OnlyMovSocial Media Character Limits: The Complete List
By OnlyMov Editorial Team · · Editorial policy
Every platform has two numbers that matter: the hard limit (where it cuts you off) and the truncation point (where "see more" hides the rest). The second number is the one that shapes good writing — because what shows before the fold is often all that gets read. Here are both numbers, platform by platform, current as of 2026.
Free tool for this task
Skip the manual work — use Character Counter to do this instantly.
The limits that matter, by platform
- X (Twitter): 280 characters (25,000 for premium subscribers — but engagement lives in short posts). Truncation: long premium posts clip around 280 in feeds.
- Instagram: captions 2,200; truncates around 125 characters in feed. Bio: 150.
- LinkedIn: posts 3,000; truncates near 210 characters ("...see more"). Headline: 220. Articles: 110,000.
- Facebook: posts 63,206 (effectively unlimited); truncates around 480 characters. Research consistently favors posts under 80 characters for engagement.
- TikTok: captions 4,000; truncates around one visible line.
- YouTube: titles 100 (60 displays reliably), descriptions 5,000 (first 150 characters show in search).
- Email: subject lines have no real limit, but mobile clients display roughly 35–45 characters.
Write to the truncation point, not the maximum
The pattern across every platform: the visible-before-the-fold text does the work.
- Instagram's first 125 characters decide the "more" tap
- LinkedIn's first 210 characters are your hook — the classic structure puts a one-line cliffhanger before the fold
- YouTube's first 150 description characters are your search snippet
Practical rule: put the payoff, question, or hook entirely before the truncation point, and treat everything after as bonus depth for committed readers. Front-loading isn't a style preference — it's how the formats are engineered.
When hitting the limit is the problem
Running over is usually a sign the post wants to be a different format:
- An X thread instead of one crammed post
- A LinkedIn article instead of a 3,000-character post
- A blog link with a summary caption instead of an Instagram essay
Cutting to fit, in order: adjectives and adverbs first, then redundant phrases ("in order to" → "to"), then whole secondary points — never the specifics (numbers, names) that make the post worth reading. A character counter beats posting-and-praying: check before you paste.
Step-by-step summary
- 1
Know your platform's two numbers
Hard limit and truncation point — the second one shapes the writing.
- 2
Put the hook before the fold
Payoff or question inside the visible characters; depth after.
- 3
Count before you post
Paste into a character counter and check against the truncation point, not just the max.
Frequently asked questions
- Do character limits count emojis and spaces?
- Spaces always count. Emojis count on every platform, and on X most emojis count as two characters. URLs on X count as 23 regardless of actual length.
- What is the ideal post length for engagement?
- Consistently shorter than the limits: under 80 characters performs best on Facebook, 70–100 on X, and LinkedIn rewards a strong first line above all. Truncation points matter more than totals.
- Why does my post get cut off before the limit?
- You're seeing the truncation point — the platform hides longer text behind "see more" in feeds. The full post exists; only the preview is short. Write your hook inside the preview.