Free character counter
Type or paste your text to count characters with and without spaces, and see at once whether it fits an X post, a text message or a meta description.
- Characters
- 0
- Without spaces
- 0
- Words
- 0
- Lines
- 0
Counted in your browser. Your text is not uploaded or stored on our servers.
Details
- Letters
- 0
- Numbers (digits)
- 0
- Spaces
- 0
- Sentences
- 0
- Paragraphs
- 0
- Size in UTF-8
- 0 bytes
An emoji or an accented letter counts as one character here. Its size in bytes can be larger.
Character limits
- X post0 / 280
- Bluesky post0 / 300
- Threads post0 / 500
- Instagram caption0 / 2,200
- LinkedIn post0 / 3,000
- YouTube title0 / 100
- Page title in Google (guide)0 / 60
- Meta description (guide)0 / 160
- Google Ads headline0 / 30
- Google Ads description0 / 90
- SMS text message0 / 160
X counts emoji and Chinese, Japanese and Korean characters as 2, and any link as 23 (a link is recognised here when it starts with http:// or https://). An SMS holds 160 characters, or 70 if it contains emoji or other characters outside the basic phone alphabet. Rows marked “guide” are rules of thumb, not limits.
- Counts as you type
- No sign-up, no limit
- Text stays in your browser
More than one character count
The main numbers sit above the text box. Letters, digits, spaces and byte size are in the details panel below it.
Characters with spaces
Every letter, number, punctuation mark, space and line break. This is the number most limits use.
Characters without spaces
The same count with spaces, tabs and line breaks left out. Some forms and translation jobs ask for this one.
Letters and numbers
Letters only and digits only, so the tool also works as a letter counter.
Words and lines
A word count and a line count for the same text, with sentences and paragraphs in the details panel.
Size in bytes
How much space the text takes in UTF-8. Useful for database fields and file size limits that are set in bytes.
Your own limit
Type any limit and choose characters or words. The counter shows how many you have left or how far over you are.
Character limits for posts, texts and search
The limits panel next to the counter checks your text against each of these as you type.
| Where | Limit | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| X post | 280 | Standard accounts. Emoji and Chinese, Japanese and Korean characters count as 2. Any link counts as 23. |
| SMS text message | 160 | 70 if the message has emoji or characters outside the basic phone alphabet (GSM-7). Longer messages are split into parts of 153 or 67. A few symbols, such as € [ ] { }, count as 2. |
| Page title in Google | About 60 | A guide, not a limit. Google sets no maximum and shortens titles to fit the screen, so wide letters use more room. |
| Meta description | About 160 | Also a guide, not a limit. Google sets no maximum and shortens the snippet to fit the screen. |
| Instagram caption | 2,200 | Only the first lines show before “more”. |
| LinkedIn post | 3,000 | The limit for the text of a post. |
| YouTube title | 100 | Video descriptions can be up to 5,000 characters. |
| Google Ads headline | 30 | Responsive search ads. Descriptions can be up to 90 characters. Google Ads counts Chinese, Japanese and Korean characters as 2, which this counter does not apply. |
| Bluesky post | 300 | Counted in characters as you see them, so an emoji counts as one. |
| Threads post | 500 | For a text post. |
Limits checked in October 2026 against each platform’s own help or developer pages. Platforms change them from time to time, so check the platform itself for anything that matters.
How the character counter counts
Two tools can give two numbers for the same text. These four rules explain almost every difference.
Spaces count
A space is a character, and so is each tab. The “without spaces” number leaves them out.
Text:
Hi there
Count: 8 with spaces, 7 withoutA line break is one character
Pressing Enter adds one character. Most platforms count it the same way. Microsoft Word leaves paragraph marks out of its count, so its number can be a little lower.
Text:
Two lines of one letter each
Count: 3 charactersAn emoji is one character here
An emoji can be several code units inside a computer, which is why some counters show 2, 4 or more. This one counts what you see. X counts each emoji as 2.
Text:
OK 👍
Count: 4 characters, 5 on XAccented letters count once
é, ñ and ü are one character each, however they were typed. In bytes they are larger: é takes 2 bytes in UTF-8.
Text:
café
Count: 4 characters, 5 bytes
Count characters in Word, Docs and Excel
Each has a built-in count. Use this page for text from anywhere else, or to check it against a limit.
In Microsoft Word
Open Review, then Word Count. The box lists characters with spaces and characters without spaces. Select text first to count only that part.
In Google Docs
Open Tools, then Word count, or press Ctrl+Shift+C (Cmd+Shift+C on a Mac). It shows characters and characters excluding spaces.
In Excel or Google Sheets
Type =LEN(A1) in an empty cell to count the characters in cell A1, spaces included.
Need words, sentences and reading time instead? Use the word counter.
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Character counter questions
Under the limit? Check the writing too
The grammar checker is free for up to 10,000 characters, with no sign-up.