Will TikTok, Reels or Shorts buttons cover my lyrics?

Each style lays out its 9:16 clip so your lyrics sit in the part of the screen that TikTok, Reels and Shorts leave clear, away from their buttons, captions and your username.

How it works

• Every style has its own tall layout. Your 9:16 clip isn't a crop of the wide video. Each style rearranges the words for a phone screen.
• The lyrics are laid out inside a clear area. In a 1080×1920 clip, that's a box about 120 pixels in from the left edge, 180 from the right, 270 from the top and 670 from the bottom. That leaves room for the buttons down the right-hand side, and the caption and username along the bottom. On a few frames in some styles, a big word can still reach past it, so play your clip through before you download.
• Short words get company. Most styles join a short word to the word next to it, so a row rarely holds a single tiny word.
• Backgrounds can still fill the frame. Pictures, paper and colour run to the edges. Only the lyrics are kept inside the clear area.
• Texts uses the covered parts on purpose. Its phone screen fills the whole frame: the chat header sits at the top and the keyboard at the bottom, where the apps put their own buttons, and the messages stay in the middle. See How do I make a text message lyric video?

How to check your clip

1. In the studio, switch the preview to 9:16 Shorts (under See it as on a computer, or Format on a tablet or phone).
2. Play your whole clip and watch the edges, especially on the chorus.
3. If a line looks crowded near an edge, try a smaller Lyric size, or press Shuffle for a new layout.
4. Try a different style if it still doesn't sit right.

Good to know

• Your 9:16 clip is up to 60 seconds, taken from the part of the song you choose. See How do I choose which part of my song becomes the clip?
• Check your post before you publish. The clear area allows for the usual buttons and captions, but how much an app covers can change, for example with a long caption. Have a look at the post's preview in the app first.

If something goes wrong

• A word runs past the clear area in the preview. Try a smaller Lyric size or another take with Shuffle. If it keeps happening in one style, tell us which style and which line, with your project link.
• The app's buttons cover part of your picture. That's expected: only the lyrics are kept clear. Your cover and backgrounds fill the whole frame.

Hidden extras

• If you post the same clip on all three apps, one 9:16 file works for each. See How do I post my clip on TikTok, Reels and Shorts?
• Tips for the clip itself: How do I make my clip stand out on TikTok, Reels and Shorts?