YouTube Shorts Safe Zone Checker
The Shorts player overlays your channel handle and description near the bottom-left and stacks the like, dislike, comment, share, and remix icons down the right edge — both sit on top of your video. Drop in your clip below and see exactly what the Shorts player will cover before you post. Nothing you drop in here is uploaded anywhere — it stays entirely in your browser.
The YouTube Shorts safe zone is the center portion of a 1080×1920 clip that the Shorts player’s own interface never covers — roughly the top 9%, bottom 17%, and right 11% are reserved for navigation, channel info, and action icons, leaving about 1080×1420px guaranteed visible in the middle.
YouTube Shorts Safe Zone Checker Tool
What is the YouTube Shorts safe zone?
The YouTube Shorts safe zone is the part of a 9:16 video that stays fully visible once the Shorts player’s own controls are layered on top — your channel handle and description near the bottom-left, and the like, dislike, comment, share, and remix icons running down the right edge. Anything sitting behind either of those areas can end up unreadable, even though the video itself keeps playing underneath.
This is why on-screen text that looks fine while editing can still get covered by the Shorts action rail once it’s live. Pod2Reels automatically places burned-in captions inside the safe zone on every clip it generates, so you never have to think about this again. For the exact pixel breakdown, common mistakes, and how organic Shorts differ from ads, read our YouTube Shorts Safe Zone: The Complete Guide.
Try Pod2Reels — automatic safe-zone captionsFrequently Asked Questions
How big is the YouTube Shorts safe zone?
On a standard 1080×1920 Short, the player reserves about 170px at the top for search and navigation controls, roughly 330px at the bottom for the channel name and description, and about 120px along the right edge for the like, dislike, comment, share, and remix icons. That leaves a safe zone of roughly 1080×1420px in the center.
Why does my YouTube Shorts text get covered by the app's interface?
The Shorts player adds its own navigation bar, channel info, and action-icon rail on top of your video after you publish, so text placed near the top, bottom, or right edge in your editor can end up hidden once it's live. This checker overlays those exact reserved regions before you upload.
Does the YouTube Shorts safe zone differ from YouTube's regular video ad specs?
Yes. YouTube's official ad safe-zone guidance is built for paid video creative and reserves extra room for elements like a "Visit site" button, which organic Shorts don't have. This checker reflects the interface every viewer sees on a normal, non-ad Short.
Is this YouTube Shorts safe zone checker free to use?
Yes — it's free, requires no signup, and your clip is never uploaded; everything runs locally in your browser.
Where does the Shorts player place the channel name, description, and action icons?
Your channel handle and description sit near the bottom-left of the frame, while the like, dislike, comment, share, and remix icons run down the right edge. That icon column starts below the top navigation bar rather than spanning the full screen height.
How do I keep my YouTube Shorts captions inside the safe zone automatically?
Pod2Reels burns captions directly into the safe zone on every clip it generates from a longer video or podcast, so you never have to manually check placement.