Reference · verified 22 July 2026

Social media character limits (2026)

Every platform’s character limit in one place — plus how much shows before it truncates, and the length that actually performs. Verified against what PersonaXpand publishes.

Quick answer Per-post character limits in 2026: X (Twitter) 280, Threads 500, Instagram 2,200, TikTok 2,200, LinkedIn 3,000, YouTube 5,000, and Facebook 63,206. The ideal (best-performing) length is far lower — e.g. 80–150 on Instagram and 700–1,200 on LinkedIn. Full breakdown below.

Platform Character limit Visible before “more” (approx.) Ideal length Hashtags
X / Twitter 280 280 (all shown) ≤ 240 — front-load the hook 1–2
Instagram 2,200 ~125 before “more” 80–150 characters up to 11
LinkedIn 3,000 ~140 on mobile before “…see more” 700–1,200 characters 3–5
Threads 500 500 (all shown) 280–400 — one paragraph 0–1
Facebook 63,206 ~250 before “See more” 300–500 (text-only) 1–2
TikTok 2,200 ~1 line over the video ≤ 150 — keep the hook visible 3–5
YouTube 5,000 ~157 (first lines of description) keywords in the first 150 3–5

Limits reflect what PersonaXpand enforces when it publishes to each platform. “Visible before more” and ideal ranges are approximate and shift with platform updates — this page is re-verified and date-stamped.

Check your caption against every limit

Paste a draft to see it counted against each platform’s limit and engagement sweet-spot in real time.

0 characters · 0 words
X / Twitter 0 / 280
Ideal: ≤ 240 — front-load the hook
Instagram 0 / 2,200
Ideal: 80–150 characters
LinkedIn 0 / 3,000
Ideal: 700–1,200 characters
Threads 0 / 500
Ideal: 280–400 — one paragraph
Facebook 0 / 63,206
Ideal: 300–500 (text-only)
TikTok 0 / 2,200
Ideal: ≤ 150 — keep the hook visible
YouTube 0 / 5,000
Ideal: keywords in the first 150

Want just the live counter? Use the social media character counter.

Limit vs. ideal length: why the number that matters isn’t the maximum

A character limit is a hard ceiling. The length that actually earns reads and replies is almost always far below it. Instagram allows 2,200 characters but hides everything after ~125; LinkedIn allows 3,000 but posts of 700–1,200 perform best; Facebook allows 63,206 but collapses long posts behind “See more.” Write to the ideal length, not the ceiling, and your hook stays visible.

One idea, every platform

The same post rarely fits every network at the same length. That’s what PersonaXpand handles for you — write once, and each version is reshaped to the right length and format for every platform, then published on schedule.

Character limit FAQs

What are the social media character limits in 2026?
Per post: X (Twitter) 280, Threads 500, Instagram 2,200, TikTok 2,200, LinkedIn 3,000, YouTube 5,000, and Facebook 63,206. The full table above also shows how much is visible before each platform truncates, and the length that performs best.

Which platform has the shortest character limit?
X (Twitter) at 280 characters, followed by Threads at 500. Both reward brevity — one tight idea beats a padded post.

Which platform allows the most characters?
Facebook, at 63,206 characters. But long posts collapse behind a “See more,” so the first ~250 characters do the real work.

What is the ideal length versus the limit?
The limit is a hard ceiling; the ideal length is the engagement sweet-spot — e.g. 80–150 on Instagram, 700–1,200 on LinkedIn, 300–500 for a Facebook text post. Writing to the limit usually buries your hook.

Do character limits include hashtags, emojis and links?
Yes — hashtags, emojis and links all count toward the limit. On X, most emoji count as two characters and links are counted at a fixed length, so leave headroom.

Do emojis count as one character or multiple?
It depends on the emoji and the platform. Simple emoji often count as one, but plenty of them, especially skin-tone and combined emoji built from several code points, count as two or more, and X (Twitter) treats most emoji as two characters. If you're close to a limit, assume emoji cost more than one and leave a little headroom.

What is the Instagram character limit for a caption, comment and bio?
An Instagram caption and a comment each allow up to 2,200 characters, and your bio allows 150. Direct messages and Notes have their own, shorter limits that Instagram can adjust, so check the field itself if you are writing right up to the edge. Captions and comments share the same 2,200 ceiling PersonaXpand enforces when it publishes.

How often do these limits change?
Occasionally, when platforms update their apps. This page is generated from the same limits PersonaXpand enforces when it publishes your posts, and it carries the date the figures were last checked against each platform, shown at the top of the page.

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