YouTube's safe zone in pixels: 288 top, 672 bottom, 48 left, 192 right on a 1080 x 1920 frame. Google keeps them inside diagrams and templates. Free in-browser mockup of the in-stream placement. Canonical: https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/youtube Free tool · YouTube # YouTube safe zone: Google publishes it in pixels On a 1080 x 1920 vertical frame, keep 288 px clear at the top, 672 px at the bottom, 48 px on the left and 192 px on the right. Google publishes these as pixels rather than percentages, inside diagrams and downloadable templates rather than in page text, which is why so many spec sheets say YouTube publishes nothing (Google Ads Help, 16 August 2026). - 288 / 672 / 48 / 192 px at 1080 x 1920 - Right side reserved 4x the left - Checked 16 Aug 2026 [Skip the mockup tool](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/youtube#safe-zone) YouTube In-Stream placement around a 16:9 sample recruitment ad. Interface overlay on. Sample: a recruitment ad made with [RecruitmentAds.com](https://recruitmentads.com/) Your creative Drop your MP4 or JPEG here or choose a file 100% private. The file is read in your browser. Nothing is saved or uploaded. Use your own file Choose a file 100% private. The file is read in your browser. Nothing is saved or uploaded. Sample creative ![]()Nurse9:16![]()Warehouse9:16![]()Developer9:16![]()Driver1:1![]()Barista4:5![]()Chef16:9 Formatdetected 16:9 9:164:51:116:9 Placement4 of 11 placements take 16:9 FB FeedLI FeedYouTubeX FeedIG Reelsneeds 9:16Needs 9:16. Your file is 16:9.IG Storyneeds 9:16Needs 9:16. Your file is 16:9.IG Feedneeds 4:5 / 1:1Needs 4:5 / 1:1. Your file is 16:9.FB Storyneeds 9:16Needs 9:16. Your file is 16:9.FB Reelsneeds 9:16Needs 9:16. Your file is 16:9.TikTokneeds 9:16Needs 9:16. Your file is 16:9.Snapneeds 9:16Needs 9:16. Your file is 16:9. Overlay OffUI chromePublished safe zone No published safe-zone figure is wired up for this placement. Your logo Add your logo 100% private. Your logo never leaves this device. Or click the logo inside the mockup. Call-to-action buttonYouTube In-Stream Apply Now YouTube takes free-text button copy on video ads, up to 10 characters including spaces, so there is no list to pick from. Apply Now fits at nine. Download PNG No email. No signup. No watermark. Or click any text inside the mockup to edit it in place. Edit text Company name Headline Primary text Description Caption One YouTube placement is in the tool: in-stream at 16:9, what Google calls horizontal, the format pre-roll buys use. Shorts is not in the tool, though its specs are on this page. Masthead, in-feed video and Google Display formats are out of scope. Why the safe-zone overlay is off here. This placement is in-stream at 16:9, and Google's horizontal safe zone is a stepped shape with notches cut out of both top corners, so drawing it as a rectangle would show you something Google never published. The interface overlay is on instead. The vertical figures are settled and are in full below. [Why the horizontal numbers are held back](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/youtube#horizontal) - 100% private - No data saved - No account - No watermark Your file is read in the browser and never sent anywhere. The export is a full-resolution PNG with no signup and no watermark. There is no paid tier of this tool. Mocking up a hiring ad? [RecruitmentAds.com builds the whole ad set from a vacancy URL →](https://recruitmentads.com/) Safe zone ## The YouTube safe zone, in pixels YouTube is the one platform here that gives exact pixels against a stated reference frame. It is also the one whose numbers you cannot find by reading its pages: they sit inside diagrams and inside the transparent areas of three downloadable templates. ### Vertical, 1080 x 1920: 288 top, 672 bottom, 48 left, 192 right These four numbers are the best corroborated safe zone on this site. They are labelled on the vertical diagram embedded in Google's video ad specs page, and measuring the transparent region of Google's own downloadable vertical template returns the same four values independently. The Type column is empty on purpose. Google classifies its spec figures as Recommended, Accepted or Callouts, and the safe-zone section sits outside all three with no enforcement verb attached. ### YouTube safe zone, vertical reference frame | Field | Value | Type | Source | Accessed | | ---------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------- | | Reference resolution | 1080 x 1920 px | Not classified | [Google Ads Help, video ad specs ](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/13547298?hl=en)· [Vertical template (PNG)](https://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/youtubesafezoneoverlay_vertical_final.png) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Safe zone, top | 288 px | Not classified | [Google Ads Help, video ad specs ](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/13547298?hl=en)· [Vertical template (PNG)](https://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/youtubesafezoneoverlay_vertical_final.png) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Safe zone, bottom | 672 px | Not classified | [Google Ads Help, video ad specs ](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/13547298?hl=en)· [Vertical template (PNG)](https://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/youtubesafezoneoverlay_vertical_final.png) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Safe zone, left | 48 px | Not classified | [Google Ads Help, video ad specs ](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/13547298?hl=en)· [Vertical template (PNG)](https://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/youtubesafezoneoverlay_vertical_final.png) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Safe zone, right | 192 px | Not classified | [Google Ads Help, video ad specs ](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/13547298?hl=en)· [Vertical template (PNG)](https://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/youtubesafezoneoverlay_vertical_final.png) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Safe zone, horizontal (16:9) | Published as a stepped shape; values held back [Why](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/youtube#horizontal) | Not classified | [Google Ads Help, video ad specs](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/13547298?