CAPQAGuide · Troubleshooting
Why is my TikTok text covered?
By Antoni, founder · Updated
Fine in the editor, gone on the phone. It is almost always one of six things, and most come down to where TikTok draws its interface over your video.
- 350 px organic action bar
- 484 px Spark Ads bottom stack
- x 918 where the right rail starts
Six causes, in the order to check them
TikTok covers text for six reasons: it sits in the bottom third, it runs under the right rail, the post became a Spark Ad, extra rows pushed the stack up, the export isn't 9:16, or your editor's guides were made for TV. Each has a pixel-exact fix below.
01 It sits in the bottom third
TikTok's action bar (username, caption, sound) covers the bottom 350 px of a 1080×1920 frame, from y 1570. Fix: move text above y 1550, or anchor captions near the middle, at Y=1080.
02 It runs under the right rail
Like, comment, share and profile sit in a rail from x 918, between y 730 and y 1536. Fix: keep lines left of x 908, or centre them and wrap them shorter.
03 The post became a Spark Ad
Spark Ads get a 484 px stack at the bottom, with a Shop Now button at y 1436–1566. Fix: if a post might be promoted, lay it out for the ad version.
04 Extra rows pushed the stack up
Product links, location tags and long descriptions add rows, so the covered area grows past 350 px. Fix: leave headroom above the bar.
05 The export isn't 9:16
A 16:9 or 4:5 export plays smaller, with bars, and the text shifts against the interface. Fix: export at 1080×1920.
06 Your editor's guides are for TV
Title-safe guides come from television and don't know where TikTok puts its buttons. Fix: check against TikTok's actual interface.
Find the cause in ten seconds
Drop the video into the check below. It draws TikTok's Spark Ads interface over your video, in your browser; whatever sits under a red area is what viewers won't see.
Text that clears the Spark Ads stack clears the organic bar too. On the right, the organic rail starts 22 px further in, at x 918.
Finds where text sits, on this device. Reads no words, uploads nothing. Not platform endorsement; not affiliated with TikTok, Meta or Google.
Fixing text that's already burned in
You can't move burned-in text after export; it's part of the picture. Re-edit, move or remove the text, and export again — for captions, export the cut without them and burn new ones inside the safe zone. For a Spark Ad, swap in the new creative; the post itself can't be edited.
For the next video, one rule covers organic posts, Spark Ads, Reels and Shorts: keep text inside the centred 900×1400 safe zone, above y 1436 and left of x 918.
TikTok text covered: questions
Why does my text look fine in the editor but not on TikTok?
The editor shows the bare video. TikTok draws its interface — username, caption, sound and buttons — on top of it only when the post plays in the app.
Where is it safe to put text on a TikTok video?
Inside the centred 900×1400 area of a 1080×1920 frame, above y 1436 and left of x 918. That clears the organic action bar, the Spark Ads stack and both right rails.
Why is only part of my text covered?
Usually because the line crosses one edge of the interface. On organic posts the right rail starts at x 918 and the action bar at y 1570, so a line can clear the bar and still lose its last word under the like button.
Do Reels and Shorts cover the same area as TikTok?
No. Reels keeps a 330 px rail at the bottom and buttons from x 996; Shorts keeps 345 px for the title, buttons from x 936 and a subscribe button above the title on the left. The Reels and Shorts guides have the full numbers.
Does the free check read the text in my video?
No. It finds where burned-in text sits on your frames and measures how much of it the interface covers, without reading the words — so it tells you whether your code is under Shop Now by where it sits, not by what it says.
Can I fix a video that's already posted?
Not in place — the text is part of the video. Re-export with the text moved and post it again; for a Spark Ad, swap in the new creative.
Start
Fix it once, in the right place.
3 free videos a month · captions burned at Y=1080 · no card