Social media character counters
Every platform counts differently and truncates at a different point. These check both.
Platforms
- X / Twitter280 characters. Links always cost 23.
- Instagram2,200 allowed, ~125 visible in feed.
- LinkedIn3,000 allowed, ~140 before 'see more'.
- TikTok2,200 allowed, a line or two visible.
- YouTube100-character titles, 5,000-character descriptions.
- Facebook63,206 allowed, ~480 before the cut.
- SMS160 characters, or 70 with any emoji.
The limit and the cut are different numbers
Every platform has two constraints, and people optimise for the wrong one. The limit is where the platform stops accepting text. The cut is where it stops showing it without a click. Instagram allows 2,200 characters and shows about 125.
Write for the cut. The words after it are read only by people you have already convinced.
| Platform | Limit | Visible before cut |
|---|---|---|
| X / Twitter | 280 | All of it |
| Instagram caption | 2,200 | ~125 |
| LinkedIn post | 3,000 | ~140 |
| TikTok caption | 2,200 | 1–2 lines |
| YouTube description | 5,000 | ~150 |
| Facebook post | 63,206 | ~480 |
| SMS | 160 (70 with emoji) | All of it |
Emoji generally count as two characters rather than one, and composed emoji such as flags can count as more. On SMS a single emoji cuts the whole message allowance from 160 to 70.