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Safe zone, square (1:1) | No diagram and no figure published [What the template shows](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/youtube#square) | Not classified | [Google Ads Help, video ad specs](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/13547298?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | The asymmetry is the part to carry into a design. The right reserve is exactly four times the left, 192 px against 48 px, because the controls sit on the right. Meta's vertical guidance is symmetric at 6% each side, so reusing Meta's side margins on a YouTube vertical asset puts your elements under YouTube's controls. Google writes two sentences about the safe zone, and no more: > “Overlays, call-to-actions, and buttons may appear in different places depending on the format, campaign type, and screen.” [Google Ads Help, About video ad specs](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/13547298?hl=en) · accessed 16 Aug 2026 > “Use these images as a reference to ensure important elements like your logo, product, supers, and others are within the red safe area to avoid risk of elements being covered within certain inventory or download transparent PNG templates for horizontal, vertical, and square videos.” [Google Ads Help, About video ad specs](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/13547298?hl=en) · accessed 16 Aug 2026 Note what is missing from both: no must, no required, no consider leaving. The consequence Google names is a risk of elements being covered, not a rejection at upload. Whether the zone is a rule or a recommendation is something Google never says, so it is listed as a gap rather than answered on Google's behalf. ### The same figures as percentages, and what they leave you ### Horizontal, 16:9: why there are no numbers here Google does publish a horizontal safe zone, on three diagrams (phone landscape, television, desktop) carrying identical numbers. Two things keep those numbers off this page. First, the shape is not a rectangle. Notches are cut out of both top corners, so the centre of the top edge is safe much higher up than the corners are. Drawing that as a single rectangle would show you something Google never published, which is why the overlay above stays off for this placement. Second, the readings do not agree yet. Two dated readings of Google's own files exist: one from a Google-hosted PDF on 5 August 2026, one from the diagrams on the specs page confirmed against the downloadable template on 16 August 2026. Both agree the corners are notched and the right side is reserved more than the left. They disagree on the depth of the bottom reserve and on the notch dimensions, which are materially different shapes. Publishing a figure that cannot be reconciled is the exact behaviour this page exists to correct. What you can use today: the corners of the top edge are reserved deeper than its centre, the right side is reserved more than the left, and roughly the bottom third is reserved on every shape Google draws. Exact numbers go up once the PDF, the diagrams and the templates have been read on one day and reconciled. ### Square, 1:1: the template exists and the figure does not Square is one of Google's three recommended ratios, and Google offers a square template to download. It publishes no square diagram and no square number anywhere, so the specification is distributed and never stated. Worth knowing before trusting any square figure you find elsewhere. ### Measured from Google's square template, not published by Google ### What sits in the reserved space Google reserves the space and almost never names what goes in it. The stepped horizontal shape implies two elements in the top corners and a large bottom bar, and Google names none of them. The five-second skip is the most famous fact about YouTube advertising, and Google publishes no dimension, position or label for the control that delivers it. > “The RHS panel includes like, dislike, comment, and share buttons.” [Google Ads Help, YouTube Shorts ads](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/16041697?hl=en) · accessed 16 Aug 2026 That sentence, about the Shorts right-hand panel, is the only place Google names the furniture sitting inside a reserved area. It also explains the 192 px on the right. > “Unlisted videos used as advertisements won't display the YouTube channel logo, name, or information.” [Google Ads Help, Skippable in-stream ads](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6055025?hl=en) · accessed 16 Aug 2026 > “These ad badges don't appear in ad previews. They're only shown when your ad serves.” [Display & Video 360 Help, Ad badging, transparency, and reporting](https://support.google.com/displayvideo/answer/3424087?hl=en) · accessed 