts?
The proportions stay the same: double every margin for a 2160×3840 frame.
Try it with your own video
Burn captions into your Shorts in 11 styles, placed where the player won't cover them. Upload a vertical clip, set the captions to middle, and check them on your phone. QuickVeed plans start at $18/month, and new accounts get a 14-day trial with 250 credits, no card needed. Sign up or see pricing.
Sources
Competitor details in this post were checked against these public pages in October 2026. Products and prices change, so confirm with each vendor before you decide.
