Muze AIMeta · 9:16 · 1080 x 1920
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- Top14% · approx. 269 pxThe deepest top band of the four Meta placements, taken from Stories. Progress bar, profile picture, account or page name, sponsored label and controls. Reels puts the sound control and menu in the same area.
- Bottom35% · approx. 672 pxThe deepest bottom band of the four, taken from Reels. Account name, caption, the call to action button and the audio ticker. Stories reserves less, roughly 20 percent, because it carries a call to action and a reply field and no caption block.
- Right rail12% · approx. 130 pxThe Reels button column: like, comment, share, save and the menu, stacked vertically. Stories has no right rail, so this strip is free on Stories and reserved here only because a Reels delivery would cover it.
- Pixelson a 1080 x 1920 canvasPercentages are the figure to build against. Pixel values are derived from them and are approximate, because the interface changes and captions wrap.
In short
Meta safe zones are the parts of a 9:16 frame that Instagram and Facebook interfaces do not cover. The figures on this page are a conservative union of Meta's four vertical placements rather than a single published specification: keep essential text and logos out of roughly the top 14 percent, the bottom 35 percent and a strip of about the right 12 percent, which on a 1080 by 1920 file is approximately 269 pixels at the top, 672 pixels at the bottom and 130 pixels on the right. That leaves a clear centre band of about 51 percent of the height. A creative that passes here passes on Instagram Stories, Instagram Reels, Facebook Stories and Facebook Reels. The individual placements are less strict, and Stories in particular reserves only about the bottom 20 percent, so use the per-placement pages when you want the exact figure for one surface.
Before you build to these numbers
Reserved interface areas move. They differ by placement, by app version, by device, and by whether the viewer has captions turned on. A longer caption makes the bottom band taller on the same day with the same file. The percentages here are deliberately conservative and are a starting point, not a final production specification. Check the platform's current official guidance before you sign off a file, and preview the ad in the real placement.
These are not four Meta figures averaged, and they are not a Meta specification in their own right. They are the largest band already stated on each of our four Meta placement pages, so a file that clears this overlay clears all of them. The top and bottom values come from Meta's Stories and Reels guidance, which is commonly documented as approximately 250 pixels clear at the top and approximately 340 pixels clear at the bottom for Stories, and as roughly the top 14 percent and bottom 35 percent for Reels. Our percentages round outward from those. The right-hand rail is quoted less consistently, so the 12 percent is a conservative reading rather than a published number. For the exact figure on one placement, use the Instagram Stories, Instagram Reels, Facebook Stories or Facebook Reels page.
Meta safe zone, in numbers
| Area | Share of frame | Approx. px | What sits there |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top | 14% | 269 | The deepest top band of the four Meta placements, taken from Stories. Progress bar, profile picture, account or page name, sponsored label and controls. Reels puts the sound control and menu in the same area. |
| Bottom | 35% | 672 | The deepest bottom band of the four, taken from Reels. Account name, caption, the call to action button and the audio ticker. Stories reserves less, roughly 20 percent, because it carries a call to action and a reply field and no caption block. |
| Right rail | 12% | 130 | The Reels button column: like, comment, share, save and the menu, stacked vertically. Stories has no right rail, so this strip is free on Stories and reserved here only because a Reels delivery would cover it. |
| Clear area | 51% h / 88% w | 950 x 979 | Your headline, price, logo and offer. Nothing else needs to be here. |
Percentages are the figure to build against. Pixel values are calculated from them against a 1080 by 1920 canvas at 9:16, and are approximate.
Keep essential text, logos and offers inside the middle 60 percent of the frame. Nothing a platform does to its interface takes that away from you.
Why one Meta overlay instead of four
Meta sells Instagram Stories, Instagram Reels, Facebook Stories and Facebook Reels through the same buying interface, and most accounts leave placements on automatic. That means the asset you upload is not delivered into one of those surfaces, it is delivered into whichever of them the auction picks. Designing for the average is how a headline ends up behind a caption block.
The bands on this page are the strictest of the four, band by band. The top comes in at 14 percent, which is what all four reserve. The bottom comes in at 35 percent, which is what Reels reserves and Stories does not. The right rail comes in at 12 percent, which Reels has and Stories does not. Nothing here is a new measurement. It is the union of numbers already on the placement pages.
What this costs you, and when to pay it
A conservative union is stricter than any single placement. If you only run Stories, this overlay reserves about 15 percent more of the height than you need and a right-hand strip you could have used. That is a real cost in a format where space is already short.
So the rule is simple. If placements are on automatic, or one master has to serve several surfaces, build to this page. If you are producing a file for one placement and you know it will only run there, open that placement's page and use its numbers. Instagram Stories and Facebook Stories are the two worth checking individually, because their bottom band is roughly 20 percent rather than 35.
Bleed the image, contain the message
Reserving a band does not mean leaving it empty. Backgrounds, product photography, colour and motion should run to all four edges, because a vertical ad with blank bars at the top and bottom looks like a file that went out wrong. What stays inside the centre is the part that has to be read: the headline, the price, the offer and the logo.
Use the placement picker in the checker above to flick between this roll-up and the four individual placements with the same image loaded. If a layout clears the roll-up, the four individual overlays will confirm it in a few seconds.
The durable version of this advice
One 1080 by 1920 master with everything essential inside the middle 51 percent of the height, clear of the right edge, runs on every vertical placement Meta sells. Build that file once instead of four near-identical ones.
Verify against the platform before a production sign-off. The official specification is the only source that reflects the current build of the app:
Frequently asked questions
- What are the Meta safe zones?
- Across Meta's vertical placements, keep essential text and logos out of roughly the top 14 percent, the bottom 35 percent and the right 12 percent of a 9:16 frame. On a 1080 by 1920 file that is approximately 269 pixels at the top, 672 at the bottom and 130 on the right. Those are the deepest bands of Meta's four vertical placements combined, so a creative that clears them clears Instagram Stories, Instagram Reels, Facebook Stories and Facebook Reels.
- Is this an official Meta specification?
- No. It is a conservative union of the four Meta placements documented on this site, band by band, so one file can serve all of them. Meta publishes its guidance per placement rather than as a single combined figure. Check the Meta Ads Guide, and use the individual placement pages when you need the exact number for one surface.
- Do Stories and Reels have the same safe zone on Meta?
- No. The top band is the same at roughly 14 percent, but Reels reserves roughly the bottom 35 percent against 20 percent for Stories, and Reels adds a column of buttons down the right edge that Stories does not have. This page uses the Reels figures for both, which is why it is stricter than a Stories-only file needs to be.
- What size should a Meta vertical ad be?
- 1080 by 1920 pixels at 9:16. The aspect ratio is the stable part of the specification across every Meta vertical placement. The reserved interface areas inside it are the part that moves.
- Can one file cover every Meta placement?
- For the vertical placements, yes, if you build to the bands on this page. Feed and Marketplace are a separate problem, because a 9:16 asset delivered there can be cropped toward 4:5 or 1:1, which cuts from the top and bottom. The usual answer is two masters: one 9:16 for Stories and Reels, one 4:5 for Feed surfaces.
- Where do I find the exact figure for one Meta placement?
- On its own page. Instagram Stories and Facebook Stories reserve roughly the top 14 percent and the bottom 20 percent with no right rail. Instagram Reels and Facebook Reels reserve roughly the top 14 percent, the bottom 35 percent and the right 12 percent. Each page carries the source note and the derived pixel values for a 1080 by 1920 canvas.
Other placements
Related
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