16 Aug 2026 Worth knowing if you compare this mockup with what you see in Google Ads: Google's own previews do not draw the ad badge either, so a mockup that omits it is behaving the way Google's previews behave. ### Does YouTube crop your video? Yes, and it says how This is where Google publishes more than any other platform here. It documents five rendering behaviours by name, and one of them is a straight statement that your vertical creative is cropped on the first impression. > “For both square and vertical videos, when the user interacts with the YouTube app, such as by scrolling through related content under the video, the video player can compress up to a 1:1 aspect ratio. This will crop the displayed video at the bottom and top and allow the user to interact with the content they chose below.” [Google Ads Help, Use square and vertical video to engage mobile customers](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/9128498?hl=en) · accessed 16 Aug 2026 > “When a mobile device is rotated and held horizontally after a vertical video ad has played, the vertical video ad would appear with black bars to either side of the video.” [Google Ads Help, Use square and vertical video to engage mobile customers](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/9128498?hl=en) · accessed 16 Aug 2026 > “If you use horizontal assets, they'll serve with blurred top and bottoms in the vertical Shorts experience.” [Google Ads Help, YouTube Shorts ads](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/16041697?hl=en) · accessed 16 Aug 2026 Two more from the same page: a 9:16 ad covers about 75% of a phone screen with organic content beneath it, going to 100% if the viewer taps fullscreen in portrait, and an image caption describes the portion of a 9:16 video cropped for the initial impression. One general line elsewhere in Google's documentation reads like a promise that nothing is cut off. These five specific behaviours are the ones to design around, because Google's own pages contradict that line three times over. Published specs ## YouTube in-stream and Shorts ad specs Google classifies its figures in three columns of its own: Recommended, Accepted and Callouts, and those words are kept in the Field column below. The Type column is filled only where Google's wording supports it. Rows Google lists as accepted only, and the safe zone, which sits outside all three columns, carry no type. ### Video specs, all YouTube video ad formats | Field | Value | Type | Source | Accessed | | -------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------- | | Resolution, Google's Recommended column | 1080p (Full HD) | Design recommendation | [Google Ads Help, video ad specs](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/13547298?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Recommended resolution, horizontal | 1920 x 1080 px | Design recommendation | [Google Ads Help, video ad specs](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/13547298?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Recommended resolution, vertical | 1080 x 1920 px | Design recommendation | [Google Ads Help, video ad specs](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/13547298?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Recommended resolution, square | 1080 x 1080 px | Design recommendation | [Google Ads Help, video ad specs](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/13547298?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Minimum HD resolution, accepted | 1280 x 720 horizontal, 720 x 1280 vertical, 480 x 480 square | Not classified | [Google Ads Help, video ad specs](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/13547298?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Minimum SD resolution, accepted | 640 x 480 horizontal, 480 x 640 vertical, 480 x 480 square | Not classified | [Google Ads Help, video ad specs](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/13547298?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Aspect ratios, recommended | 16:9 horizontal, 9:16 vertical, 1:1 square | Design recommendation | [Google Ads Help, video ad specs](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/13547298?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Aspect ratios, also accepted | 4:3 (SD) horizontal, 2:3 vertical, 4:5 vertical | Not classified | [Google Ads Help, video ad specs](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/13547298?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | File format, recommended | .MPG (MPEG-2 or MPEG-4) | Design recommendation | [Google Ads Help, video ad specs](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/13547298?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | File formats, accepted | .WMV, .AVI, .MOV, .FLV, .MPEG-1, .MP4, .MPEGPS, 3GPP, WebM, DNxHR, ProRes, CineForm, HEVC (h265) | Not classified | [Google Ads Help, video ad specs](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/13547298?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Audio-only files | Not accepted (MP3, WAV, PCM) | Not classified | [Google Ads Help, video ad specs](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/13547298?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | File size | 256 GB or less | Design recommendation | [Google Ads Help, video ad specs](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/13547298?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Hosting | The video must be uploaded to YouTube and set public or unlisted | Technical requirement | [Google Ads Help, skippable in-stream](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6055025?