Every social network sets its own character limits and image sizes, and several of them changed in the last two years. Below are the current caps for captions, bios, usernames, video length and images on Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube and Snapchat, with a link to the platform’s own help page under each table.
TL;DR
- X stops standard posts at 280 characters, and every link counts as 23 characters whatever its length.
- LinkedIn posts can hold 3,000 characters and articles 125,000.
- Instagram’s Help Center says a post can carry up to 5 hashtags, while Meta’s developer docs list 30 for posts published through the API.
- TikTok’s Creator Academy says a photo post can have up to 4,000 characters, and usernames stop at 24.
- A Facebook Page cover loads fastest as an 851 × 315 pixel JPG under 100 KB.
How these limits work
A character limit is the most letters, numbers, spaces, symbols and emoji a platform accepts in one field. Platforms count differently. X counts every link as 23 characters and every emoji as 2, so a 280-character post can hold less visible text than you expect (X counting rules). YouTube’s Help Center caps a description at 5,000 characters, while its API counts 5,000 bytes, so text with accents or emoji can hit the cap sooner when a tool publishes for you.
Image sizes work the same way: platforms publish a minimum and a recommended size, and they crop to a different ratio on phones and computers. Each table shows the recommended size, with the minimum where the platform publishes one. A row that says Not published means the platform’s help pages give no figure. Characters, words and seconds are different units, so read the unit in every row.
1. Facebook
Facebook’s help pages publish few text limits, but they do publish video lengths, ad text limits and exact cover photo specs, and the cover photo is where most uploads go wrong.
Facebook character and video limits
| Item | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Post, Page name, Page intro, comment | Not published | Meta’s help pages give no maximum length |
| Page username | At least 5 characters | Letters, numbers and periods only; no maximum published |
| Feed image ad, primary text | 50 to 150 characters | Listed in Meta’s Ads Guide |
| Feed image ad, headline | 27 characters | Listed in Meta’s Ads Guide |
| Carousel and Stories ads | Text 125, headline 40, link description 25 characters | Meta’s carousel ad guidance |
| Videos and Reels | No length limit | Facebook shares all videos as Reels, in any length and aspect ratio |
| Live video | 8 hours | Facebook Help Center |
| Feed video ad | 1 second to 241 minutes | Meta’s Ads Guide |
Source: Facebook Help Center on video, Meta newsroom, Page username rules, Live video limits, Feed image ad specs, carousel ad specs.
Facebook image sizes
| Item | Size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Page profile photo | 320 × 320 px | Displays at 176 × 176 on computers and 196 × 196 on smartphones, cropped to a circle |
| Page cover photo, computer | 16:9 ratio, at least 400 × 150 px | Loads fastest as an sRGB JPG, 851 × 315 px and under 100 KB |
| Page cover photo, mobile | 2.4:1 ratio, at least 400 × 150 px | Same 851 × 315 px file; the profile photo overlaps the cover by about 40 px |
| Personal profile cover | At least 720 px wide | |
| Link share image | 1200 × 630 px or larger | At least 600 × 315 px for the large layout; keep it close to 1.91:1 |
| Feed ad image | 1440 × 1800 px (4:5) | 30 MB maximum |
| Stories video ad | 9:16, 1440 × 2560 px | Keep 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% of each side free of text and logos |
Facebook crops and resizes cover photos to fit different screens, so check the preview before you save. For ad formats, see how to use Facebook Ads.
Source: Page profile picture and cover photo dimensions, personal profile cover, link image guidance, Feed image ad specs, Stories video ad specs.
2. Instagram
The Instagram numbers people quote most are the ones to double-check. The Help Center says a post can carry up to 5 hashtags, and Reels can run to 20 minutes.
