Never get a “caption too long” error again
Every platform has its own limits, and they change. Instagram captions allow 2,200 characters, but only around the first 125 show before the “more” link. Since December 2025, Instagram also limits posts and Reels to five hashtags. TikTok captions allow 4,000 characters, X posts 280 for standard accounts, and YouTube ignores every hashtag on a video if you use more than 15.
This counter tracks all of those rules live as you type. It counts characters the way apps do (an emoji or flag counts as one visible character), flags duplicate hashtags and shows a preview of what followers will see before they tap “more”.
How to check your caption
- Select the platform you’re posting to.
- Paste or write your caption in the box.
- Watch the counters — characters, hashtags, mentions, words, lines and emojis. Bars turn red when you go over a limit.
- Read the warnings for too many hashtags or duplicates, and check the feed preview.
- Fix and copy, or use Remove all hashtags to start the tags again.
Caption and hashtag limits by platform
- Instagram: 2,200 characters, 5 hashtags, 20 @mentions; truncated at about 125 characters.
- TikTok: 4,000 characters; no fixed hashtag cap, 3–6 relevant tags recommended.
- YouTube Shorts title: 100 characters; more than 15 hashtags and YouTube ignores them all.
- X: 280 characters for standard accounts.
- Threads: 500 characters and one topic tag.
- LinkedIn: 3,000 characters; “see more” after about 210.
- Pinterest: 500-character descriptions.
Limits are correct at the time of writing; platforms update them occasionally, and we update the counter when they do.
Write captions that get read
Put your hook in the first line — it’s all most people see. Use short paragraphs and line breaks, end with a question or call to action, and place your few hashtags at the end. Quality beats quantity: with only five hashtags on Instagram, choose the most specific ones for your post using our Hashtag Generator.
💡 Stuck on the first line? Try the Hook Generator or browse Caption Templates.
Related tools
Keep blank lines in place with the Line-Break Formatter, add flair with the Fancy Font Generator and plan when to post with Best Time to Post.