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Companion banner (desktop only) | 300 x 60 px, 5:1, JPEG, GIF or PNG, 150 KB maximum | Design recommendation | [Google Ads Help, video ad specs](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/13547298?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Thumbnail | 1280 x 720 px at 16:9, minimum 1280 x 640 px, .JPG, .GIF or .PNG, under 2 MB | Design recommendation | [Google Ads Help, video ad specs](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/13547298?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Codec, frame rate, bitrate and caption specs | Not published for ad creative | Not classified | [Google Ads Help, video ad specs](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/13547298?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | Google's own wording on standard definition, verbatim: “For optimal quality, we don't recommend using SD”. One figure on this table conflicts with another on the same page: the thumbnail is recommended at 16:9, and the stated minimum of 1280 x 640 is 2:1. Google does not say which is right. The 4:5 vertical ratio appears on this page only; the skippable and non-skippable pages list 2:3 alone. ### Length rules, by format and by buying type | Field | Value | Type | Source | Accessed | | ------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------- | | Skip availability | After 5 seconds | Technical requirement | [Google Ads Help, skippable in-stream](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6055025?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Skippable length | Any length. No minimum or maximum [Two other Google answers](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/youtube#yt-nonskippable-length) | Not classified | [Google Ads Help, skippable in-stream](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6055025?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Skippable length, reservation buying | Minimum 12 seconds, maximum 6 minutes | Not classified | [Google Ads Help, skippable in-stream](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6055025?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Skippable length, cross-format table | No max length, under 3 minutes recommended | Design recommendation | [Google Ads Help, video ad formats](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2375464?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Skippable length, recommended by objective | Awareness 15 to 20 s, consideration 2:00 to 3:00, action 15 to 20 s | Design recommendation | [Google Ads Help, skippable in-stream](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6055025?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Maximum length, enforcement grade | 30 seconds in auction, 60 seconds in reservation (non-skippable) [Five other figures](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/youtube#yt-nonskippable-length) | Technical requirement | [Google Ads Policies, video ad requirements](https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/2679940?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Non-skippable, bumper | Up to 6 seconds | Technical requirement | [Google Ads Help, non-skippable in-stream](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/11462260?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Non-skippable, standard | 7 to 15 seconds | Technical requirement | [Google Ads Help, non-skippable in-stream](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/11462260?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Non-skippable, 30-second sub-format | 16 to 30 seconds, shown primarily on connected TV | Technical requirement | [Google Ads Help, non-skippable in-stream ](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/11462260?hl=en)· [Display & Video 360 Help, non-skippable reach](https://support.google.com/displayvideo/answer/9224914?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | 30-second assets, orientation | Must be horizontal; square or vertical assets will not run | Not classified | [Google Ads Help, non-skippable in-stream](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/11462260?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Length tolerance, YouTube TV | Within 1 second of :30 or :60, or the ad does not serve | Technical requirement | [Google Ads Help, YouTube TV formats](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/14442864?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Headline | 15 characters or fewer, or 10 with a call to action present | Design recommendation | [Google Ads Help, skippable in-stream ](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6055025?hl=en)· [Google Ads Help, non-skippable in-stream](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/11462260?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Description | 15 characters or fewer | Design recommendation | [Google Ads Help, skippable in-stream](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6055025?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Billing threshold, cost per view | 30 seconds, or the full duration if shorter, or an interaction | Technical requirement | [Google Ads Help, skippable in-stream](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6055025?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | In-stream select maximum, Ad Manager | 30 seconds | Technical requirement | [Ad Manager Help, skippable video ads](https://support.google.com/admanager/answer/3376934?