Character limit guide
Character limit checker: every platform's limit and how it counts
In short
Pick a platform, paste your copy, and the checker shows how many characters you have left or how many you're over, counted the way that platform counts. X, for example, counts links as 23 and most emoji as 2. A table under the editor checks the same text against every platform in the list, so you can see where it fits. Each limit links to the official page it came from.
- X standard post
- 280 weighted characters
- Instagram caption
- 2,200 characters
- LinkedIn post
- 3,000 characters
- Where your text goes
- Nowhere. It stays in your browser
How to check your text against a character limit
Choose a field from Platform or field, for example X standard post or Instagram caption. Pick Custom if you have your own number, such as a form that allows 500 characters.
Paste the exact text you plan to publish. The ring shows how many characters remain, and the status above it changes to “Needs trimming” when you're over.
If you're over, the box under the editor shows exactly where the overflow starts. Copy allowed portion takes the part that fits; Trim overflow removes the rest.
Scroll down to the comparison table to see the same text checked against every platform at once. Click a row to switch to it.
Social media character limits in 2026
These are the limits built into the checker. The hard limits come from each platform's own documentation, which the tool links to next to the result; the Google figures are common practice, not rules.
| Platform and field | Limit | Type | Counted as |
|---|---|---|---|
| X standard post | 280 | Hard limit | X weighted characters |
| X premium long post | 25,000 | Hard limit | X weighted characters |
| LinkedIn post | 3,000 | Hard limit | Visible characters |
| Instagram caption | 2,200 | Hard limit | Visible characters |
| Instagram bio | 150 | Hard limit | Visible characters |
| YouTube video description | 5,000 | Hard limit | Visible characters |
| Meta Ads primary text | 125 | Recommendation | Visible characters |
| Google Search title element | 50–60 | Display guidance | Visible characters |
| Google Search meta description | 150–160 | Display guidance | Visible characters |
How X (Twitter) counts characters
X doesn't count characters one by one. It gives each character a weight: most Latin letters, numbers and punctuation count as 1, while emoji and Chinese, Japanese and Korean characters count as 2. Every link counts as 23, whether it's a short domain or a 200-character tracking URL. The standard limit is 280 of these weighted units.
| Text | Characters you see | X counts it as |
|---|---|---|
| Hello world | 11 | 11 |
https://example.com/a/very/long/path/to/an/article | 50 | 23 |
| Great news 🎉 | 12 | 13 |
| 東京 | 2 | 4 |
Media, polls and the @names X adds automatically when you reply don't come across when you paste text, so they aren't part of this count.
How long should a title tag and meta description be?
Google doesn't set a character limit for either. It cuts titles and snippets to fit the width of the screen, so a line of wide capital letters gets cut sooner than a line of narrow ones, and Google sometimes writes its own snippet anyway.
The checker compares titles against 60 characters and meta descriptions against 160 as working guides, and labels them “Display guidance” rather than limits, even though the status will still say you're over. Put the words that matter first, and make sure the title still makes sense if the end is cut off.
Hard limits, recommendations and display guidance
- Hard limit
The platform won't accept more. X posts, Instagram captions and bios, LinkedIn posts and YouTube descriptions are hard limits.
- Recommendation
You can go over, but the platform suggests you don't. Meta suggests keeping ad primary text to 125 characters so it isn't cut off.
- Display guidance
Not a rule at all, just how much usually shows. Google titles and meta descriptions fall here.
- Custom target
Any number you choose, counted by visible characters, code points, UTF-16 units or X's weighting.
YouTube's help centre says descriptions can be 5,000 characters, while its developer documentation measures the same limit in bytes. If your description is in a language with longer encodings, such as Hindi or Japanese, it may hit the limit sooner than the character count suggests.
Common questions
What is the character limit on X (Twitter)?
280 weighted characters for a standard post. Links count as 23 and most emoji and CJK characters count as 2. X Premium subscribers can post up to 25,000 characters.
What is the Instagram caption character limit?
2,200 characters. Instagram has also been reducing the number of hashtags allowed per post to 5, so check your hashtags separately.
What is the Instagram bio character limit?
150 characters, including spaces and emoji.
How long can a LinkedIn post be?
3,000 characters for a standard post. Only the first couple of lines show before “see more”, so put the point up front.
What is the YouTube description limit?
5,000 characters. YouTube's developer documentation measures it in bytes, so text in scripts that use more bytes per character can reach the limit sooner.
How long should a meta description be?
Google has no fixed limit. Around 150–160 characters usually shows in full on desktop, and Google may still write its own snippet from your page.
How long should a title tag be?
There's no official maximum. About 50–60 characters usually fits before Google cuts it off, but the cut is based on pixel width, not a character count.
Is this a Twitter character counter?
Yes. Choose X standard post under Platform or field and it counts your post the way X does: links as 23 characters, and most emoji and Chinese, Japanese or Korean characters as 2, against the 280 limit. The comparison table checks the same draft against Instagram, LinkedIn and the other platforms.
Why does X say my post is too long when it's under 280?
Because X weights characters. A link counts as 23 no matter how short, and emoji and Chinese, Japanese or Korean characters count as 2 each. Pick X standard post in the checker to see the weighted count.
Does the character limit include spaces?
Yes. Every platform in the checker counts spaces, line breaks and punctuation towards the limit.
Is my text sent anywhere?
No. The checker runs in your browser and nothing you paste is uploaded.
Sources
- Counting charactersX Developer Platform
- X PremiumX Help Center
- IG User Media (caption limits)Meta for Developers
- Instagram implements new limits on hashtag useSocial Media Today
- Add a bio to your Instagram profileInstagram Help Center
- Videos resource (title and description limits)YouTube Data API
- Influencing title linksGoogle Search Central
- Control your snippets in search resultsGoogle Search Central