Twitter / X Post / tweet character limit
The Twitter / X post / tweet limit is 280 characters.
Check your text against the Twitter / X limit
About the Twitter / X character limit
Twitter / X posts are limited to 280 characters for free accounts. This limit was doubled from 140 characters in November 2017. URLs count as 23 characters regardless of their actual length.
Tips for writing within the Twitter / X limit
- URLs always count as 23 characters, no matter how long the link is.
- Replies, quoted tweets, and media attachments do not count toward the limit.
- Twitter Blue / X Premium subscribers can post significantly longer content.
- Emojis count as 2 characters on Twitter due to their Unicode encoding.
Why character limits exist
Character limits serve different purposes across platforms. On Twitter / X, the 280- character limit encourages concise communication and keeps the timeline scannable. On SMS, the 160-character limit is a technical constraint from the GSM protocol dating back to 1985. For SEO fields like meta descriptions and page titles, limits reflect the physical pixel width of Google's search result snippets — not a character count enforced by Google, but a practical constraint for avoiding truncation.
Need to check character counts across all platforms at once? Use the full character counter →
Frequently asked questions
What is the Twitter / X post / tweet character limit?
The Twitter / X post / tweet limit is 280 characters. URLs always count as 23 characters, no matter how long the link is.
Does the Twitter / X post / tweet limit include spaces?
Yes. Spaces count as characters toward the 280-character limit on Twitter / X, the same as letters and punctuation.
What happens if I exceed the Twitter / X character limit?
Twitter / X will prevent you from posting or saving if you exceed the 280-character limit. The character counter in the platform's editor turns red when you approach or hit the limit.
Do emojis count as characters on Twitter / X?
Yes, emojis count as characters. Most emoji use 1–2 characters of your limit depending on the platform's encoding. On Twitter, each emoji counts as 2 characters.