Instagram character and video limits
| Item | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Caption | 2,200 characters | Stated in Meta’s Instagram API documentation; the Help Center prints no number |
| Hashtags per post | 5 | The Help Center says up to 5; the API documentation allows 30 per caption |
| Bio | 150 characters | |
| Username and display name | Not published | Instagram’s help pages give no maximum |
| Reels | Up to 20 minutes recorded or edited in the app | Reels over 3 minutes won’t be recommended to new audiences |
| Carousel | Up to 20 photos and videos | One orientation applies to every item |
| Feed ad text | Primary text 125 characters, headline 40 | Meta’s Ads Guide |
Source: Use hashtags on Instagram, Instagram API caption limits, bio, Reels length, carousel posts, Feed ad specs.
For caption ideas, see how to write good Instagram captions, and to track which ones work, use Instagram analytics.
Instagram image sizes
| Item | Size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Square feed photo | 1080 × 1080 px | 1:1 |
| Landscape feed photo | 1080 × 566 px | 1.91:1, the widest ratio supported |
| Portrait feed photo | 1080 × 1350 px | 4:5; the tallest ratio supported is 3:4 (1080 × 1440 px) |
| Photos wider than 1080 px | Resized to 1080 px wide | Widths between 320 and 1080 px are kept as they are |
| Reels | 9:16 | Ratios from 1.91:1 to 9:16 are accepted, at 30 fps and at least 720 px |
| Reels cover | 420 × 654 px | Can’t be edited after upload |
| Stories ad | 1080 × 1920 px | Meta’s Business Help recommendation; its Ads Guide lists 1440 × 2560 px |
| Reels and Stories ad safe zone | 14% top, 35% bottom, 6% each side | Keep text and logos out of these margins |
| Feed ad image | 1440 × 1800 px (4:5) | JPG or PNG, 30 MB maximum |
Instagram’s help pages give no profile photo size and no safe zone for regular Stories, so the table lists the ad safe zone only. To plan how portrait and landscape posts sit together, see Instagram grid layout, and for Story ideas, how to use Instagram Stories.
Source: Feed photo sizes, Reels quality and cover, Stories ad specs, Reels ad safe zone, Feed ad image specs.
3. X (formerly Twitter)
X still caps standard posts at 280 characters, but a link costs 23 of them, and Premium subscribers can post much longer.
X character and video limits
| Item | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Post, standard account | 280 characters | Each link counts as 23 characters and each emoji as 2 |
| Post, Premium | 25,000 characters on two X help pages, 4,000 on a third | X’s own pages disagree, so check the composer before you rely on either |
| Display name | 50 characters | |
| Handle | 15 characters | Letters, numbers and underscores only |
| Bio | 160 characters | |
| Image description (alt text) | 1,000 characters | |
| Hashtags | No hard limit | X recommends no more than 2 per post |
| Video | 140 seconds for standard accounts, up to several hours for Premium | X’s help pages give about 3 hours on one page and 4 on others, and its developer docs list other limits |
Source: Post on X, Types of posts, Counting characters, Username rules, Customize your profile, Image descriptions, Hashtags, X videos.
X image sizes
| Item | Size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Profile photo | 400 × 400 px | JPEG, GIF or PNG, 2 MB maximum |
| Header | 1500 × 500 px | About 60 px can be cropped at the top and bottom |
| In-feed photo | Ratios from 2:1 to 3:4 show in full | Up to 5 MB and 4 media items per post; X lists no pixel size |
| Ad image | 800 × 418 px (1.91:1) or 800 × 800 px (1:1) | PNG or JPEG, 5 MB maximum |
| Standalone image ad | 1200 × 628 px (1.91:1) or 1200 × 1200 px (1:1) |
For ad formats, see the Twitter ads guide.
Source: Profile photo and header sizes, Photos and GIFs, Creative ad specifications.
4. LinkedIn
LinkedIn is generous with text: 3,000 characters for a post and 125,000 for an article. Several company page sizes in circulation no longer match LinkedIn’s help pages.
