Instagram safe zone template
The exact Reels, Story, and feed Post dimensions Instagram reserves for its own UI or crop, no app to download, just a free browser-based checker.
Instagram's safe zones, in pixels and percent
| Format | Zone | Depth |
|---|---|---|
| Reels (1080×1920) | Top bar | 86px (4.5%) |
| Caption, username, audio | 461px (24%) | |
| Like, comment, share, profile | 130px (12%) | |
| Story (1080×1920) | Profile, username, timestamp, close | 230px (12%) |
| Reply field / share row | 230px (12%) | |
| Post (1080×1350) | Cropped off in square grid view (top) | 135px (10%) |
| Cropped off in square grid view (bottom) | 135px (10%) |
Close approximations based on Instagram's published creator and ads specs, not pixel-exact measurements pulled from the live app. Applies to both organic posts and ads.
Check it against your own photo first
Instead of a separate app, drop a frame grab or thumbnail into the interactive checker to see these zones drawn to scale on your actual composition, switch between Reels, Story, and Post, and export a reference PNG straight from it.
Open the Instagram safe zone checker →Turning it into a guide layer while you edit
For a Reels edit, generate a reference PNG from the checker, place it on a track above your footage in your editor, and drop its opacity to around 30-40% so it reads as a guide rather than a burned-in graphic. Scale it to fill the full 1080x1920 frame, keep it on top while you place captions, faces, and logos, then hide or delete it before your final export so it never renders into the video.
For a Story or Post, since neither is typically assembled in a timeline editor the way Reels is, it's usually faster to check the composition directly in the tool above before exporting, rather than building a guide layer.
An instagram safe zone template for every format, not just Reels
A generic instagram safe zone overlay usually assumes Reels and stops there, which is a problem if what's actually shipping is a Story or a feed Post. This page keeps the instagram safe zone template split by format on purpose: the instagram reels safe zone template above accounts for Reels' caption, audio, and icon column; Stories gets its own top and bottom bands; Post gets its own grid-crop numbers. Reusing one instagram safe zone for all three misses the one that's actually going to matter.
For an instagram reels safe zone template png to use as a guide layer, export a reference straight from the checker linked above, since it'll match your own footage's exact frame rather than an average pulled from someone else's export.
More safe zone tools
Common questions about the Instagram safe zone template
Is there a dedicated Instagram safe zone app to download?
No download needed, the checker linked below works as a free web app right in your browser, on desktop or mobile, nothing to install and nothing gets uploaded, the photo is drawn straight into an on-page canvas.
Is there a downloadable Instagram safe zone template PNG?
A dedicated transparent-overlay PNG pack is in the works and not live yet. In the meantime, the free checker already draws the exact safe zone to scale on your own photo, and lets you export a reference PNG showing the boundaries baked onto your composition.
Has Instagram's safe zone changed for 2026?
The dimensions on this page reflect Instagram's current published creator and ads specs. Instagram periodically nudges its Reels and Story UI, so this template gets rechecked against the live app rather than left static, treat any safe zone template, including this one, as a close approximation rather than a permanent pixel-exact spec.
What is the Instagram Reels safe zone template?
At 1080x1920, Reels reserves a top bar (86px, 4.5%) for the Reels label and audio, a bottom band (461px, 24%) for caption, username, and audio title, and a right-hand column (130px, 12%) for the like, comment, share, and profile icons.
What is the safe zone for an Instagram Story?
At 1080x1920, Stories reserves roughly the top 12% (230px) for the profile picture, username, timestamp, and close button, and roughly the bottom 12% (230px) for the reply field and share row. There's no side icon column here, unlike Reels, so the risk is the top and bottom edges, not the sides.
What is the safe zone for a feed Post?
A 4:5 feed Post (1080x1350) gets center-cropped to a square in the profile grid, cutting roughly 10% (135px) off the top and another 10% off the bottom. Nothing is drawn on top of a Post, so this is a crop check, not a UI-overlap check.
How is a Reels safe zone template different from a Story or Post template?
All three sit inside a different frame or get treated differently once posted. Reels lays a caption, username, audio title, and icon column over a 9:16 video. A Story lays a profile bar and reply row over the same 9:16 frame but has no side icon column. A Post isn't a UI-overlap problem at all, it's a 4:5-to-1:1 crop problem in the grid. Using a Reels template for a Story, or vice versa, misses each format's actual risk area.