How to use the Character Counter
- 1 Type or paste your text into the box.
- 2 Read the live counts: characters, characters without spaces, words, sentences and lines.
- 3 Check the limit bars to see how close you are to each platform's maximum. A bar turns red when you go over.
- 4 Edit until the count fits, then copy your text where it is needed.
Features
Accurate for emoji
Emoji and accented letters count as one character each, the way people read them.
Platform limits
Progress bars for X, Instagram, YouTube titles, SMS, meta descriptions and title tags.
Private
Your text stays in your browser and is never sent or saved.
When to use it
Social posts
Trim a post to fit 280 characters without guessing.
SEO
Keep meta descriptions under about 160 characters and titles under 60 so search results do not cut them.
Forms and essays
Application boxes often limit characters, not words; check before you submit.
Text messages
Stay within 160 characters so an SMS is sent as one message.
Frequently asked questions
Do spaces count as characters?
Yes, in most limits spaces count. The counter shows both totals so you can use whichever the site asks for.
How many characters is an X post?
280 characters for standard accounts. Links count as 23 characters, whatever their real length.
How long should a meta description be?
Around 150 to 160 characters. Search engines may show more or less depending on screen width.
Why is an SMS limited to 160 characters?
Standard SMS encoding fits 160 characters in one message. Emoji or some special characters switch to a different encoding with a lower limit of 70.
Does it count line breaks?
Yes, each line break counts as one character, and the Lines total shows how many lines you have.
What is the difference between characters and words?
A character is any single letter, number, space or symbol, while a word is a group of characters separated by spaces. Many sites limit one or the other, so the counter shows both side by side.
Does it work in other languages?
Yes. It counts Urdu, Hindi, Arabic and other scripts, and joined letters or emoji are counted as the single characters a reader sees.
Is my text saved?
No. Everything happens in your browser, nothing is stored, and the text disappears when you close the page.
Reviewed by ToolsUnlocked Team · Last updated