Publisher: Qudo Tools · Content reviewed:
Social Media Character Limits in 2026: Check the Publishing Route
Standard posts, subscriber features, photo and video posts, web composers and APIs can have different limits even on the same platform. The figures below were checked against official pages on 7 November 2026. Verify them again in the exact publishing route you use.
X: standard and longer posts
X describes 280 characters as the typical limit for a standard post. Eligible paid subscribers can create longer posts of up to 25,000 characters. Availability depends on the current subscription and product settings.
X processes URLs through t.co. Its ad creative specifications count a link as 23 characters in a standard post example, while X notes that some clients adjust the count while composing and some do not. Near the limit, trust the actual publishing interface.
TikTok and LinkedIn: API-specific figures
TikTok's developer documentation sets a maximum of 2,200 UTF-16 units for the video caption in its Direct Post API. That field limit does not establish a universal cap for TikTok photo posts or every in-app composer.
LinkedIn's UGC Post API documentation caps post text at 3,000 characters. This is a specific API constraint; confirm the behavior of the web or mobile composer separately.
Instagram and a preflight example
We could not verify one official character limit that applies across all Instagram publishing types. This guide therefore does not present 2,200 caption characters, a 125-character visible opening or 30 hashtags as universal current rules. Check the current composer and official documentation for your content type.
For an X standard post containing a link, leave room for the link and hashtags, then paste the draft into X to check the final count. For TikTok video API publishing, validate the caption against the API's UTF-16 rule. A general word counter is useful for drafting but cannot reproduce every platform's final count.
Frequently asked questions
How long can an X post be?
X currently describes 280 characters as typical for standard posts and up to 25,000 for eligible subscriber longer posts. Check your account's composer before publishing.
Why does a general counter disagree with a platform?
Links, composed emoji, Unicode counting and the publishing route can change the result. Use a counter for drafting, then verify in the target composer.
Sources and scope
These official sources were checked for this article. Confirm the current rules with the platform or issuing authority before publishing or submitting.
Related tool
Identify the platform, content type and publishing route before using a numeric limit. This guide verifies specific X, TikTok video Direct Post API and LinkedIn UGC Post API figures; it does not infer other limits from an old summary table.
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