Character counter
Count characters with and without spaces, and watch each platform limit flip from fits to over as you type.
Guide
How to use it
- Paste or type your text. The big tile is your total character count, spaces included.
- Scan the platform limits table: green means it fits with room shown, red tells you exactly how many to cut.
- Trim in the box and watch the numbers move until everything you need is green.
Examples
Worked examples
X shows 13 over in red. Swapping "in order to" for "to" and cutting one adjective lands it at 278 with 2 to spare.
Write to 155. If your description reads 168, cut from the end, search engines truncate the tail, so the front must carry the message anyway.
An appointment reminder at 172 characters sends as two segments and costs double at volume. Trimming to 158 keeps it to one.
Method
How it works
The count is the length of your text as typed, spaces included, which is how X, SMS gateways and search engines count. The limits table subtracts your count from each platform's published limit. Emoji and some symbols occupy two or more units on real platforms, so keep a few characters of headroom when you use them.
Everything runs locally in your browser. Your drafts are never uploaded or stored.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Do spaces count as characters?
Yes, on every major platform. The tool shows both figures, with and without spaces, because some style guides and forms specify without.
How long can an X post be?
280 characters on a standard account. Links are shortened to about 23 characters regardless of their real length, and emoji usually count as two.
Why is one SMS 160 characters?
The GSM standard fixed 160 characters per message segment. Longer texts still send but split into segments of 153, and a single emoji or special character can switch the whole message to a 70 character encoding.
What length should a meta description be?
Around 155 characters. Google truncates by pixel width rather than characters, so front-load the message and treat 155 as a safe ceiling.
Do emoji count as one character?
Rarely. Most emoji are two code units, and flag or family emoji can be more. Platforms count them differently, so leave a little headroom when your text uses them.
Is my text kept anywhere?
No. Counting happens in your browser and the text vanishes when you close the tab.
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