Add bold and italic text, count characters, and preview the "โฆsee more" cut.
- Runs in your browser
Social content
Social media character counter
Platforms don't count alike. X counts every link as 23 characters, Bluesky shortens links before counting, and YouTube counts bytes. Paste your post once to see where it fits and exactly where it gets cut.
- Free
- No sign-up
- Runs in your browser
Three steps
How it works
Write or paste your post.
Check the count for each platform. Select one to highlight the text that runs past its limit.
Trim the highlighted text, then copy your post.
GuideReviewed
Why every platform counts your post differently
Contents
Not every platform counts characters the same way
Most platforms count characters the way most software does, but a few have rules of their own. X gives every link a fixed weight of 23 characters, and counts each emoji, and each letter from scripts such as Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, as 2. Bluesky counts characters as you see them and shortens links before counting. YouTube limits descriptions by bytes, so one emoji can use 4 of its 5,000.
LinkedIn, Instagram, and Pinterest don't say how they count emoji or styled letters, so this counter counts them as 2 or more to keep you under. Threads counts each emoji by its size in bytes, usually 4, and TikTok's posting API counts most emoji as 2.
Character limits by platform
Each limit below comes from the platform's own help pages or developer documentation, checked in October 2026.
- X: 280 characters, or 25,000 with X Premium.
- LinkedIn post: 3,000 characters.
- Instagram caption: 2,200 characters.
- Threads post: 500 characters.
- TikTok: 2,200 characters for a video caption posted from a scheduling tool. Photo posts allow a 90-character title and a 4,000-character description.
- Bluesky post: 300 characters.
- YouTube description: 5,000 bytes.
- Pinterest description: 800 characters.
Write for the first lines, not the limit
A limit is a ceiling, not a target. Most feeds show only the first few lines of a post before a "more" link, so lead with the point and put links and hashtags at the end.
When one post goes to several platforms, write the shortest version first, usually for X or Bluesky, then add detail for LinkedIn and Instagram. That's easier than cutting a long post down at the last minute.
Frequently asked
Questions, answered.
What people ask before they use the Social media character counter.
X shortens every link, so each one counts as 23 characters, however long or short it is. This counter does the same.
It depends on the platform. X counts every emoji as 2, including emoji joined with skin tones. Bluesky counts each emoji you see as 1. Threads counts each emoji by its size in bytes, usually 4. TikTok's posting API counts most emoji as 2. LinkedIn, Instagram, and Pinterest don't say, so this counter counts emoji as 2 to keep you under.
Up to 280 characters, or up to 25,000 characters if you subscribe to X Premium.
Instagram announced in December 2025 that it's lowering the limit from 30 hashtags per post to 5, rolling out over time. The counter flags drafts with more than 5.
Video captions posted through TikTok's posting API, which scheduling tools use, can be up to 2,200 characters. Photo posts allow a 90-character title and a 4,000-character description. TikTok doesn't publish the limit for captions written in the app.
No. The counting happens in your browser, and nothing you type leaves this page.
More free tools
All free toolsWrite your slides, pick a template and colors, and download a PDF for LinkedIn.
- Runs in your browser
Engagement rate for one post or many, by followers, reach, or impressions.
- Runs in your browser
Related guides
- How to repurpose content across channels without losing the pointCheck what a source really supports, then adapt it into an article, LinkedIn post, carousel, and short video with a reusable worksheet.
- Social media automation: what to automate, what to keep human, and how to set it upLearn what social media automation can safely handle, what to keep human, what LinkedIn, X, and Meta allow, and how to run a weekly workflow.
- LinkedIn content strategy for B2B: why the company page is the smallest partBuild a LinkedIn content strategy for B2B across the company page, founder and team, with a format guide, posting evidence and a measurement table.
- Zero-click content distribution: how to reach buyers who never clickContent distribution for buyers who never click: a channel map, native posts, dark social, AI answers, a lean-team plan, and how to measure it.
From Ampere
It fits. Now make it worth reading.
Ampere is an AI marketing agent that drafts posts for LinkedIn, X, Instagram, TikTok, and more from your saved Brand memory, each written for its platform and ready for your review.
No card required