The Reels safe zone that Meta publishes is this: keep text, logos and faces out of the top 14% of the frame, the bottom 35% and 6% on each side. Export the video at 1080 x 1920 pixels, 9:16, at 30 frames per second, as an MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio. Every figure below was checked in September 2026 against Instagram’s, Meta’s, TikTok’s and YouTube’s own pages, and we say so plainly where a platform does not publish a number.
What size and format should a reel be in 2026?
| Setting | Figure | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Aspect ratio | 9:16 to fill the screen. Instagram accepts anything between 1.91:1 and 9:16 | Instagram Help: reel size and aspect ratios |
| Resolution | 1080 x 1920 is the standard export. The stated minimum is 720 pixels | Instagram Help (minimum only) |
| Resolution for ads | 1440 x 2560 recommended | Meta Ads Guide: Instagram Reels |
| Frame rate | Minimum 30 frames per second | Instagram Help |
| File type | MP4 or MOV | Meta Ads Guide |
| Maximum file size | 4 GB for ads. Instagram does not publish a separate figure for organic reels | Meta Ads Guide |
| Cover image | PNG or JPG. The help page recommends 420 x 654 pixels (1:1.55) | Instagram Help |
Two notes. Instagram’s help pages never say “1080 x 1920”. They give a minimum and a range of ratios, and 1080 x 1920 is simply the 9:16 frame that editing tools export. The 420 x 654 cover recommendation is small for current screens, so most designers make covers at 1080 x 1920 to match the video.
One setting is easy to miss. In the app, under Menu, then Media quality, turn on “Upload at highest quality”. Without it, a slow connection can mean a more compressed upload. A second switch matters if the reel contains realistic generated footage: “Add AI label”, which appears when you create the reel. Our guide to when AI video has to be labelled on Meta, TikTok and YouTube explains who needs it.
How long can a reel be?
Instagram’s help page on recording a reel says clips can add up to 20 minutes, and adds a note that matters more: reels over 3 minutes will not be recommended to new audiences. Reels ads can run up to 15 minutes according to the Ads Guide.
For a business the practical limit is therefore 3 minutes. How we plan the length of a reel is covered in how to make Instagram Reels with AI.
What codec, bitrate and frame rate should I export?
Instagram’s help page has a collapsed section called “Additional technical details”. It lists:
- Progressive scan, no interlacing
- High profile, CABAC, 4:2:0 chroma subsampling (these are H.264 settings, and the Ads Guide names H.264 directly)
- Two consecutive B frames and a closed GOP of half the frame rate
- Audio in stereo at a 48 kHz or 96 kHz sample rate
- For ads: AAC audio at 128 kbps or higher, square pixels and a fixed frame rate
Instagram does not publish a recommended bitrate. Every upload is re-encoded, so the aim is a clean file, not a huge one. As a reference point, YouTube’s recommended upload settings give 8 Mbps for 1080p at 24 to 30 frames per second and 12 Mbps at 48 to 60. We export at or a little above those figures for all three platforms. That is our practice, not a Meta specification.
On frame rate, keep what you made. A constant frame rate matters more than a high one, because variable frame rates from screen recordings and some phone apps are a common cause of audio drifting out of sync.
What is the Reels safe zone?
The safe zone is the part of the frame that the interface does not cover. On a reel, the top carries the header, the bottom carries the account name, caption, audio label and any call-to-action button, and the right side carries the like, comment, share and more buttons.
Meta publishes one set of figures, and it is written for ads:
| Edge | Keep clear | On a 1080 x 1920 frame |
|---|---|---|
| Top | 14% | 269 pixels |
| Bottom | 35% | 672 pixels |
| Left and right | 6% each | 65 pixels each |
| What is left | 88% of the width, 51% of the height | About 950 x 979 pixels |
Meta’s page on text overlays and safe zones adds two details. If a Reels ad carries a disclaimer, leave the bottom 40% clear. And on phones with screens taller than 9:16, Instagram may zoom the video to fill the screen, which crops the edges further, or show it with black bars.
What about organic reels? Meta does not publish pixel safe zones for organic reels. The templates that circulate online are designers’ own measurements of screenshots, and they disagree with each other: the commonly quoted figures run from roughly 110 to 250 pixels at the top, 320 to 450 pixels at the bottom and about 120 pixels on the right for the button column. Treat those as guidance, not as a specification.
Our rule at Zero Shot, an AI video studio in London, is simple: design every reel to the ad safe zone. It costs nothing, the reel can be boosted or turned into a paid ad later without rework, and the same layout is safe on TikTok and Shorts. The one addition for organic reels: keep small text about 120 pixels in from the right edge, clear of the buttons. The picture itself should still fill the whole 9:16 frame. Only text, logos, faces and product details need to stay inside.
