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Character Counter

Count characters with and without spaces for any text limit.

Common character limits

  • X / Twitter post0 / 280
  • Instagram caption0 / 2,200
  • Meta description0 / 160
  • Page title (SEO)0 / 60
  • SMS message0 / 160
  • LinkedIn post0 / 3,000
  • YouTube title0 / 100
  • TikTok caption0 / 2,200

When to use it

The character counter shows exactly how long your text is, with live bars for common limits: X posts, Instagram and TikTok captions, LinkedIn posts, YouTube titles, SMS messages, SEO page titles and meta descriptions. Use it before posting, while writing ad copy and product descriptions, filling in forms with a character limit, or writing text for apps and buttons where space is tight.

How to count characters

  1. Type or paste into Your text. Everything updates as you type.
  2. Check Common character limits. Each bar shows your count against a limit, such as “X / Twitter post 0 / 280” or “Meta description 0 / 160”, and turns red when you go over.
  3. See the full breakdown: Characters, Without spaces, Letters, Words, Sentences, Lines and Bytes (UTF-8).
  4. Use Copy text to copy it back out, or Clear to start again.

A worked example

You’re writing a meta description for a bakery’s website and want it to show in full in Google. You type: “Fresh sourdough, pastries and custom cakes baked daily in Leeds. Order online for same-day collection, or visit our café on Market Street.” The meta description bar shows 138 / 160, so it fits. The page title bar warns that your 68-character title is over 60, so you shorten it before publishing.

  • X post: 280 characters (links count as 23).
  • Instagram and TikTok captions: 2,200, but only about 125 show before “more”.
  • SMS: 160 plain characters per message.
  • Meta description: about 155 to 160 characters before Google cuts it off.
  • Page title (SEO): about 50 to 60 characters.
  • YouTube title: 100 characters, with about 70 visible in search.

Tips

  • Front-load the important words; many platforms truncate long text.
  • Watch the “more” cut-off on social captions, not just the maximum.
  • Count bytes when an API or database rejects text that looks short enough.
  • Leave a little room under strict limits, in case a platform counts slightly differently.

Common mistakes

  • Counting words when the limit is characters, or the reverse.
  • Forgetting spaces and punctuation, which almost always count.
  • Assuming every platform counts emoji the same way.

Private by design

Your text never leaves your device.

Count words and reading time with the Word Counter, use X’s exact rules with the Character Counter for X, or write titles and descriptions with the Meta Tag Generator.

Frequently asked questions

Do spaces count as characters?

Yes, in almost every limit, including posts, SMS, meta descriptions and form fields. The "Without spaces" figure is shown too, for the rare cases that ignore spaces.

Why does an emoji count as one character here but two on some sites?

toolwise counts what you see, so a single emoji is one character, even complex ones like flags or family emoji. Some platforms count emoji as two because of how they store text. For posts on X, use the Character Counter for X, which follows X's rules.

Why does a text message with an emoji split into several messages?

Standard SMS fits 160 characters, but one emoji or accented letter outside the basic set switches the whole message to a format that allows only 70 characters. The SMS bar here assumes plain text.

What are bytes (UTF-8) for?

Some databases, APIs and older systems limit size in bytes rather than characters. Plain English letters take 1 byte each; accented letters take 2, and emoji usually 4.

Is my text saved?

Your text stays in your browser on this device and is never uploaded. Press Clear to remove it.

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