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Skip button position, size or label | Not published anywhere | Not classified | [Google Ads Help, skippable in-stream](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6055025?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | > “30-second video assets must be horizontal. Square or vertical assets will not be able to run.” [Google Ads Help, Non-skippable in-stream ads](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/11462260?hl=en) · accessed 16 Aug 2026 That sentence sits in Google's Callouts column, where it prints notes rather than rules, and it still reads as a hard limit with a stated consequence, so the Type cell is left empty rather than reclassified. The YouTube TV tolerance is the only precision tolerance Google publishes for video ads anywhere: a 30-second ad must run between :29 and :31 or it does not serve. ### YouTube Shorts ads (not rendered in the tool) | Field | Value | Type | Source | Accessed | | -------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------- | | Aspect ratio, recommended | 9:16 vertical | Design recommendation | [Google Ads Help, Shorts asset specs](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/16041697?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Maximum asset length | 3 minutes | Not classified | [Google Ads Help, Shorts asset specs](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/16041697?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Plays in the Shorts feed | The first 60 seconds only | Technical requirement | [Google Ads Help, Shorts asset specs](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/16041697?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Click-out overlay appears at | 50 seconds | Technical requirement | [Google Ads Help, Shorts asset specs](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/16041697?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Recommended length | Under 60 seconds; 10 to 30 s for action campaigns, 6 to 60 s for video reach | Design recommendation | [Google Ads Help, Shorts asset specs](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/16041697?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Description | 90 characters, truncated after 1 line on mobile and 2 lines on desktop and TV | Technical requirement | [Google Ads Help, Shorts asset specs](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/16041697?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Headline, mobile call-to-action overlay card | 40 characters recommended [Contradicted](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/youtube#yt-shorts-headline) | Design recommendation | [Google Ads Help, Shorts asset specs](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/16041697?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Call-to-action button timing | 3 seconds in (Performance Max, App, Demand Gen) or 10 seconds in (video view, reach) | Technical requirement | [Google Ads Help, Shorts asset specs](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/16041697?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Horizontal assets in the Shorts feed | Serve with blurred top and bottom | Not classified | [Google Ads Help, Shorts asset specs](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/16041697?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Minimum dimensions | 720 x 1280 vertical, 480 x 480 square, 1280 x 720 horizontal | Technical requirement | [Display & Video 360 Help, ad formats](https://support.google.com/displayvideo/answer/6274216?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Safe zone for Shorts specifically | Not published; the vertical figures above are the only ones Google gives | Not classified | [Google Ads Help, Shorts asset specs](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/16041697?hl=en) | 16 Aug 2026 | > “Video ads can be up to 3 minutes long, though only the first 60 seconds will play on the Shorts feed, with an overlay appearing at 50 seconds that allows the user to watch the rest of the ad on the YouTube watch page.” [Google Ads Help, YouTube Shorts ads](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/16041697?hl=en) · accessed 16 Aug 2026 Shorts is the vertical surface, so the vertical safe zone above is the one that applies to it, and Google publishes no separate Shorts safe zone. Organic Shorts, for contrast, get no published aspect ratio and no safe zone at all: the 9:16 figure exists only in the advertising documentation. Covered here: in-stream, skippable and non-skippable, which is the placement in the tool, plus bumper as a length rule and Shorts as a spec table. Not covered: YouTube Masthead, in-feed video and Google Display formats. Those are different products with their own specs. ### What Google does not publish Google gives no figure for any of these, across Google Ads Help, YouTube Help, Display & Video 360 Help, Ad Manager Help and the Advertising Policies centre. If a spec sheet hands you one, it did not come from Google. | Not published | Pages checked | Accessed | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------- | | Any position, size or on-screen coordinate for the skip button (only the 5-second timing is published) | Google Ads Help, YouTube Help, Display & Video 360 Help, Ad Manager Help, Advertising Policies | 16 Aug 2026 | | The skip button's own label text as a canonical string | All five Google help centres above | 16 Aug 2026 | | Which interface element occupies which part of the reserved area | The video ad specs page and all five safe-zone diagrams | 16 Aug 2026 | | Whether the safe zone