Character Counter
Count characters with and without spaces, letters and digits — live, as you type, with the platform limits that actually matter.
Start typing or paste your text — the counts update live.
About this tool
Character limits are everywhere: 280 characters for an X post, 500 on Threads, 2,200 in an Instagram caption, 160 in an SMS, and countless form fields with their own quiet caps. This counter shows the numbers those limits are judged by — total characters, characters excluding all whitespace, letters and digits separately — and updates on every keystroke. The SMS bar is included below, alongside the social platforms.
The limit bars under the counts fill as you approach each platform's cap and turn red when you pass it, so there are no surprises at posting time. Everything runs locally in your browser; your text is never sent to a server.
How to use it
- Type or paste your text into the box.
- Check the character totals under the box.
- Use the platform bars to see exactly how much room you have left on X, Threads and Instagram.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as a character?
Characters are counted as visible characters (grapheme clusters), after normalising line endings and Unicode forms — so the family emoji counts as 1 visible character, a flag counts as 1, and “café” counts 4 however it was typed. Platforms can measure differently: X weights CJK characters double and counts every link as 23 characters, which is exactly what the X limit bar applies.
Why show characters without spaces?
Some forms, exams and submission systems exclude spaces from their limit. Showing both numbers means you are covered either way.
Does this count letters only?
It can — the Letters figure counts letters only (A–Z and other alphabets), with digits shown separately. For a letters-focused view, try the Letter Counter.