Character Limits Reference
Complete reference guide for character limits across social media platforms, messaging services, and other digital channels. Updated for 2026.
| Platform / Field | Character Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Social Media - Posts | ||
| Twitter / X | 280 | Increased from 140 in 2017. Premium subscribers may have longer limits. |
| Facebook Post | 63,206 | Practical limit; posts are truncated after ~480 characters in feed. |
| Instagram Caption | 2,200 | Only first 125 characters shown before "more" link. |
| Instagram Bio | 150 | Keep it concise and include links. |
| LinkedIn Post | 3,000 | Truncated after ~140 characters in feed. |
| TikTok Caption | 2,200 | First ~100 characters visible before "See more". |
| Pinterest Pin Description | 500 | First 50-60 characters most visible. |
| Reddit Post Title | 300 | Keep titles clear and concise. |
| Messaging | ||
| SMS (Standard) | 160 | GSM 7-bit encoding. Longer messages split into segments. |
| SMS (Unicode/Emoji) | 70 | UCS-2 encoding for special characters and emojis. |
| MMS (with media) | 1,600 | Varies by carrier; typically 10 SMS segments. |
| WhatsApp Message | 65,536 | ~65k characters; extremely long messages may have issues. |
| WhatsApp Status | 700 | Text-only status updates. |
| Telegram Message | 4,096 | One of the highest limits among messaging apps. |
| Email Subject Line | 60 | Recommended for mobile visibility. Technical limit is 998. |
| Email Preview Text | 90-140 | Varies by email client; aim for 90 for mobile. |
| Gmail Subject (display) | ~70 | Truncated in inbox view on desktop. |
| Outlook Subject (display) | ~50 | Truncated in inbox view. |
| Search & SEO | ||
| Google Title Tag | 60 | ~600 pixels; approximately 60 characters safe zone. |
| Google Meta Description | 155-160 | ~920 pixels; aim for 155-160 characters. |
| URL Slug (recommended) | 50-60 | Keep concise for usability and SEO. |
| Professional Platforms | ||
| LinkedIn Headline | 220 | Appears below your name on profile. |
| LinkedIn Summary | 2,600 | About/summary section. |
| Twitter Bio | 160 | Profile description. |
| YouTube Video Title | 100 | Keep to ~70 for search results. |
| YouTube Description | 5,000 | First 150-200 characters shown above fold. |
| Advertising | ||
| Google Ads Headline | 30 | Per headline (up to 15 headlines). |
| Google Ads Description | 90 | Per description (up to 4 descriptions). |
| Facebook Ad Headline | 40 | Recommended maximum. |
| Facebook Ad Text | 125 | Primary text; longer text truncated. |
Pro Tips for Character Limits
- Front-load important information - Put key messages at the beginning since many platforms truncate content.
- Test on mobile - Mobile devices often show fewer characters than desktop.
- Count carefully - Emojis and special characters may count differently depending on encoding.
- Use our tools - Try our Character Counter to check your content against these limits.
- Leave buffer space - Aim for 5-10 characters less than the limit to avoid truncation edge cases.
Note: Character limits are subject to change by platforms. Last updated: January 2026. Use our Character Counter tool to verify your content fits within these limits.