is a requirement, a recommendation or neither | The video ad specs page (the section sits outside Google's own three columns) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Any square safe-zone diagram or figure (only a downloadable template exists) | Google Ads Help, Display & Video 360 Help | 16 Aug 2026 | | Any percentage expression of the safe zone, or how to scale the pixels to another frame size | The video ad specs page and the square and vertical video page | 16 Aug 2026 | | A safe zone for 4:5, 2:3 or 4:3, all of which Google lists as accepted ratios | Google Ads Help, Display & Video 360 Help | 16 Aug 2026 | | Any video or audio codec, bitrate, frame rate or caption requirement for ad creative | Google Ads Help, Advertising Policies | 16 Aug 2026 | | Any spec that distinguishes pre-roll from mid-roll or post-roll | Every advertiser-facing in-stream page (all say before, during or after other videos) | 16 Aug 2026 | | Any position, size, colour or wording for the on-screen ad badge | Display & Video 360 Help, Google Ads Help | 16 Aug 2026 | | Any aspect ratio or safe zone for organic Shorts (the 9:16 figure exists only in the ad documentation) | YouTube Help, Get started creating YouTube Shorts | 16 Aug 2026 | Which number to use ## Three YouTube figures that depend on the page you read The first two sit between pages Google publishes today. The third is TikTok's, kept here because it is the same trap in another company's documentation. Here is the number to build to, with the sources under it. - Google publishes six different maximum lengths for non-skippable in-stream ads. Use 30 seconds in auction and 60 seconds in reservation, and name the buying type when you quote it. [The sources, side by side](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/youtube#yt-nonskippable-length) - One Google page says Shorts ads have no headline, another recommends a 40-character one. Provide the 40-character headline, and attach the qualifier Google gives with it: it surfaces in the mobile call-to-action overlay card, which is the newer of the two mechanisms and the one the Shorts page explains. [The sources, side by side](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/youtube#yt-shorts-headline) - TikTok In-Feed specs differ by buying type. Match the table to how you buy. Auction In-Feed allows up to 10 minutes at a 516 kbps floor and accepts .avi; reservation requires 5 to 60 seconds at 2,500 kbps and drops .avi. [The sources, side by side](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/youtube#c7-tiktok-buying-type) ### The sources behind each one Source conflict ### Google publishes six different maximum lengths for non-skippable in-stream ads Six Google-owned pages, read on the same day. Only one of them is written as enforcement. | Source | Value | Type | Accessed | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------ | --------------------- | ----------- | | [Google Advertising Policies · Video ad requirements](https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/2679940?hl=en) | 30 s auction, 60 s reservation | Technical requirement | 16 Aug 2026 | | [Google Ads Help · Non-skippable in-stream ads](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/11462260?hl=en) | 30 seconds or shorter | Technical requirement | 16 Aug 2026 | | [Google Ads Help · About video ad formats, comparison table](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2375464?hl=en) | 15 to 60 seconds | Technical requirement | 16 Aug 2026 | | [Display & Video 360 Help · YouTube and partners ad formats](https://support.google.com/displayvideo/answer/6274216?hl=en) | 15 seconds or shorter | Technical requirement | 16 Aug 2026 | | [Display & Video 360 Help · Non-skippable reach line items](https://support.google.com/displayvideo/answer/9224914?hl=en) | 5 to 30 seconds | Technical requirement | 16 Aug 2026 | | [YouTube Help · YouTube advertising formats](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2467968?hl=en) | 15 or 20 seconds, 30 on TV | Technical requirement | 16 Aug 2026 | ### Verbatim wording from the pages What to use Use 30 seconds in auction and 60 seconds in reservation, and name the buying type when you quote it. That is the only figure Google publishes as enforcement, under its own heading for what is not allowed. A flat maximum with no buying type attached contradicts one Google page or another whichever number is chosen. A seventh page, the YouTube TV formats article, separately lists :06, :15, :30 and :60 as available lengths. Last checked 16 Aug 2026 Source conflict ### One Google page says Shorts ads have no headline, another recommends a 40-character one Two Google-owned pages, read on the same day. Direct contradiction, not a difference of emphasis. | Source | Value | Type | Accessed | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------- | --------------------- | ----------- | | [Google Ads Help · YouTube Shorts ads: asset specs and best practices](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/16041697?hl=en) | 40 characters recommended | Design recommendation | 16 Aug 2026 | | [Display & Video 360 Help · YouTube and partners ad formats](https://support.google.com/displayvideo/answer/6274216?hl=en) | No headline field | Technical requirement | 16 Aug 2026 | ### Verbatim wording from the pages What to use Provide the 40-character headline, and attach the qualifier Google gives with it: it surfaces in the mobile call-to-action overlay card, which is the newer of the two mechanisms and the one the Shorts page explains. Do not quote 40 characters as a bare Shorts headline limit. Last checked 16 Aug 2026 Source conflict ### TikTok In-Feed specs differ by buying type Auction and reservation are different products behind the same placement name. One spec table cannot describe both. | Source | Value | Type | Accessed | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------- | ---------- | | [TikTok Ads Manager Help Centre · TikTok Auction In-Feed Ads](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/tiktok-auction-in-feed-ads) | Up to 10 minutes · ≥ 516 kbps · .