Character Limits for Every Platform (Social Media, SMS, SEO)
Updated October 22, 2026
Every platform has its own limit, and going over means cut-off text or a rejected post. Use this cheat sheet, and check your own text with the character counter.
Social media
| Platform and field | Limit |
|---|---|
| X (Twitter) post, standard accounts | 280 characters (a link counts as 23) |
| Instagram caption | 2,200 characters |
| Instagram bio | 150 characters |
| Facebook post | 63,206 characters |
| LinkedIn post | 3,000 characters |
| LinkedIn headline | 220 characters |
| LinkedIn About section | 2,600 characters |
| YouTube video title | 100 characters |
| YouTube video description | 5,000 characters |
Messages
| Type | Limit |
|---|---|
| SMS, plain text (GSM-7) | 160 characters per message |
| SMS with emoji or non-Latin letters (Unicode) | 70 characters per message |
| Longer SMS (joined messages) | 153 characters per part, or 67 for Unicode |
| Email subject line | No strict limit; 40 to 60 characters show fully on most phones |
Search results (SEO)
Google cuts titles and descriptions by pixel width, not by character count, so these are guides rather than hard rules. Wide letters such as W and M take more room than I and l.
| Part | Safe length |
|---|---|
| Page title (title tag) | About 50 to 60 characters, or around 600 pixels wide |
| Meta description | About 150 to 160 characters |
| URL | Keep short; under 75 characters is easy to read |
Tips for working with limits
- Count spaces, punctuation and line breaks: they all use characters.
- Emoji can count as two or more characters, depending on the platform.
- Put the most important words first, in case the end is cut off.
- Limits change, so check the platform's help page for anything important.
Frequently asked questions
Do spaces count as characters?
Yes on almost every platform. The character counter shows the total both with and without spaces so you can check either.
Why do emoji use up more characters?
Many emoji are made of several code units, so platforms may count them as two or more characters. SMS messages with an emoji also switch to the Unicode limit of 70 characters.