Social Media Character Counter
A social media character counter shows how many characters your draft uses and compares it with verified platform limits. X allows 280 characters, an Instagram caption published through the API allows 2,200, and a Threads post allows 500. Each limit below links to its official source and read date.
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Start freeHow to use this tool
- Paste the text you want to publish.
- Check the displayed text counts.
- Review the final post inside the destination platform.
Example
A 300-character draft is over the 280-character limit for X and under the 500-character limits for Threads and Mastodon (default). Cut 20 characters for X, or keep it for Threads. A link counts as 23 in X but as its full length here.
What the result means
This browser count is plain text length in UTF-16 code units. X, Threads, and Telegram count links, emoji, and formatting differently. The table lists only limits we verified on a primary source. Check the final post in the destination composer.
Where to go next
Social media character and caption limits
Each number below comes from the platform's own documentation, with the source and the date we checked it. When no official page states a number, we say so instead of guessing. Platforms change limits, so check the composer before you publish.
Last updated
| Platform and field | Limit | Notes | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|
| X: Post text | 280 characters | X counts any valid URL as 23 characters and each emoji as 2. | X developer docs: Counting characters Last verified |
| Instagram: Caption (published through the API) | 2,200 characters | Instagram's in-app help does not state a caption limit, so this is the Graph API limit. | Meta: Instagram Graph API, IG User Media Last verified |
| Instagram: Hashtags in one caption (API) | 30 hashtags | Meta: Instagram Graph API, IG User Media Last verified | |
| Instagram: @ tags in one caption (API) | 20 mentions | Meta: Instagram Graph API, IG User Media Last verified | |
| Threads: Text post | 500 characters | Threads measures emoji by UTF-8 byte size, so one emoji uses more than one character. A post can hold at most 5 links. | Meta: Threads API, Posts Last verified |
| LinkedIn: Post text | 3,000 characters | LinkedIn Help: Post and share updates Last verified | |
| YouTube: Video title | 100 characters | YouTube Help: Add video details Last verified | |
| YouTube: Video description | 5,000 characters | YouTube Help: Add video details Last verified | |
| Pinterest: Pin title | 100 characters | Pinterest Help: Review Pin specs Last verified | |
| Pinterest: Pin description | 800 characters | Pinterest says descriptions do not show in the home feed or search feed. | Pinterest Help: Review Pin specs Last verified |
| Bluesky: Post text | 300 graphemes | A grapheme is one visible character, so one emoji counts as 1. The same record also caps the text at 3,000 bytes. | Bluesky lexicon: app.bsky.feed.post Last verified |
| Telegram: Text message | 4,096 characters | Counted after formatting entities are parsed. Lower bound is 1 character. | Telegram Bot API: sendMessage Last verified |
| Telegram: Photo caption | 1,024 characters | Counted after formatting entities are parsed. | Telegram Bot API: sendPhoto Last verified |
| Mastodon: Post (default) | 500 characters | The documentation calls 500 the default, so your server can differ. | Mastodon documentation: Posting Last verified |
| Facebook: Post text | Not officially documented | We found no post length on a Meta help or developer page. Use the live counter in the composer. | No official number found Last verified |
| TikTok: Video caption | Not officially documented | We could not read a caption length on a TikTok support or developer page. Use the live counter in the caption box. | No official number found Last verified |
Download this table as CSV (same rows, sources, and dates).
How to cite this page
Repping.AI. "Social media character limits by platform." Repping.AI Learn. Last updated 2026-11-04. https://learn.repping.ai/tools/character-counter#platform-limits
Embed this tool
Paste this code into your site or blog post. The tool runs in the frame and keeps a small credit link.
<iframe src="https://learn.repping.ai/embed/tools/character-counter" title="Social Media Character Counter by Repping.AI" width="100%" height="900" loading="lazy" allow="clipboard-write" style="border:0;max-width:100%"></iframe>
<p>Made with <a href="https://learn.repping.ai/tools/character-counter" rel="nofollow">Repping.AI</a></p>Frequently asked questions
What is the character limit on X?
A standard X post allows 280 characters. X counts any valid URL as 23 characters and each emoji as 2, according to its developer documentation, so the count in X can differ from a plain text count.
What is the Instagram caption character limit?
2,200 characters, with up to 30 hashtags and 20 @ tags, when you publish through the Instagram API (Meta documentation). Instagram's in-app help does not state a number, so check the composer. We do not verify how many characters show before the more link.
What is the TikTok caption length?
We could not confirm a current number on a TikTok primary source, so this page does not publish one. TikTok shows a live counter in the caption box. Check it there before you publish.
How many characters can a Threads post have?
500 characters for text, and up to 5 links, according to the Threads API documentation. Emoji are measured by UTF-8 byte size, so one emoji uses more than one character.
Do spaces, emoji, and line breaks count?
Spaces and line breaks count on every platform listed here. Emoji and links are counted differently by platform, so this counter shows plain text length (UTF-16 code units) and is a guide, not a guarantee.
What are the LinkedIn and Facebook post limits?
LinkedIn Help says a post can contain up to 3,000 characters. We found no Facebook post length on a Meta page, so the table marks it as not officially documented. Use the live counter in the Facebook composer.
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