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .3gp, .avi | Technical requirement | 5 Aug 2026 | | [TikTok Ads Manager Help Centre · TikTok Reservation In-Feed Ads (Reach & Frequency)](https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/tiktok-reservation-in-feed-ads-reach-frequency) | 5–60 s, recommend 9–15 s · ≥ 2,500 kbps · .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .3gp | Technical requirement | 5 Aug 2026 | What to use Match the table to how you buy. Auction In-Feed allows up to 10 minutes at a 516 kbps floor and accepts .avi; reservation requires 5 to 60 seconds at 2,500 kbps and drops .avi. Last checked 5 Aug 2026 The buying-type split in the first one is not unique to Google. TikTok publishes two different figure sets for one placement name depending on whether it is bought at auction or on reservation. [See the TikTok page](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/tiktok#conflicts) · [All platforms on the hub](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup) ### Every source on this page Each figure above carries its source inline. The full list, all read 16 August 2026: - [Google Ads Help: About video ad specs (carries the safe-zone section)](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/13547298?hl=en) - [Google Ads Help: Video ads specs and format requirements](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/17091270?hl=en) - [Google Ads Help: Skippable in-stream ads](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6055025?hl=en) - [Google Ads Help: Non-skippable in-stream ads](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/11462260?hl=en) - [Google Ads Help: About video ad formats](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2375464?hl=en) - [Google Ads Help: YouTube Shorts ads, asset specs and best practices](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/16041697?hl=en) - [Google Ads Help: Use square and vertical video to engage mobile customers](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/9128498?hl=en) - [Google Ads Help: About YouTube TV ad formats](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/14442864?hl=en) - [Google Advertising Policies: Video ad requirements](https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/2679940?hl=en) - [Display & Video 360 Help: YouTube and partners ad formats](https://support.google.com/displayvideo/answer/6274216?hl=en) - [Display & Video 360 Help: Non-skippable reach line items](https://support.google.com/displayvideo/answer/9224914?hl=en) - [Display & Video 360 Help: Ad badging, transparency, and reporting](https://support.google.com/displayvideo/answer/3424087?hl=en) - [Google Ad Manager Help: Skippable video ads](https://support.google.com/admanager/answer/3376934?hl=en) - [YouTube Help: YouTube advertising formats](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2467968?hl=en) - [Google: safe-zone template, vertical (PNG, 1080 x 1920)](https://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/youtubesafezoneoverlay_vertical_final.png) - [Google: safe-zone template, horizontal (PNG, 1920 x 1080)](https://services.google.com/fh/files/blogs/ytsafezoneoverlay-horizontal.png) - [Google: safe-zone template, square (PNG, 1080 x 1080)](https://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/youtubesafezoneoverlay-square.png) Last verified 16 August 2026. Volatile figures (the safe zones, character limits, Shorts behaviour and the non-skippable length rules) are re-checked quarterly; stable ones (recommended resolutions, aspect ratios, file formats) annually. The safe-zone figures have to be re-read from the diagrams and the templates, not from the page text: that section's text contains no numbers, so it will look unchanged forever. Other platforms ## Safe zones and specs for the other placements Each page carries that platform's published specs and its safe zone, sourced and dated. Facebook is the natural next stop: Meta publishes percentages where Google publishes pixels, and it publishes two of them. ### [Instagram](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/instagram) [Reels · Story · Feed](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/instagram) [3 placements in the tool](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/instagram) [Safe zone published](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/instagram) ### [TikTok](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/tiktok) [For You](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/tiktok) [1 placement in the tool](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/tiktok) [No published figure](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/tiktok) ### [Facebook](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/facebook) [Story · Reels · Feed](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/facebook) [3 placements in the tool](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/facebook) [Two safe-zone readings published](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/facebook) ### [LinkedIn](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/linkedin) [Feed](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/linkedin) [1 