About the Social Media Character Counter
Tezmy's Social Media Character Counter measures one piece of text against the limits of eleven places you might post it: X, Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube titles and descriptions, and Google Business posts. Each row shows how many characters are used, how many are left or how far over you are, with a bar you can read at a glance. X is counted the way X counts: every link is 23 characters and emoji and Chinese, Japanese or Korean characters count as two. The other platforms are counted one character per symbol. Limits change now and then, so check the platform if a post is very close to the edge.
Updated September 2026
How to use the Social Media Character Counter
- 1Type or paste your post or caption into the box.
- 2Look down the list: green rows fit, red rows show how many characters you need to cut.
- 3Check the hashtag, mention and emoji counts above the list.
- 4Edit until every platform you plan to use fits, then copy the text.
Why limits matter more than you think
A post that runs over a limit is either refused or cut off at the wrong place. On X the tweet will not send. On LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram the post is published but folded behind a “see more” link, and most readers never tap it. Writing to the limit, and putting the point before the fold, is what gets a post read.
Because one message often goes to several networks, it helps to see every limit at once. A caption that fits Instagram's 2,200 characters will be far too long for X, and a title that suits YouTube's 100 characters may be cut at about 60 in search results.
Tips for each kind of post
- X: aim well under 280 if you want room for a reply or quote. Remember that a link costs 23 characters whatever its length.
- Instagram and TikTok: open with the hook. Only the first line or two show before the fold.
- LinkedIn: the first 210 or so characters decide whether anyone expands the post. The preview box below the list shows exactly where that cut falls in your text.
- YouTube: keep titles near 60 characters so they do not get cut in search, and put the key words at the start of the description.
- Pinterest: the feed shows only the start of a description, so lead with what the pin is about.
Counting details worth knowing
Characters are not the same as bytes or UTF-16 units. A single emoji such as a thumbs-up with a skin tone is one visible symbol, but it is stored as several code points. This tool counts whole emoji sequences as one symbol on most platforms and as two on X, which matches how X documents its counting.
Words are counted by splitting on spaces, which is fine for English and other languages that use spaces, but not for Chinese or Japanese where words are not separated. After counting, tighten the text with the Word Counter and the Character Counter. The Instagram Caption Generator gives you a draft to trim, the Hashtag Generator suggests tags, and the Case Converter fixes capitals in a title.
Features
- Eleven platform limits checked at the same time
- X counted with its own rules for links, emoji and CJK characters
- Characters left or over for every platform
- Counts words, lines, hashtags, mentions and emoji
- Shows where LinkedIn cuts a long post with “see more”
- Private: your text stays in the page and is not saved
Frequently asked questions
How does X count characters?
X gives every link a fixed length of 23 characters, however long the web address is, and counts emoji and characters from Chinese, Japanese and Korean as two each. Everything else counts as one. The X row here follows those rules, so it can differ from the plain character count in a word processor.
What is the Instagram caption limit?
2,200 characters, with up to 30 hashtags. Only the first line or two appear in the feed before the “more” link, so put the important part first.
Why do the other platforms count an emoji as one character?
They count visible symbols, so one emoji is one character in the rows other than X. Some platforms may count emoji differently internally, so leave a small margin if you are near the limit.
Do line breaks count as characters?
Yes. Each new line counts as one character, which is how the platforms treat it too. A post with many short lines uses up more of the limit than it appears to.
Do hashtags and mentions count towards the limit?
Yes, they are ordinary text and every character counts, including the # and @ signs. The counter also lists how many you have so you can stay under Instagram's 30 hashtag cap.
Are the limits always up to date?
They are the published limits at the time of writing. Platforms raise or change them from time to time, for example longer posts for some accounts on X. If a post is within a few characters of a limit, check the platform's own composer.
Is my text stored or sent anywhere?
No. The counting happens in your browser and nothing is saved, so you can draft unreleased announcements safely.