TextLimits — Words, Characters & Limits
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Character Counter

Use this free character counter to count characters with and without spaces — set a platform limit, check social copy, SMS or meta descriptions. Your text stays in your browser.

0Chars
0No spaces

Enter or paste your text

Your text stays in your browser

Private — processed in your browser

Live stats

0
Characters
0
Chars no spaces
0
Words
0
Chars + breaks
0
Sentences
0
Paragraphs

Limit Mode

Platform presets

Character counts explained

Characters

Use for most platform limits, social posts, SMS, SEO titles, meta descriptions and online forms. Counts visible text and spaces, excluding line breaks.

Chars no spaces

Use only when a school, agency, translation brief or formatting rule asks for characters without spaces. Removes spaces, tabs and line breaks.

Chars incl. line breaks

Use for strict forms, APIs, databases or systems where line breaks must count. Available in Show more details.

Emoji, links and non-English text may be counted differently by some platforms — always check the platform counter before publishing critical copy.

Most used character limits

Platform limits can change. Use these as practical guidelines and always check the platform directly before publishing critical copy.

Platform Char limit
Twitter / X 280
SMS (standard Latin) 160
SMS (Unicode / emoji) 70
Google meta description 155–160
Google title tag 55–60
Instagram caption 2,200
LinkedIn post 3,000
YouTube title 100
Email subject line ~50

Tips for shorter copy

→

Put the main point first — key words survive truncation even if the rest is cut.

✂

Cut filler words ("just", "very", "actually") before cutting words that carry meaning.

👁

Check preview length, not only the maximum limit — platforms truncate earlier than the cap.

Character Counter FAQ

Do spaces count as characters?
Yes, in most platforms and forms. Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Instagram, SMS, meta descriptions and most online forms count spaces as characters. TextLimits shows both Characters (with spaces) and Chars no spaces so you always have the right count.
How is "Chars no spaces" different from "Characters"?
Characters counts visible letters, numbers, punctuation, symbols and spaces, excluding line breaks. Chars no spaces removes all spaces, tabs and line breaks. Use it only when a school, agency or brief specifically asks for characters without spaces.
Do line breaks count as characters?
Not in the main Characters count. Expand Show more details to see Chars incl. line breaks — useful for strict forms, APIs, databases or SMS-style systems where line breaks must count.
Do emoji count as characters?
Emoji count as visible characters in TextLimits. Some platforms apply their own rules — for example Twitter/X may count certain emoji as 2 characters. Always check the platform counter for critical posts.
Why can Twitter/X show a different count?
Twitter/X applies special rules — links are shortened to a fixed length and some emoji count as 2 characters. TextLimits gives a clean general count; use the platform counter for final checks on Twitter/X.
Can I set a character limit?
Yes. Open Limit Mode in the stats panel and choose Chars, then type your limit or click a preset in the Common limits panel. A colour-coded bar tracks your progress live.
Can I count characters from a Word document or PDF?
Yes — copy and paste the text into TextLimits. No file upload needed. Your text is processed entirely in your browser.

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