Social Media Character Limits 2026: The Complete Reference
Updated character limits for Twitter/X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, and more. Verified against official documentation.
Social Media Character Limits 2026: The Complete Reference
This is a reference guide. No fluff—just the numbers you need, verified against official platform documentation.
I update this page whenever platforms change their limits. Last check: May 2026.
Twitter/X
Source: Twitter Developer Documentation
| Content Type | Limit |
|---|---|
| Standard Tweet | 280 characters |
| X Premium Tweet | 25,000 characters |
| Username | 15 characters |
| Display Name | 50 characters |
| Bio | 160 characters |
| Direct Message | 10,000 characters |
What the docs don't tell you:
- URLs always count as 23 characters, regardless of actual length (Twitter uses t.co shortening)
- Emojis count as 2 characters each
- If you're hitting the limit often, your content might be too dense—consider threads
Source: Instagram Help Center
| Content Type | Limit |
|---|---|
| Caption | 2,200 characters |
| Bio | 150 characters |
| Username | 30 characters |
| Hashtags per post | 30 max |
| Comments | 2,200 characters |
| Reel Caption | 2,200 characters |
What actually matters:
- Only the first ~125 characters show before "more"—put your hook there
- Instagram officially recommends 3-5 hashtags now (not 30)
- Line breaks work in captions but need to be copied from Notes app or similar
Source: Facebook Business Help Center
| Content Type | Limit |
|---|---|
| Post | 63,206 characters |
| Comment | 8,000 characters |
| Page Description | 255 characters |
| Ad Headline | 40 characters (recommended) |
| Ad Primary Text | 125 characters (recommended) |
The engagement data: According to multiple studies (including BuzzSumo's analysis of 800M posts), posts under 80 characters get 66% more engagement than longer ones. The limit is generous—don't use it all.
Source: LinkedIn Help
| Content Type | Limit |
|---|---|
| Post | 3,000 characters |
| Article | 125,000 characters |
| Headline | 220 characters |
| Summary/About | 2,600 characters |
| Comment | 1,250 characters |
| Company Page Description | 2,000 characters |
What performs:
- First 140 characters visible before "see more"
- Posts between 1,200-1,500 characters tend to perform best for thought leadership
- Bullet points and white space increase readability significantly
TikTok
Source: TikTok Creator Portal
| Content Type | Limit |
|---|---|
| Caption | 4,000 characters (increased from 2,200 in 2024) |
| Bio | 80 characters |
| Username | 24 characters |
| Comments | 150 characters |
Platform-specific note: TikTok increased the caption limit to 4,000 in late 2024. However, only 55-70 characters show without tapping. The algorithm favors engagement, not caption length.
YouTube
Source: YouTube Creator Academy
| Content Type | Limit |
|---|---|
| Video Title | 100 characters |
| Description | 5,000 characters |
| Comment | 10,000 characters |
| Playlist Title | 100 characters |
| Playlist Description | 5,000 characters |
| Channel Description | 1,000 characters |
SEO consideration:
- Keep titles under 60 characters for full visibility in search results
- First 100-150 characters of description appear in search
- Timestamps in descriptions improve watch time and are now used by Google in search results
Source: Pinterest Business Help
| Content Type | Limit |
|---|---|
| Pin Title | 100 characters |
| Pin Description | 500 characters |
| Board Name | 50 characters |
| Board Description | 500 characters |
| Profile Bio | 160 characters |
What works: First 50-60 characters matter most. Pinterest is a search engine—use keywords naturally, not hashtags.
Threads
Source: Threads Help Center
| Content Type | Limit |
|---|---|
| Post | 500 characters |
| Bio | 150 characters |
| Reply | 500 characters |
Threads launched in July 2023 and has maintained these limits since.
Quick Comparison
| Platform | Main Post | Bio |
|---|---|---|
| Twitter/X | 280 (25K premium) | 160 |
| 2,200 | 150 | |
| 63,206 | 255 | |
| 3,000 | 2,600 | |
| TikTok | 4,000 | 80 |
| YouTube | 5,000 (desc) | 1,000 |
| 500 | 160 | |
| Threads | 500 | 150 |
FAQ
Do emojis count as one character? No. Most emojis use 2 characters due to Unicode encoding. Some complex emojis (family emojis, flag emojis) can use 7+ characters. Test with our Word Counter to be sure.
Do links count toward the limit? On Twitter/X, all links count as 23 characters regardless of length. On other platforms, the full URL length counts.
What if I exceed the limit? Most platforms prevent posting. Some truncate silently. Always check before publishing.
Check Your Content
Before posting, verify your character count:
→ Word Counter Tool — includes presets for Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and more.
Last verified: May 2026. I check these limits monthly and update when platforms make changes.