Caption length checker

How to use it

Paste or write your caption in the box. Each platform card shows the character count against the limit, hashtags and @mentions against any cap, and a preview of where the feed cuts the caption before “more”. For YouTube, add the video title in its card to check both. Your text stays in this browser and is kept for your next visit until you clear it.

Tips for captions that fit everywhere

• Put the hook in the first line. Most people only read what shows before “more”.
• Write for the shortest limit you post to, then add detail where there is room.
• Keep hashtags few and specific. Instagram now allows five, and Threads one topic tag.
• On X, every link counts as 23 characters however long it is.

How we count

Characters are counted as you see them, so an emoji or an accented letter counts once, even when it is made of several code points. X is counted with its own weights: links count as 23, emoji and CJK characters as 2, most other characters as 1. We spot links that start with http, https or www, or end in a common domain such as .com, so an unusual domain may be counted as plain text.

Some limits are counted differently when you post through a platform’s API rather than its app: TikTok’s API counts UTF-16 units, so many emoji count as 2, and the Threads API counts emoji by their size in bytes. The TikTok card shows both counts. Where the feed cuts a caption depends on the screen, the font and line breaks, so the previews are approximate.

Limits and sources, as of October 2026

Figures marked approximate or unofficial are not stated in the platform’s own help pages. We check these regularly; platforms change them without notice.