Character Limits for Each Social Network
A complete reference of character limits for TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X, and LinkedIn. Know exactly how much text you can use in captions, titles, comments, and bios on each platform.
Every platform has different character limits — and not just for captions. Titles, alt text, comments, and bio fields all have their own limits. This is the complete reference you need when composing cross-platform content in Publlish.
Publlish shows a live character count in the composer for each platform, but knowing the limits in advance helps you plan content length before you start writing.
TikTok Character Limits
| Field | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Caption | 2,200 characters | First ~100 characters show before "more" |
| Hashtags | 30 maximum | Best practice: 3–6 |
| Username mention | Counts toward caption limit |
Best practice length: Under 150 characters for captions. TikTok audiences scroll fast — shorter, hook-first captions perform better. Save the extra characters for hashtags.
Facebook Character Limits
| Field | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Post caption (Page) | 63,206 characters | No practical limit for most content |
| Post caption (Group) | 63,206 characters | |
| Link description | 500 characters | Auto-pulled from URL, editable |
| Image alt text | 100 characters |
Best practice length: Under 80 characters for highest engagement. Facebook's algorithm shows more of your post before the "See More" cutoff when you keep it short. For video posts, a slightly longer description (100–250 characters) works well.
Instagram Character Limits
| Field | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Feed post caption | 2,200 characters | First 125 characters show before "more" |
| Reels caption | 2,200 characters | Same as feed posts |
| Story text overlay | ~250 characters visible | Depends on text size |
| Hashtags per post | 30 maximum | Best practice: 3–10 |
| Comment | 2,200 characters | First comment hashtag strategy uses this |
| Bio | 150 characters | |
| Username mention | Counts toward caption limit | |
| Alt text (manual) | 420 characters |
Best practice length: 138–150 characters for the visible pre-"more" hook. Everything else in the caption after the hook is supporting content. Many high-performing Instagram accounts keep captions to 1–3 short paragraphs.
YouTube Character Limits
| Field | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Video title | 100 characters | First 60–70 visible in search results |
| Video description | 5,000 characters | First 157 characters show in search snippets |
| Tags | 500 characters total across all tags | |
| Comment | 10,000 characters | |
| Channel description | 1,000 characters |
Best practice length for Shorts titles: Under 60 characters so the full title shows in search results. For descriptions: write at least 2–3 sentences (minimum 150 characters) to help YouTube understand the video content for search.
X (Twitter) Character Limits
| Field | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Post (standard account) | 280 characters | Includes spaces and punctuation |
| Post (X Premium) | 25,000 characters | Long-form posts |
| Alt text for images | 1,000 characters | |
| Direct message | 10,000 characters | |
| Bio | 160 characters | |
| Display name | 50 characters |
Best practice length: 71–100 characters gets the highest engagement rate on X. Counterintuitively, very short posts (under 50 characters) and long posts (over 200 characters) both underperform. The sweet spot is a clear, punchy single idea.
Note: Links count as 23 characters regardless of actual URL length — X wraps all links in its t.co shortener.
LinkedIn Character Limits
| Field | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Profile post | 3,000 characters | First 210 characters show before "see more" |
| Company Page post | 700 characters | First 210 characters show before "see more" |
| Article title | 100 characters | |
| Article body | 125,000 characters | Long-form native articles |
| Comment | 1,250 characters | |
| Profile headline | 220 characters | |
| Profile summary (About) | 2,600 characters | |
| Company Page tagline | 120 characters | |
| Hashtags per post | No official limit | Best practice: 3–5 |
Best practice length: 1,300–2,000 characters for personal profile posts that tell a complete story. Company Page posts work better shorter (300–500 characters) given the 700-character limit and the platform's preference for concise brand communication.
Important: Company Pages have a significantly shorter limit (700 characters) than personal profiles (3,000 characters). If you're cross-posting the same content to a LinkedIn Page and a Profile in Publlish, use per-channel customisation to write shorter copy for the Page version.
Quick Reference Table
| Platform | Caption/Post limit | Visible before cutoff | Best practice length |
|---|---|---|---|
| TikTok | 2,200 | ~100 chars | Under 150 |
| 63,206 | ~400 chars | Under 80 | |
| 2,200 | 125 chars | 138–150 for hook | |
| YouTube (title) | 100 | 60–70 chars | Under 60 |
| X (standard) | 280 | Full post | 71–100 |
| LinkedIn (Profile) | 3,000 | 210 chars | 1,300–2,000 |
| LinkedIn (Page) | 700 | 210 chars | 300–500 |
How Publlish Handles Character Limits
Publlish shows a live character counter in the composer for each selected platform. When you're posting to multiple channels simultaneously, each platform's counter updates independently.
If you're over the limit for one platform but not others, you'll see a warning for that specific channel. Use Publlish's per-channel caption customisation to write a shorter version for the over-limit platform without changing the others.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if I go over the character limit in Publlish? Publlish will warn you before you can schedule. The post won't publish if it exceeds the platform's character limit — you'll need to shorten the caption first.
Do hashtags count toward the character limit? Yes, on all platforms. A 15-character hashtag like #socialmediatips uses 15 of your caption characters.
Do links count toward the character limit? On X, links are shortened to 23 characters regardless of actual length. On other platforms, links count at their full character length — use a URL shortener if you're tight on space.
What's the character limit for Instagram Stories text? Stories don't have a strict API character limit for text overlays, but approximately 250 characters are comfortably visible depending on text size. Stories are primarily visual — keep text minimal.
Does the LinkedIn Company Page limit apply to all posts? Yes — Company Pages are capped at 700 characters per post, regardless of what you write in a personal profile post.