YouTube character counter
Live counts against YouTube title, description, tag and comment limits.
Type or paste your text and the panel above counts down against every YouTube limit at once — title, description, tag, comment and playlist name. The numbers update as you type, and go red when you pass a limit.
The limits that matter
- Title — 100 characters. That is the hard maximum, but it is not the useful number. Search results and mobile show only about the first 70 characters before cutting off, so the panel flags 70 as well. Put the important words first.
- Description — 5,000 characters. Generous, but only the first two or three lines show above "Show more", so the opening is what does the work — links, the hook, key terms.
- Tag — 30 characters each, with a 500-character total across all tags. This counter checks a single tag against the 30 limit.
- Comment — 10,000 characters. Rarely a constraint, but here for completeness.
- Playlist name — 150 characters.
Why the title cut-off matters more than the limit
Everyone knows the title maxes at 100. Far fewer notice that a 90-character title is truncated in search, in suggested videos and on phones — which is where most views come from. The first 70 or so characters are all many viewers ever see, so a title that puts the keyword at character 85 is effectively hiding it. The counter shows both numbers so you can write to the real constraint, not the theoretical one.
How it counts
Characters are counted as a person sees them, so an emoji counts as one, not several. Spaces and punctuation count. This matches how YouTube's own fields behave for the title and description. If you are close to a limit and using a lot of emoji, give yourself a little margin, since some systems in the chain count them more heavily.
To trim a batch of titles to the visible length, the truncate tool does it word-safely. For other platforms, see the Instagram and X counters.
Doing it without this tool
YouTube Studio shows a character count on the title field but not the search cut-off, and not on everything.
Word: counts characters but knows nothing about YouTube's limits or where the title is truncated.
Runs entirely in your browser. Your text is never uploaded — open DevTools, Network tab, and you will see zero requests while you use this tool.
How to use it
- Type or paste your title, description or tag into the box.
- Watch the panel — each YouTube limit counts down as you type.
- Keep the title within about 70 characters so it is not cut off in search and on mobile.
- Put your links and key terms in the first lines of the description.
Related tools
Frequently asked questions
One hundred characters. But search, suggested videos and mobile show only about the first 70, so the counter flags that too. Put the important words first.
Up to 5,000 characters. Only the first two or three lines show above "Show more", so lead with links and the hook.
Each tag can be up to 30 characters, with a 500-character total across all your tags. This counter checks a single tag against the 30 limit.
Here they are counted as one, as a person sees them, which matches the title and description fields. Leave a little margin if you are near a limit and using many emoji.
No. Counting happens entirely in your browser and nothing is sent or stored.