Character Counter
Count characters with and without spaces, check text against common limits and see the technical counts some systems use instead.
0Characters
0Without spaces
0Lines
0Code points
0UTF-16 units
0Bytes (UTF-8)
How to use the Character Counter
- Type or paste your text.
- Pick a target, such as a YouTube title, or choose Custom and enter a number.
- Watch the remaining count and the progress bar.
- Check the technical counts if another app counts differently.
Features and benefits
- Characters as people see them, characters without spaces and lines.
- Code points, UTF-16 units and UTF-8 bytes for technical limits.
- Presets for Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X and meta tags, plus a custom target.
- A progress bar that shows how many characters are left or over.
Examples
Accents and an emoji
- Input
- Café ☕ open now
- Result
- 15 characters, 12 without spaces, 18 bytes in UTF-8 (é takes 2 bytes and ☕ takes 3).
A family emoji
- Input
- 👨👩👧
- Result
- 1 character as people see it, but 5 code points, 8 UTF-16 units and 18 UTF-8 bytes.
Limits and restrictions
- Platform targets are guides. X (Twitter) weights some characters and links differently, so its count can differ.
- Only YouTube's title and description limits come from an official help page; others are labeled as reported or as guides.
- Very long texts may update a little slower on older phones.
Tips and best practices
- If a form rejects text that looks short enough, compare the UTF-16 or byte count.
- Leave a few characters spare for platform differences.
- Use the Word Counter when the limit is in words rather than characters.
- For search titles, use the Meta Title & Description Preview, which measures pixels.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference from the Word Counter?
The Word Counter focuses on words and reading time. This tool focuses on character limits and the different ways systems count characters.
Why does an emoji count as 2 somewhere else?
Many systems count UTF-16 units, where most emoji take two. That number is shown as "UTF-16 units".
Does a line break count?
Yes, a line break is one character.
What is a code point?
A single Unicode number. Some characters people see as one, like flags and family emoji, are made of several code points.
Why are bytes higher than characters?
In UTF-8, accented letters use 2 bytes and most emoji use 4, so byte counts grow faster than character counts.
Related tools
- Word CounterWords, characters, sentences, paragraphs and reading time as you type.
- YouTube Title CheckerCheck title length against the 100-character limit and preview it.
- Meta Title & Description PreviewSee an approximate Google snippet on desktop and mobile.
- Instagram Bio Counter & PreviewFit your bio in the limit and preview how it may look on a profile.