placement in the tool](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/linkedin) [No safe zone published](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/linkedin) ### [Snapchat](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/snapchat) [Snapchat](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/snapchat) [1 placement in the tool](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/snapchat) [Figures on two pages disagree](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/snapchat) ### [X](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/x) [Feed](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/x) [1 placement in the tool](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/x) [No published figure](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/x) FAQ ## YouTube safe-zone questions ### What is the YouTube safe zone? Google publishes it as pixels against a stated reference resolution. On a 1080 x 1920 vertical frame: 288 px at the top, 672 px at the bottom, 48 px on the left and 192 px on the right (Google Ads Help, About video ad specs, read 16 August 2026). Measuring the transparent area of Google's own downloadable vertical template returns the same four numbers. ### Where does Google publish the YouTube safe zone? Inside pictures. The numbers are labels on the diagrams embedded in the video ad specs page, and transparent areas in the three downloadable PNG templates it links, not text. Read that page as text and you get a heading, two sentences and no figures, which is how so many spec sheets conclude Google publishes nothing (checked 16 August 2026). ### Is the YouTube safe zone a requirement or a recommendation? Google does not say. The section sits outside its own Recommended, Accepted and Callouts columns and uses no enforcement verb; the consequence it names is a risk of elements being covered within certain inventory (Google Ads Help, read 16 August 2026). Nothing is rejected at upload for breaking it. ### Why is the right side reserved four times more than the left? Because the controls sit on the right. The vertical safe zone reserves 192 px on the right against 48 px on the left at 1080 x 1920 (read 16 August 2026). The only Google sentence naming what sits there describes the Shorts right-hand panel: like, dislike, comment and share. Meta's guidance for vertical placements is symmetric at 6% each side, so carrying Meta's side margins onto a YouTube vertical asset puts elements under YouTube's controls. ### Does YouTube crop your video? Google documents three specific behaviours: a 9:16 vertical ad is cropped for the initial ad impression, the player can compress to as tight as 1:1 when the viewer scrolls the content underneath, which crops top and bottom, and a vertical ad shows with black bars either side when the phone is rotated (Google Ads Help, square and vertical video, read 16 August 2026). Horizontal assets in the Shorts feed serve with blurred top and bottom (Google Ads Help, Shorts asset specs, same date). Those are the publishable statements: a general line elsewhere in Google's documentation reads as a promise that nothing is cut, and its own pages contradict it three times. ### How long can a YouTube ad be? Skippable in-stream has no published maximum, with under 3 minutes recommended, and the viewer can skip after 5 seconds. Non-skippable is capped at 30 seconds in auction campaigns and 60 seconds in reservation campaigns, which is the only length figure Google publishes as enforcement (Google Advertising Policies, video ad requirements, read 16 August 2026). Bumper is up to 6 seconds. Five other Google pages give different non-skippable maximums, and all six readings are tabulated on this page. ### Does this tool draw YouTube's safe zone over my file? No, and the reason is above. The placement in the tool is in-stream at 16:9, and Google's horizontal safe zone is a stepped shape with notches cut out of both top corners rather than a rectangle, which is all this overlay can draw. The interface overlay is on instead, and the settled vertical figures are in full above. ### Is this tool free? Yes, and it is 100% private: nothing is saved or uploaded, your file is read in the browser and never leaves your device. No account, no email, no watermark, and there is no paid tier of this tool. This is RecruitmentAds ## Paste a vacancy link. Get the finished ad set back. We turn one vacancy URL into a complete set of hiring ads: an on-brand video plus the static sizes, cut for Meta and LinkedIn. Recruiters ship a campaign in minutes. Marketing keeps control of the brand. - Video and static from one link - Sized per placement, Meta and LinkedIn - Your fonts, colours and logo, locked [See RecruitmentAds Studio](https://recruitmentads.com/recruitment-video)[Keep using the mockup tool →](https://recruitmentads.com/free-tools/ad-mockup/youtube#tool) Instagram, Facebook and Meta are trademarks of Meta Platforms, Inc. TikTok is a trademark of ByteDance Ltd. LinkedIn is a trademark of LinkedIn Corporation. YouTube is a trademark of Google LLC. Snapchat is a trademark of Snap Inc. X is a trademark of X Corp. RecruitmentAds.com is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any of these companies. The placement previews on this page are illustrative recreations built from published specifications. They are not screenshots of the apps and may differ from the current product. Specification figures are quoted from each platform’s own documentation with the date they were read.