How do the feed and the profile grid crop a reel cover?
In January 2025 Instagram’s head, Adam Mosseri, announced that the profile grid was moving from square thumbnails to taller ones. Sizing guides published in 2026, including Buffer’s, give the grid ratio as 3:4. Instagram’s help pages do not state the ratio, so we are relying on those guides here. The Reels tab on a profile still shows covers at full 9:16.
| Where the cover appears | Visible crop | Visible area of a 1080 x 1920 cover | Hidden |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reels tab on your profile | 9:16 | 1080 x 1920 | Nothing |
| Main profile grid | 3:4, centred | 1080 x 1440 | 240 pixels top and bottom |
| Home feed preview | About 4:5 (commonly reported, not published by Instagram) | 1080 x 1350 | 285 pixels top and bottom |
| Safest area for a title | 1:1, centred | 1080 x 1080 | 420 pixels top and bottom |
The app lets you adjust how a cover sits in the grid preview, but it is easier to design the title inside the centre square from the start.
Where should captions and on-screen text go?
Burned-in subtitles belong in the middle band of the frame, not at the bottom where television puts them. On a 1080 x 1920 frame the ad safe zone runs from 269 pixels below the top edge to 672 pixels above the bottom edge. We place subtitles in the lower third of that band, roughly 1,000 to 1,200 pixels from the top, and keep each line inside the 950-pixel safe width.
Keep hooks and titles below the top 14%. Keep prices, offers and web addresses above the bottom 35%.
What are the equivalent settings for TikTok and YouTube Shorts?
| Instagram Reels | TikTok | YouTube Shorts | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frame | 9:16, 1080 x 1920 | 9:16, 1080 x 1920. Ads need at least 540 x 960 | Square or vertical. 1080 x 1920 fills the screen |
| Maximum length | 20 minutes. Over 3 minutes is not recommended to new audiences | Varies by account. TikTok’s developer documentation says every creator can post 3 minutes and some can post 5 or 10 | 3 minutes. Anything longer is a normal video |
| File | MP4 or MOV, H.264, AAC | MP4 recommended, H.264 recommended, 23 to 60 frames per second, up to 4 GB | MP4, H.264, AAC, 48 kHz audio |
| Published safe zone | Ads only: 14% top, 35% bottom, 6% sides | Ads only, as downloadable templates. No pixel figures on the page | We could not find one in YouTube Help |
Sources: TikTok’s video ads specifications and its Content Posting API media guide, and YouTube Help’s page on three-minute Shorts. Both apps also put a caption at the bottom and buttons on the right, so the Reels ad safe zone is a reasonable single template for all three.
An export checklist you can copy
- Frame: 1080 x 1920, 9:16, square pixels, picture filling the whole frame.
- Frame rate: constant, the same as the source, 30 frames per second or more.
- Video: H.264, High profile, progressive. Around 8 to 12 Mbps or a little higher for 1080p.
- Audio: AAC, stereo, 48 kHz, 128 kbps or more.
- Container: MP4.
- Text, logos and faces: below the top 14%, above the bottom 35%, 6% in from each side.
- Cover: 1080 x 1920 PNG or JPG with the title inside the centre square.
- Length: under 3 minutes, for reach on Instagram and to count as a Short.
- No watermark from another platform.
- In the Instagram app, turn on “Upload at highest quality”.
Platforms change these numbers without announcement, so check the linked pages before a big campaign. If you would like reels and short-form video delivered to these specifications, put the placement and format in a one-message brief and send it to us.
Questions people ask
What is the best resolution for Instagram Reels?
1080 x 1920 pixels at 9:16 is the standard export. Instagram's help page only sets a minimum of 720 pixels and 30 frames per second. Meta's Ads Guide recommends 1440 x 2560 for Reels ads, which is worth using if your source footage is that sharp.
Does Instagram publish an official safe zone for organic reels?
No. The only published figures are in Meta's Ads Guide: 14% at the top, 35% at the bottom and 6% on each side. Pixel templates you find online are measurements made by designers, and they vary. Designing to the ad figures keeps you safe in both cases.
Why is my reel cover cut off on my profile?
The profile grid shows a centred 3:4 crop of your 9:16 cover, so the top and bottom eighths are hidden. Keep the title and any face inside the middle 1080 x 1440 area, or inside the middle square if you want it to survive every crop.
Can I use the same file for Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts?
Yes, if it is a clean 1080 x 1920 export with no platform watermark and the text sits inside the Reels safe zone, which is the tightest of the three. Keep it under three minutes so it still counts as a Short on YouTube.