Twitter / X Character Counter
Count the characters in your tweet and see how many you have left before the 280-character limit.
How to use this tool
- Enter tweet text in the fields above.
- Results update instantly as you type — or click Calculate.
- Read your characters used and the full breakdown beneath it.
Count the characters in your tweet and see how many you have left before the 280-character limit.
How it works
Twitter (now X) limits posts to 280 characters. This counter shows your current character count and the number of characters remaining as you type, so you can trim your tweet before posting without pasting it into the app first.
The counter follows Twitter's own counting rules: standard characters each count as 1, and URLs are always counted as 23 characters regardless of their actual length because Twitter wraps all links through its t.co shortener.
Use this tool to draft and refine longer tweets offline, check character usage before scheduling posts in a social media management tool, or verify that template text fits within the limit.
Worked example
Trim an announcement tweet to fit the limit
- Paste your draft tweet into the text field.
- Read the counter -- e.g. 312/280 (32 over limit).
- Edit the text to remove redundant phrases.
- Confirm the counter drops to 280 or below before copying.
A tweet confirmed to be within the 280-character limit, ready to post.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Counting characters in a plain text editor that does not apply Twitter's URL-counting rules -- links will appear shorter than Twitter counts them.
- Forgetting that emojis often cost 2 characters -- a tweet that looks short can still exceed the limit.
- Not leaving room for a link when the tweet is part of a campaign that will include a URL.
Key terms
- Character limit
- The maximum number of characters Twitter allows per post: 280 for standard accounts.
- t.co shortener
- Twitter's automatic URL shortener that wraps all links and counts them as 23 characters regardless of original length.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the Twitter / X character limit?
- X (formerly Twitter) allows up to 280 characters per post. URLs count as 23 characters regardless of their actual length.
- Do spaces count as characters?
- Yes — every space, newline, and emoji counts toward the 280-character limit.