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Character Counter

Count characters with and without spaces, and see at a glance whether your text fits common length limits.

Runs in your browser — your text never leaves your device

0characters
Without spaces
0
Words
0
Lines
0
Sentences
0

Emoji and accented letters count as one character each, as you see them.

Platform limits

  • X (Twitter) post0 / 280

    X counts some characters, such as emoji and links, differently, so treat this as a guide.

  • Page title (SEO)0 / 60

    Search engines cut titles by pixel width, so about 60 characters is a guideline, not a hard limit.

  • Meta description (SEO)0 / 155

    A common guideline; search engines may show more or less.

  • Instagram caption0 / 2,200
  • SMS text message0 / 160

    Up to 160 characters in one message with standard characters (GSM-7), or 70if the text has emoji or non-Latin letters (Unicode). Longer texts are split into parts.

How to use the Character Counter tool

  1. Type or paste your text into the box.
  2. Read the character count, with and without spaces, plus words, lines and sentences.
  3. Check the "Platform limits" bars - they turn amber near a limit and red when you go over.
  4. Edit until the text fits, then press "Copy text".

Count every character

Many places limit text by characters rather than words: social media posts, bios, SMS messages, product titles and search-engine snippets. This character counter updates as you type and shows how your text compares with the most common limits, so you can trim it before posting.

What it shows

  • Characters, including spaces, shown large at the top.
  • Characters without spaces.
  • Words, lines and sentences.

Each emoji or accented letter counts as one character, the way a person sees it. This matches how most people think about length, although some platforms count differently behind the scenes.

Platform limits at a glance

The “Platform limits” panel compares your text with common limits and turns each bar amber when you are close and red when you are over, with the exact number of characters left or over:

  • X (Twitter) post: 280 characters. X counts some characters, such as emoji and links, differently, so use this as a guide.
  • Page title for SEO: about 60 characters. Search engines cut titles by width, so this is a guideline rather than a hard limit.
  • Meta description for SEO: about 155 characters, a common guideline for search result snippets.
  • Instagram caption: 2,200 characters.
  • SMS text message: see below.

Platforms change their rules from time to time. For anything critical, such as ad text, check the platform’s own help pages.

SMS: why 160 sometimes becomes 70

A single SMS can hold 160 characters when it uses only the standard SMS character set (basic Latin letters, digits and common punctuation). If the message contains an emoji, a curly quote, or letters from scripts such as Urdu, Arabic or Hindi, the phone switches to Unicode, and one SMS holds only 70 characters.

Longer messages are sent in parts of 153 or 67 characters. The counter tells you which encoding your message needs, how many parts it will use, and which character forced the switch to Unicode, so you can replace it if you want to stay in a single message. A few symbols, such as € and square brackets, count as two characters in the standard set.

Where character limits matter

  • Social media: posts, bios, captions and profile names all have maximum lengths.
  • Search results: page titles and meta descriptions that are too long get cut off with an ellipsis.
  • Online shops and marketplaces: product titles and short descriptions are often limited.
  • Forms and applications: some fields accept only a set number of characters, including spaces.
  • Text messages: longer SMS messages are split into several parts, which can cost more on some plans.

Characters with or without spaces?

Most platforms, including social networks and SMS, count spaces as characters. Some academic and publishing guidelines give limits “without spaces”. The counter shows both, so you can use whichever your instructions ask for. Line breaks count as characters too.

Tips for fitting a limit

  • Cut filler words like “very”, “really” and “in order to”.
  • Use numerals instead of spelled-out numbers.
  • Front-load the key message, since long titles and snippets are often cut off at the end.
  • Avoid unnecessary emoji in SMS, which can halve the space available.

Private and instant

Your text is counted inside your browser and never uploaded. There is no sign-up, and the tool works on phones, tablets and computers in any up-to-date browser.

Need word counts, reading time or keyword density for an essay or article? Use the Word Counter. Sharing a link to your post on printed material? The QR Code Generator creates a scannable code. Preparing images to go with a post? Resize Image has presets for common social media sizes, and Compress Image makes them faster to upload.

Frequently asked questions

Does the character counter include spaces?

It shows both. The big number includes spaces, and "Without spaces" shows the count with all spaces and line breaks removed.

How are emoji counted?

Emoji and accented letters count as one character each, the way you see them. Some platforms count certain characters differently, so treat the platform bars as a guide.

What are the platform limits based on?

They are common published limits and guidelines, such as 280 characters for an X post and 2,200 for an Instagram caption. Platforms can change their rules, so check their help pages for anything critical.

How many characters fit in one SMS?

A single SMS holds 160 standard characters, or 70 if the message contains emoji or letters outside the basic set, such as Urdu or Arabic. Longer messages are split into parts, and the counter shows how many.

Does it work on mobile?

Yes. It works in any up-to-date phone browser. Paste text from any app and the counts update instantly.

Is my text uploaded?

No. Counting happens in your browser, and your text is never sent to a server.