TikTok Ad Safe Zone: Where to Put Text on a 9:16 Ad
On TikTok's standard in-feed template, a 720 x 1280 frame, the TikTok ad safe zone runs from x 80 to 640 between y 160 and 560, and from x 80 to 520 between y 560 and 840. Keep text, logos and your product inside that area, because the caption, display name and buttons cover the rest. TikTok says the safe zone changes with the video's shape, the caption length and any extra formats.
Checked October 2026. Sources are listed at the end of the page.
TikTok draws its own interface on top of every in-feed ad: the display name, the ad caption, the call to action button and the column of icons down the right side. Anything you place under those elements can be hidden, so text or a logo that looks fine in your editor may be unreadable in the feed. The safe zone is the part of the frame that stays clear. This guide gives the numbers from TikTok's standard in-feed safe zone template, the TikTok ad sizes in pixels that the template is built for, and a short process for checking a video before you upload it. All values come from TikTok's ads help pages.
| Area or spec | Value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Template canvas | 720 x 1280 px (artwork file 2880 x 5120) | TikTok's standard in-feed template for a vertical ad with a standard caption and no extra formats. |
| Top band | Top 160 px, full width | Unsafe. Keep headlines below it. |
| Left and right bands | 80 px down each side | Unsafe. Keep text in from the edges. |
| Right column | 120 px wide (x 520 to 640), from y 560 down | Unsafe. The icon column on the right sits here. |
| Bottom band | Bottom 440 px (from y 840 down) | Unsafe. The display name, caption and button sit here. |
| Safe area, upper part | x 80 to 640, y 160 to 560 | The widest clear area, good for a headline or product. |
| Safe area, lower part | x 80 to 520, y 560 to 840 | Clear area beside the right column. |
| Vertical video size | 9:16, at least 540 x 960 px | The recommended shape for in-feed ads. |
| Horizontal and square video | 16:9 at least 960 x 540 px; 1:1 at least 640 x 640 px | Accepted for non-Spark auction in-feed ads; they use other safe zones. |
| Video file | .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .3gp or .avi; 500 MB or less; up to 10 minutes; 516 kbps or more | File rules for non-Spark auction in-feed ads. |
| Ad caption | Max 100 characters | TikTok suggests staying within 100 characters (50 for CN/JP/KR) so the caption is not covered by See more. |
TikTok Ad Safe Zone: Where to Put Text on a 9:16 Ad
Set up a 9:16 frame
Start your edit or design at 9:16. TikTok's minimum for a vertical in-feed video is 540 x 960 pixels, and its safe zone template is drawn on a 720 x 1280 canvas, so any 9:16 size works if you scale the zones to match. If you work at a larger 9:16 size, multiply every template value by your width divided by 720.
Mark the unsafe areas as guides
Add guides for the top 160 px, an 80 px band on each side, the bottom 440 px and a 120 px column on the right from y 560 down (all at 720 x 1280). Lock them on a top layer so they stay visible while you place text, and hide them before export.
Place text, logo and product in the clear area
Put your headline and product in the upper safe area, x 80 to 640 between y 160 and 560. Use the lower safe area, x 80 to 520 between y 560 and 840, for a short line such as a price or offer. Do not put text in the bottom band: TikTok's display name, caption and call to action button already sit there.
Keep the caption short
The safe zone grows or shrinks with the caption, because a longer caption takes more lines over the video. TikTok's in-feed ad caption supports a maximum of 100 characters, and TikTok suggests keeping it within 100 characters (50 for CN/JP/KR) so it is not covered by See more. The free TikTok Ad Character Counter checks the caption and the 20-character display name.
Check a still frame before export
Take a screenshot of the busiest frame, such as the opening frame with your headline or the end card, and drop it into the free TikTok Safe Zone Checker. It draws TikTok's standard template over your image in your own pixels, so you can see which text or logo crosses into an unsafe area. Fix those frames, then export.
Make the video in Infinall AI if you need one
If you do not have a video yet, Motion in Infinall AI makes short animated videos from a prompt on Free and Pro, from 10 to 60 seconds when you pick the length yourself, and exports an MP4. On Pro, the Video tool lets you pick a platform preset and a shape and make a video from 1 to 180 seconds; a story ad is always 9:16. Check the result against the safe zone the same way, because the layout is not tuned to TikTok's overlay for you.
