How to Add Text to a TikTok Slideshow
Updated
To add text to a TikTok slideshow, tap +, choose Photo and select your photos, then tap Next and add text in the editor, swiping between photos to give each one its own line. Keep the text in the upper middle of the slide: in our measurements on a real iPhone, TikTok's buttons cover the right 20% of the screen between 44% and 84% of its height, and the caption covers the bottom 14%. For styled, on-brand text on every slide, design it into 1080x1920 images before you upload.
There are two ways to do it: type text in TikTok's editor, or put the text on the images before you upload. The editor is quick; designing the images gives you full control over fonts, layout and brand. Both follow the same placement rules.
Steps
- 1Start a photo postTap + at the bottom of the screen, choose Photo, and select your photos in the order you want them.
- 2Open the editorTap Next. Swipe left and right to move between the photos.
- 3Add a line of textChoose the text option, type your line, and pick a font, color and background style.
- 4Place it in the safe areaDrag the text into the upper middle of the slide, clear of the buttons on the right and the caption at the bottom.
- 5Repeat, then postSwipe to the next photo and add its line. Write the description, then post or save to drafts.
Text in the editor or text on the image?
The editor is fine for a word or two. For a hook in a specific font, a numbered list, or the same layout across ten slides, put the text on the images instead: every slide looks the way you designed it, and you can reuse the same images on Instagram.
Where to put the text
In our measurements on a real iPhone, TikTok's action buttons sit in the right 20% of the screen between 44% and 84% of its height, the caption and username cover the bottom 14%, and the top 8% holds the For You tabs. The area between 10% and 40% of the height, inside the left 78% of the width is clear on both TikTok and Instagram Reels, which makes it the safest place for a hook.
How much text per slide
One idea per slide, in a line or two someone can read in a second. Make the hook on slide one the biggest text in the whole slideshow, and leave longer explanations for the description.
Readable text on busy photos
Put the text on a solid or semi-transparent band, add a soft shadow, or place it over a calm part of the photo. The editor's background styles do the same job as a dark overlay in a design tool.
FAQ
Can each photo in a TikTok slideshow have different text?
Yes. In the editor, swipe to each photo and add its own text. If you design the slides elsewhere, each image already carries its own text.
Why is my slideshow text hidden or cut off?
It sits under TikTok's interface: the buttons on the right or the caption at the bottom. Move it into the upper middle of the slide; the free safe zone checker shows the covered areas.
Should the description repeat the text on the slides?
Repeat the promise of the hook in its first line so the post makes sense before anyone swipes, then add the context the slides leave out.
How do I add text that works on TikTok and Instagram?
Design on 1080x1920 for TikTok with text away from the top and bottom, then make a 1080x1350 copy for Instagram, which crops anything taller than 3:4. The slideshow checker exports both sizes from the same photos.
Sources
Platform limits checked on October 17, 2026.