Keep important content about 210 px from the top, 320 px from the bottom, 40 px from the left and 130 px from the right of a 1080×1920 frame. Instagram Reels: the account name and caption block sits bottom-left, the audio label runs below it, and the like, comment, share and menu buttons sit in a column on the right.
A Reel is not only watched in the Reels tab. It also appears in the main feed and on your profile, and each of those places crops or covers the frame differently. That makes Instagram the trickiest of the short-video platforms to design for: you have to protect the picture from the interface and from the crop at the same time.
This guide covers both problems. It shows where the Reels interface sits on top of the video, how the 4:5 feed crop changes what is visible, and how to write a caption that survives truncation. As with every Frameguard overlay, the numbers are measured estimates rather than official Instagram specifications, and we say where a figure is only reported by others.
What the Reels interface covers
In the Reels tab, Instagram draws the account name, caption and audio label across the bottom left and stacks the like, comment, share and menu buttons on the right. Our overlay reserves about 320 pixels at the bottom and 130 on the right. The top margin is larger than on some rivals, about 210 pixels, because of the header controls.
The bottom is shallower here than on TikTok, which gives you slightly more room for a lower-third. The top is the area people forget. A headline placed in the top 200 pixels is routinely covered by the header, and the camera and menu icons overlap it.
Turn on the mock interface in the tool to see where the avatar and caption lines fall. Use it as a guide to spacing, not as a template to match exactly.
The 4:5 feed crop and your profile grid
When a Reel is shared into the feed, it is shown in a shorter frame rather than the full 9:16. Frameguard models this as a 4:5 window, 1080 by 1350 pixels, starting about 285 pixels from the top. Anything outside that window is cropped away in the feed, so a title at the very top or a call to action at the bottom disappears.
Instagram has also changed how its profile grid shows thumbnails, moving to a taller rectangle in early 2025. We still show the 4:5 window as the working guide, and we flag the exact grid ratio as something to confirm before relying on it for cover design. If your cover text must read in the grid, keep it in the middle third of the frame.
Use the 4:5 toggle to darken the cropped regions, and the 1:1 toggle if you also publish a square version.
Captions, hashtags and the cut-off
Instagram truncates a Reel caption after roughly two lines and shows the rest behind a more link. In the caption studio the preview shows what survives and dims what is hidden, so you can see whether your first sentence earns the tap.
The caption limit is 2,200 characters. Hashtags are now limited to five per post or Reel, a rule Instagram introduced in December 2025 and that the tool enforces in red. A few specific tags describe your post better than a long list of generic ones, and Instagram's own guidance says hashtags help search more than reach.
Hooks work best under about 46 characters. Put the most important idea first and save the call to action for the second line.
Subtitles and on-screen text
Many Reels are watched with the sound off, so on-screen words matter. The native caption band, if you use Instagram's auto-captions, sits around 1400 to 1720 pixels from the top. That overlaps the lower interface, so avoid placing your own subtitles there.
Burned-in subtitles should sit in the lower-middle of the safe rectangle, above the bottom band. Keep each line short, and avoid putting text in the right 130 pixels where the buttons live.
Check any still frame with the text collision tool. It outlines words that fall outside the safe rectangle so you can move them before export.
Cross-posting from TikTok or Shorts
Reels is often the second stop for a video made elsewhere. The bottom interface here is shallower than TikTok's, so a TikTok-safe layout usually works on Reels, but the top margin is deeper than on other apps. Switch to the other tabs with the same file before you re-upload.
Remove other apps' watermarks first. Instagram has said it prefers original content and may give less reach to videos with visible logos from other platforms.
If your video is shot for 16:9 and you reframe it vertically, use "Fill frame" and drag the subject into the middle, then confirm the 4:5 crop still shows what matters.
Common mistakes
Designing for the Reels tab and forgetting the feed crop is the classic error. A call to action that sits comfortably at the bottom of the full frame is cut off in the feed.
Another is putting a title in the top band. The header controls overlap it, and it is invisible on small phones.
Finally, many creators exceed the hashtag limit by pasting an old block of tags. Instagram may ignore the extras or refuse the post, so trim before you publish.
Specs at a glance
Reel length has grown quickly. Instagram announced three-minute Reels in January 2025, and a longer in-app recording option has been rolling out gradually, so the real limit for your account is whatever your own length selector shows. The table notes which figures are official and which are reported.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Canvas | 1080 × 1920 px (9:16) |
| Safe margins (top / bottom / left / right) | 210 / 320 / 40 / 130 pxMeasured estimate |
| 4:5 feed crop | 1080 × 1350 px, starting 285 px from the topMeasured estimate |
| Native caption band | 1400–1720 px from the topMeasured estimate |
| Caption limit used by the tool | 2,200 characters. Includes spaces, emoji and hashtags.Reported |
| Visible caption lines (estimate) | 2Measured estimate |
| Hashtags | Maximum 5 per postOfficial (quoted) |
| Maximum duration | Up to 3 minutes (longer in-app recording is rolling out to some accounts)Official (quoted) |
| Maximum file size | Not verifiedVaries - verify |
Verification labels: Official means read on the platform's own help page; Official (quoted) means platform wording quoted by independent sources; Reported means secondary sources only; Varies means sources disagree. Reviewed 2026-10-26.
Pre-export checklist
- Export at 1080×1920 (9:16).
- Keep the top 210 pixels free of titles and faces.
- Keep the bottom 320 pixels free of subtitles and logos.
- Toggle the 4:5 crop and confirm the key message survives.
- Use five hashtags or fewer.
- Write a first line that fits on one line.
- Check your length selector for your account's actual cap.
- Run the text collision check on a still.
Instagram Reels safe zone FAQ
What is the safe zone for Instagram Reels?
In Frameguard's measurements, keep important content roughly 210 pixels from the top, 320 from the bottom, 40 from the left and 130 from the right of a 1080×1920 frame. These are estimates, not official numbers.
Does Instagram crop Reels in the feed?
Yes. Reels shown in the main feed use a shorter frame than the full vertical view, which Frameguard models as a 4:5 window. Use the 4:5 toggle to see what is cropped away.
How many hashtags can I use on a Reel?
Instagram limits posts and Reels to five hashtags as of its December 2025 change. The caption studio shows your count and turns red if you go over.
Are these safe zones official?
No. The margins are Frameguard's own measured estimates, drawn conservatively. They are not published by the platforms, and apps change their layouts, so each page shows when it was last reviewed.
Is my video uploaded anywhere?
No. Frameguard runs entirely in your browser. Your file is decoded and drawn to a canvas on your device and never sent to a server. The optional text check loads a script library, but your image is still processed locally.
Can I download a template instead?
Yes. Use the Blank template button in the tool, or download ready-made PNG overlays from the safe zone templates page.
Other platform guides
- TikTok safe zoneMargins, caption limits and a template
- YouTube Shorts safe zoneMargins, caption limits and a template
- Instagram Stories safe zoneMargins, caption limits and a template
- Facebook Reels safe zoneMargins, caption limits and a template
- Snapchat Spotlight safe zoneMargins, caption limits and a template
- LinkedIn Video safe zoneMargins, caption limits and a template
Need a file instead? Download a ready-made overlay from the safe zone templates, or compare sizes on the video sizes page.