Social media character limits
A single reference for post lengths, caption limits and the point where each feed hides your text.
Updated November 2026
A character limit tells you how much you can write. The fold — where a feed cuts your text and adds “see more” — tells you how much people will actually read before deciding to tap. For most posts the fold matters more, so this table lists both.
| Platform | Post / caption limit | Visible before fold | Other limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| X (Twitter) | 280 (Premium: 25,000) | 280 before “Show more” | Bio 160 · Name 50 · Links count as 23 |
| 3,000 | ~140 mobile / ~210 desktop | Headline 220 · Comment 1,250 | |
| 2,200 | ~125 (≈2 lines) | Bio 150 · Max 30 hashtags | |
| 63,206 | ~480 desktop, less on mobile | Short posts (under 80) read best | |
| Threads | 500 | Shown in full | Bio 150 · One topic tag per post |
| TikTok | 4,000 caption | ~1–2 lines over video | Bio 80 |
| YouTube | Title 100 · Description 5,000 | Title ~70 in search | First ~150 of description visible |
| Description 500 | ~50 shown in feed | Pin title 100 | |
| Bluesky | 300 | Shown in full | Bio 256 |
Fold positions are approximate: they depend on screen width, font size, line breaks and whether the post has media. Platforms change these numbers without notice, so check the official help pages for anything critical.
Why the fold matters more than the limit
Almost nobody writes a 3,000-character LinkedIn post or a 2,200-character Instagram caption, but everybody's post gets folded. If your most important sentence lands after the cut, most of your audience never sees it. Put the reason to keep reading in the visible part, and make sure that part ends on a complete thought.
Line breaks count
On LinkedIn and Instagram the fold is also triggered by the number of lines, not just characters. A short first line followed by a blank line can push the fold up to just one visible sentence. That's often good — a single-line hook is punchy — but it means a three-line intro may be cut after line two. The SnappyTextMaker preview applies both the character and line rules.
Emoji, links and special characters
Most platforms count an emoji as one or two characters, and X counts every link as 23 characters regardless of length. Unicode bold and italic letters look like normal text but are technically different characters; they count normally towards limits but may count as two on X, and they aren't read naturally by screen readers. Use them for emphasis, not whole paragraphs.
Writing one post for several networks
- Write the long version first — usually for LinkedIn or Facebook.
- Make sure the first 125 characters work alone; that line can open every version.
- For Instagram, move hashtags into a single block at the end.
- For X and Threads, cut to one idea and strip all but one or two hashtags.
Try it on your own caption — free, private, no sign-up.
Check your post in the studioMore guides: Character limits · X · LinkedIn · Instagram