Character Counter
Count characters with and without spaces.
- Runs in your browser
- No signup
How to use Character Counter
Paste your text
Type or paste anything. The count updates with every keystroke.
Pick a limit
Choose a preset such as Twitter 280, SMS 160 or Instagram 2,200, or set a custom limit.
Trim to fit
Characters over the limit are highlighted, so you can see exactly what to cut.
How to count characters for posts, SMS and meta tags
Many places cut your text off at a fixed number of characters: social posts, text messages, search result snippets, app store fields and form inputs. Character Counter shows the exact count with and without spaces and highlights anything that would be cut off.
Common character limits
The limits people check most often, all available as presets:
- X (Twitter) post: 280 characters.
- SMS message: 160 characters for a single standard message.
- Meta description for search results: about 160 characters.
- Instagram caption: 2,200 characters.
- LinkedIn post: 3,000 characters.
With or without spaces?
Social networks and SMS count every character, including spaces and line breaks. Some academic and translation briefs count characters without spaces instead. Both numbers are shown side by side so you can use whichever your brief asks for.
Seeing what is over
When you pass the selected limit, the progress bar turns red and the extra characters are highlighted in the text box, so trimming is quick. For word-based limits such as essays, use Word Counter instead. Everything runs in your browser; nothing you type is sent anywhere.
Why exact counts matter
Search engines cut off meta descriptions and titles that run too long, SMS messages over the limit are split and may cost more to send, and many forms silently truncate input. Counting before you paste avoids messages that end mid-sentence.