Why the TikTok ad safe zone changes
TikTok's help page for auction in-feed ads says the safe zone size is determined by the dimension (vertical, horizontal or square), the ad caption length and any additional formats used. So there is no single safe zone for every ad. The numbers on this page are for the standard version: a vertical 9:16 ad, a standard caption and no added formats such as anchors. TikTok publishes this as a downloadable template on the same help page, with the artwork at 2880 x 5120, four times the 720 x 1280 canvas.
If you run a horizontal or square video, or add extra formats on top of the ad, download the matching template from TikTok's help page rather than reusing the vertical numbers. A long caption also pushes text higher up the frame, which is one more reason to keep it short.
TikTok ad sizes in pixels, and how they relate to the safe zone
For a non-Spark auction in-feed ad, TikTok accepts three video shapes: 9:16 vertical at 540 x 960 pixels or more (recommended), 16:9 horizontal at 960 x 540 or more and 1:1 square at 640 x 640 or more. The file can be .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .3gp or .avi, up to 500 MB and up to 10 minutes long, with a bitrate of at least 516 kbps.
Carousel ads use images instead of video, at 1200 x 628 horizontal, 640 x 640 square or 720 x 1280 vertical, in JPG or PNG. The vertical carousel size is the same 720 x 1280 as the safe zone template canvas, which makes it easy to design a vertical carousel card with the guides in place. The free TikTok Ad Resizer turns one image into all three carousel sizes.
The safe zone template is a proportion of the frame, not a fixed size. A video made at 540 x 960 uses the same layout scaled down; a larger 9:16 video uses it scaled up.
Common safe zone mistakes
- Putting the headline at the very top. The top 160 px is unsafe on the standard template.
- Placing a logo or price in the bottom corner. The bottom 440 px carries the display name, caption and button.
- Running text to the right edge in the lower half. The 120 px icon column on the right covers it from y 560 down.
- Writing on-screen text such as "Swipe up to learn more." TikTok's ad format and functionality policy gives this as an example of misleading text in an ad.
- Checking only the first frame. Text that moves or appears later in the video can drift into an unsafe area, so check every frame that carries text.
Where Infinall AI helps and where it does not
Infinall AI makes the creative: motion videos on Free and Pro, video on Pro, images, voiceovers and copy from your saved brand, so the logo, colours and tone match your other ads. It does not check your video against TikTok's interface for you, and it does not buy media: the ad budget is charged by TikTok to your own ad account. For the safe zone itself, the free TikTok Safe Zone Checker and TikTok's own template are enough, and neither needs an account.
The free plan gives 1,000 credits every month with no card. Pro is $10 for the first month, then $30 a month or $299 a year, and adds the Video tool.
Frequently asked questions
What is the TikTok ad safe zone?
It is the part of a vertical in-feed ad that TikTok's interface does not cover. On TikTok's standard 720 x 1280 template it is x 80 to 640 from y 160 to 560, plus x 80 to 520 from y 560 to 840.
What size is a TikTok ad video?
TikTok recommends 9:16 vertical at 540 x 960 pixels or more. It also accepts 16:9 at 960 x 540 or more and 1:1 at 640 x 640 or more for non-Spark auction in-feed ads, up to 500 MB and up to 10 minutes.
Does the safe zone apply to square and horizontal TikTok ads?
Not the same one. TikTok says the safe zone depends on the dimension (vertical, horizontal or square), the caption length and any additional formats, so use the template for your shape from TikTok's help page.
How do I scale the safe zone to my video size?
Divide your video width by 720 and multiply each template value by that number. For a 9:16 video at 540 x 960, the values shrink in the same proportion as the frame.
How long can the caption be without covering more of the video?
The ad caption supports a maximum of 100 characters. TikTok suggests keeping it within 100 characters, or 50 for CN/JP/KR, so it is not covered by See more.
Sources and checks
Every price, rating and number on this page comes from the source pages below, checked October 2026. Prices and plans change often, so confirm on the vendor's own page before you buy.
- TikTok Ads Help: Auction In-Feed Ads (safe zone template and video specs), checked October 2026
- TikTok Ads Help: Reservation In-Feed Ads (Reach and Frequency), checked October 2026
- TikTok Ads Help: Specifications for Carousel Ads, checked October 2026
- TikTok Ads Policy: Ad Format and Functionality, checked October 2026
- Infinall docs: Platforms, file types and sizes, checked October 2026
- Infinall docs: Make a motion video, checked October 2026
- Infinall docs: Length, shape, quality and versions, checked October 2026