Shorts Safe-Zone Checker
Upload a 9:16 frame and overlay the areas the Shorts interface typically covers, so captions and subjects stay visible. Safe zones are approximate and platform UI changes over time.
Safe zones are approximate and change when the app updates. Leave yourself margin.
Preview is 9:16 — the shape a Short is actually displayed in.
The bottom third is where Shorts go wrong
Almost every mistake in this format is the same one: subtitles burned into the bottom of the frame, sitting underneath the channel name, the caption and the progress bar. Move captions to the middle third and the problem disappears entirely — and the middle is where a viewer is looking anyway.
Leave more room than the overlay shows
The interface is not fixed. A tall phone, a short phone, a caption that runs to two lines, a music attribution strip — each of these pushes the obstructed area further into your frame. Anything that only just clears the overlay here will be covered on some devices.
Design the crop, do not accept it
Cropping a 16:9 video to 9:16 without repositioning is what pushes subjects into the corners in the first place. Reframe deliberately: put the subject slightly above centre, keep text in the middle band, and check the result here before you export.
Common questions
Are these safe zones exact?
No, and they cannot be. The interface shifts between phone sizes, between Android and iOS, and whenever the app updates. Treat the overlays as a generous margin rather than a precise boundary — if something only just clears them, move it.
Which area causes the most problems?
The bottom. Channel name, caption, the progress bar and often a music strip all sit there, and it is exactly where people put their subtitles. The right-hand rail catches the second most: like, comment, share and the sound disc.
What resolution should a Short be?
1080 by 1920 pixels, 9:16. Anything else gets letterboxed or cropped, and a crop is what pushes your subject into an obstructed area.
Is my image uploaded?
No. The frame is read by your browser and stays on your device. Nothing is sent anywhere.