Google's safe zone for vertical video ads on YouTube keeps 288 px at the top, 672 px at the bottom, 48 px on the left, and 192 px on the right of a 1080 x 1920 video clear. That leaves an 840 x 960 px safe area, exactly half the frame's height. The same layout covers organic Shorts.
Free YouTube Shorts safe zone template (PNG)
The template is a transparent 1080 x 1920 PNG that uses Google's pixel values. The red areas are what Shorts covers, and the dashed box is the safe area.
What are the YouTube Shorts safe zone dimensions?
| Keep clear | On 1080 x 1920 | On 720 x 1280 | Share of frame |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top | 288 px | 192 px | 15% |
| Bottom | 672 px | 448 px | 35% |
| Left | 48 px | 32 px | 4.4% |
| Right | 192 px | 128 px | 17.8% |
| Safe area | 840 x 960 px | 560 x 640 px | 78% x 50% |
Checked October 23, 2026. The 1080 x 1920 values come from the safe zone image on Google Ads Help, labeled "YouTube | Vertical Video Ads" with dimensions in pixels. The 720 x 1280 values are the same margins scaled to two thirds.
Is there an official YouTube Shorts safe zone?
Yes, for ads. Google Ads Help shows a 1080 x 1920 safe zone image for vertical video ads, which can run in Shorts, and says to keep logos, products, and on-screen text inside it so the interface does not cover them. Google's Universal Safe Zones guide adds that overlays and buttons sit in different places by format, campaign type, and screen, so treat the template as a guide and check a test on a phone.
What covers each part of a Short?
- Top: search, the camera, and the more menu.
- Right: the like, dislike, comment, share, and remix buttons, and the sound thumbnail. This is the widest button column of the three apps, so the right margin is 192 px.
- Bottom: the channel name, Subscribe button, title, and sound or product tags. Ads add a Sponsored label and a call-to-action button.
- Left: nothing fixed, so the left margin is only 48 px.
How do you use the YouTube Shorts safe zone template?
- Download the template. Get the free 1080 x 1920 transparent PNG on this page.
- Add it on top of your video. Put the PNG on the track or layer above your video and stretch it to fill the 9:16 frame.
- Keep key elements in the box. Place hook text, faces, the product, and burned-in captions inside the dashed box.
- Hide it before you export. Turn the template layer off or delete it, then export and check a private test on YouTube Shorts on a phone.
- CapCut: add the PNG as an overlay on a track above your video, stretch it to the frame, and delete it before you export.
- Premiere Pro: put the PNG on the top video track, scale it to the frame, and turn off that track's output (the eye icon) before you export.
- Canva: upload the PNG to a 1080 x 1920 design, resize it to fill the page, and delete it before you download.
Where should text and faces go on YouTube Shorts?
- Hook text in the upper part of the safe area, below the top 288 px.
- Faces a little left of center, because the right margin is wide.
- Burned-in captions no lower than 1248 px from the top, the bottom of the safe area.
- Logos away from the top and the right edge.
- The product in the center of the safe area, not on the right.
We edit every UGC ad we deliver this way, and we write the hook for the first three seconds, where it sits in the clear part of the frame.
