Instagram Reels size and safe zones: a pixel-by-pixel guide
MaestroCut Editorial Team 4 min readPublished:
Instagram Reels should be 1080×1920 pixels (9:16). Keep text and logos 285 px from the top, 380 px from the bottom, 60 px from the left and 120 px from the right; that leaves about 54.5% of the frame as the safe zone. In Reels ads the bottom margin grows to 672 px because the ad interface covers more of the screen.
Reels sizes at a glance
| Placement | Aspect | Resolution | Recommended | Max fps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instagram Reels | 9:16 | 1080×1920 | 15–60 s | 60 |
| Instagram Story | 9:16 | 1080×1920 | 6–15 s | 60 |
| Instagram feed post | 4:5, 1:1, 9:16 | 1080×1350, 1080×1080, 1080×1920 | 10–45 s | 60 |
| Instagram/Facebook Reels ad | 9:16 | 1080×1920 | 9–30 s | 60 |
| Instagram/Facebook Story ad | 9:16 | 1080×1920 | 6–15 s | 60 |
Source: MaestroCut platform data set (2026-10).
What is a safe zone and why does it matter?
- Safe zone
- The inner rectangle the platform interface (like/comment buttons, caption, profile row, progress bar) never covers, where text and logos always stay visible.
On Reels the like, comment and share column sits on the right, and the caption, username and audio line at the bottom. That is why the right margin on Reels (120 px) is twice the left one (60 px). Backgrounds and images can bleed to the edge; only text and logos that must be read need to stay in the safe zone.
| Placement | Top | Bottom | Left | Right | Safe box | Safe share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instagram Reels | 285 | 380 | 60 | 120 | 900×1255 | 54.5% |
| Instagram Story | 250 | 340 | 60 | 60 | 960×1330 | 61.6% |
| Instagram/Facebook Reels ad | 269 | 672 | 65 | 65 | 950×979 | 44.9% |
| TikTok | 160 | 480 | 60 | 160 | 860×1280 | 53.1% |
| YouTube Shorts | 240 | 420 | 60 | 160 | 860×1260 | 52.3% |
Safe share = area of the safe box / whole frame. Calculated by MaestroCut; platform interfaces can shift by a few pixels across devices and languages.
Instagram Story size
Stories are also 1080×1920 (9:16), but the interface is different: the progress bar and profile row sit at the top and the reply bar at the bottom. Keep text 250 px from the top, 340 px from the bottom and 60 px from the sides. Stories longer than 60 seconds are split into parts; for promos, 6–15 seconds is recommended.
Feed videos: 4:5 or 1:1?
4:5 (1080×1350) takes up the most room in the feed. Because Instagram now publishes videos as Reels, it previews a 9:16 video at 4:5 in the feed — so keeping headlines in the middle band keeps them safe in both places. The profile grid crops to 3:4: about 34 px per side disappear on a 4:5 video and 135 px on a 1:1 video.
- 4:5 feed safe box: 940×1230 px
- 1:1 feed safe box: 780×960 px
- On the cover image, keep the main text inside a centred 3:4 area.
Reels and Story ad sizes
Meta's ad guidance keeps the top 14%, the bottom 35% and 6% on each side of vertical ads free of text and logos. In a 1080×1920 frame that means 269 px from the top, 672 px from the bottom and 65 px from the sides. Meta also recommends 1440×2560 as a higher resolution for Story and Reels ads.
Export settings
- Codec: H.264 (High profile), yuv420p, BT.709 colour.
- Frame rate: 30 fps is standard; Reels and Stories support up to 60 fps.
- Bitrate: stay under 25 Mbps; 8–12 Mbps is plenty for 1080p.
- Audio: AAC, 48 kHz, stereo, around −14 LUFS.
- The "faststart" flag lets the video start playing before it has fully downloaded.
Frequently asked questions
What size is an Instagram Reel?
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1080×1920 pixels, a 9:16 aspect ratio. You can upload 1080×1350 (4:5) videos too, but the full-screen Reels experience needs 9:16.
Where should text go on a Reel?
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Inside the box that sits 285 px from the top, 380 px from the bottom, 60 px from the left and 120 px from the right. The button column on the right and the caption at the bottom stay outside it.
Are Instagram Story and Reels the same size?
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Yes, both are 1080×1920 (9:16). The safe zones differ: Stories have thinner top and bottom interfaces and no button column on the right.
How long should a Reel be?
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Instagram allows long Reels, but 15–60 seconds is recommended for promos; 20–30 seconds is a good start for a first promo.
Sources and notes
- MaestroCut platform data set (2026-10): Instagram Reels, Story, feed and ad placements
- Meta ad guidance notes (vertical ads: top 14%, bottom 35%, sides 6% clear) · Meta Business Help Center
- MaestroCut Video Report 2026: safe-zone share by platform
This page was last reviewed on . Numbers come from the MaestroCut platform and industry data set and are updated as platforms change their limits.
Make videos without thinking about safe zones
MaestroCut checks the text in every frame against the platform's safe zone automatically.