Character counter for social media posts, with every platform's limit
Paste a post and see its characters and words next to the limits for X, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Threads, Bluesky and four more. Free, no login, and the text never leaves your browser.
0
Characters
0
Words
A character counter tells you how long a piece of text is, so you know if a post fits before you publish. This one counts characters and words as you type and shows a bar for 10 limits: X 280, Bluesky 300, Threads 500, Pinterest 500, Instagram 2,200, LinkedIn 3,000, TikTok 4,000, Telegram 4,096, YouTube 5,000 and Facebook 63,206. Links count at their full length here, while X counts every link as 23, so check the X composer when a post with a link is close to 280.
Character counter at a glance
- X (Twitter)
- Post 280 (25,000 with Premium), bio 160, DM 10,000; links count as 23
- Threads
- Post and reply 500, bio 150; text attachment up to 10,000
- Bluesky and Mastodon
- Bluesky post 300, bio 256. Mastodon 500 by default, set per server
- Caption 2,200 (about 125 shown), bio 150, DM 1,000, 5 hashtags
- TikTok
- Caption 4,000 in the app (2,200 via the API), bio 80, comment 150
- Post 3,000 (about 210 shown), headline 220, About 2,600, comment 1,250
- Post 63,206 (about 477 shown before See more), comment 8,000
- YouTube and Pinterest
- YouTube title 100, description 5,000. Pin title 100, description 500
How to use it
- 1Paste or type the post into the box.
- 2Read the character and word count, then the bar for each network. It updates on every keystroke.
- 3A red bar means the post is over that limit. Cut until the count turns green.
How characters are counted: emoji, links and line breaks
Networks do not all count the same way. X uses weighted counting: most Latin letters, digits and punctuation count as 1, while emoji and Chinese, Japanese and Korean characters count as 2. Every link is shortened by t.co and counts as 23, whatever its real length. An @mention added automatically at the start of a reply does not count.
Bluesky and Mastodon count graphemes, the characters you see, so an emoji counts as 1. Mastodon also counts every link as 23 and adds the content warning text to the total. Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok do not publish their method.
On every network, spaces and line breaks are characters. A blank line between paragraphs costs 2: two line breaks.
Where posts get cut off before 'more'
The hard limit decides if a post publishes. The visible limit decides if anyone reads it. Feeds fold long posts behind a 'more' link, and most people never tap it, so the first line has to carry the point.
- Instagram: about 125 characters show before '... more', often less if the first line is long.
- LinkedIn: about 210 characters on desktop and about 140 in the mobile app before '...see more'.
- Facebook: about 477 characters on desktop before 'See more', far fewer on a phone.
- X: Premium long posts show the first 280 characters, then 'Show more'.
- YouTube: roughly the first 100 to 150 characters of a description show under the video.
What this counter counts, and what it does not
It counts characters and words live. The character count is the text's length as your browser measures it, which counts spaces and line breaks as 1 each, most emoji as 2, and flags or family emoji as 4 or more. Words are anything separated by a space or line break.
It then compares that one number with 10 limits: X, Bluesky, Threads, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Telegram, YouTube and Facebook. It does not apply X's weighting or shorten links to 23, and it has no Mastodon bar. For an X post with a link or emoji, the real X count can differ from the number shown, so check the composer when you are within a few characters. The text is counted in your browser and is never sent to a server.
Write to the fold, not to the limit
A post that fits every network is usually too short for LinkedIn and too long for X. Write the version for each network instead: one idea in under 280 for X, a hook in the first 125 characters for Instagram, and a first line that earns the 'see more' on LinkedIn.
That is the part SocialScheduler does for agencies. The AI plans each client's week and writes each post in the client's voice, sized to the network it goes to, then publishes at the hours the audience is online. You approve the plan, or the client approves from an email link without a login.
Questions about this tool.
How many characters is a tweet on X?
A post on X can have 280 characters. X Premium subscribers can post up to 25,000, but the timeline shows only the first 280 before 'Show more'.
Do emojis count as 2 characters?
On X, yes: each emoji counts as 2. Bluesky and Mastodon count an emoji as 1. This counter uses the browser's length, so most emoji show as 2 and flags or family emoji as 4 or more.
Do links count toward the character limit on X?
Yes. Every link is wrapped by t.co and counts as 23 characters, no matter how long it is. This counter counts links at their full length, so on X a long link costs less than the bar shows and a very short one costs more.
What is the Instagram caption character limit?
An Instagram caption can have up to 2,200 characters and up to 5 hashtags. Only about the first 125 characters show before '... more'.
How many characters can an Instagram bio have?
An Instagram bio can have 150 characters. Threads bios are also 150.
What is the LinkedIn post character limit?
A LinkedIn post can have 3,000 characters, with about 210 showing on desktop before '...see more'. The headline allows 220 characters and a comment 1,250.
What is the TikTok caption character limit?
TikTok captions can run to 4,000 characters in the app. Posts sent through TikTok's API, which scheduling tools use, are capped at 2,200. Most accounts can write an 80-character bio.
Do spaces and line breaks count as characters?
Yes, on every major network. Each space is 1 character and each line break is 1, so a blank line between paragraphs costs 2.
How many characters show before 'see more'?
About 125 on Instagram, about 210 on LinkedIn desktop (140 on mobile) and about 477 on Facebook desktop. Put the point of the post before that line.
Is this character counter free, and is my text saved?
It is free with no sign-up or login. The text is counted in your browser and is not sent anywhere or stored.
Facts on this page reviewed
Tired of trimming the same post for every network?
The AI writes each network's version within its limit, in your client's voice. You read one plan and approve.
Social media character limits in 2026
Reviewed September 29, 2026, against each network's help center or developer docs where one exists. Limits change, so treat a network's own composer as the final word. Posts first, then bios, titles, comments and direct messages.