What are the character limits for major platforms?

Twitter/X: 280 characters. LinkedIn post: 3,000 characters. SMS: 160 characters (standard) or 153 per segment in multi-part messages. Meta description: 155–160 characters. Instagram caption: 2,200 characters.

Does Twitter count URLs differently?

Twitter wraps all URLs to 23 characters regardless of actual length. This tool counts the raw characters; actual Twitter character usage for posts with links will differ.

Can I set a custom character limit?

Yes. Enter any number in the "Custom limit" field to track against your own requirement — useful for internal character limits in CMS fields, ad copy, or other platforms.

Does it count bytes or characters?

The counter counts characters (Unicode code points), not bytes. A single emoji counts as 1 character visually but may be 2 in some platform implementations (like Twitter which counts some emoji as 2). The tool shows the raw character count.

What is the difference between the Character Counter and Word Counter?

The Character Counter focuses on character limits for social media and CMS fields. The Word Counter provides full statistical breakdown including word count, sentence count, and reading time — better for long-form content.

Character Counter

The Character Counter tracks your character count in real time and shows how close you are to the limits of major platforms — Twitter/X (280 characters), LinkedIn post (3000), SMS (160 per message), Meta description (160), and custom limits you define. A colour indicator turns yellow near the limit and red when exceeded.

Runs entirely in your browser — your input is never uploaded, stored, or logged.

Write to platform character limits accurately. For SEO-specific limits like title tags and meta descriptions, try the SEO Character Counter.

How to Use

1Paste or type your text into the input area.
2Character, word, sentence, and line counts update instantly.
3Use the breakdown to verify specific platform limits.

Common Uses

→Check character count for Twitter, LinkedIn, or Instagram posts
→Verify meta title and description stay within SEO length limits
→Count characters for SMS messages (160-character limit)
→Measure word count for essays, articles, or reports

Examples

Tweet check

Input

Just launched a new tool on FormatGenie! Check it out 🚀

Output

55 characters (225 remaining for Twitter/X)

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