LinkedIn character and video limits
| Item | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Post | 3,000 characters | |
| Article body | 125,000 characters | LinkedIn lists no limit for the title |
| Comment on a group post | 1,250 characters | LinkedIn’s help pages give no figure for comments on regular posts |
| Company Page name | 100 characters | |
| InMail | Subject 200 characters, body 1,900 | |
| Profile headline, About section, Page description | Not published | LinkedIn’s help pages give no maximum |
| Video, personal post | 15 minutes on desktop, 10 on the mobile app | 5 GB maximum |
| Ad intro text (single image, video, document) | 150 characters recommended, 3,000 maximum | Headline 70 recommended, 200 maximum |
| Video ad | 3 seconds to 30 minutes |
Source: Post limits, Articles, Group comments, Company Page name, InMail, Video specs, Single image ads, Video ads.
To see which post length works for your audience, use LinkedIn analytics.
LinkedIn image sizes
| Item | Size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Profile photo | 400 × 400 px minimum | Up to 7680 × 4320 px, 8 MB, PNG or JPG |
| Profile background | 1584 × 396 px | Under 8 MB, JPG or PNG |
| Company logo | 400 × 400 px recommended | 268 × 268 px minimum |
| Company cover | 1512 × 256 px | Minimum and recommended; PNG or JPEG, 3 MB maximum for Page images |
| Single image post | 1080 px wide recommended | At least 552 × 276 px |
| Shared link image | 1200 × 627 px (1.91:1) | |
| Article cover | 1920 × 1080 px | Cropped to 16:9 |
| Document or carousel post | 100 MB and 300 pages | One document per post |
| Single image ad | 1200 × 628 px horizontal, 1200 × 1200 px square, 720 × 900 px vertical | 5 MB maximum |
Source: Profile photo, Profile background, Company Page logo and cover, Image posts, Article cover, Document posts, Single image ads.
5. TikTok
TikTok’s Creator Academy says a photo post can have up to 4,000 characters, well above the 2,200 that older guides quote. No help page gives a figure for video captions, and the developer API lists 2,200 for post titles, so the right number depends on the post type and where you publish from.
TikTok character and video limits
| Item | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Photo post description | 4,000 characters | Creator Academy article on photo posting, updated July 2026 |
| Video caption | Not published on a help page | The developer API lists 2,200 for post titles |
| Username | 2 to 24 characters | Letters, numbers, underscores and periods; can be changed once every 30 days |
| Display name | 30 characters | Can be changed once every 7 days |
| Bio | 80 characters | Stated in TikTok’s Help Center |
| Photo description (alt text) | 300 characters | |
| Comments and hashtags | Not published | TikTok’s help pages give no comment length or hashtag count |
| Video recorded in the app | Up to 10 minutes | |
| Video uploaded | Up to 60 minutes | |
| Photo post | Up to 35 photos | |
| Video ad | 9:16 recommended | Reach and frequency ads run 5 to 60 seconds, with 9 to 15 recommended |
| Ad text | 100 characters maximum | In the Ads Manager preview tool; 4 to 60 recommended |
| Ad name | 512 characters |
Source: Photo posting, Content Posting API, Username rules, Display name, Bio, Camera tools, Making a post, Ad setup, Reach and frequency in-feed ads.
For naming ideas inside 24 characters, see TikTok username ideas. For caption formulas, read how to write a good TikTok caption, and for length by format, the TikTok video length guide.
TikTok image sizes
| Item | Size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Profile photo | At least 20 × 20 px | TikTok gives no recommended size |
| Video ad | 9:16, 540 × 960 px or larger | 16:9 at 960 × 540 or larger, 1:1 at 640 × 640 or larger |
| Ad profile image | 98 × 98 px | JPG, JPEG or PNG, under 50 KB |
TikTok’s help pages don’t publish a resolution for regular videos or photo posts. The ad specs recommend 9:16, so we’d shoot vertical. For formats and costs, see TikTok ads.
Source: Profile photo, In-feed ads (auction).
6. Pinterest
Pinterest’s Pin specs page lists 800 characters for a description, so guides that say 500 are out of date.
Pinterest character and video limits
| Item | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pin title | 100 characters | In ads, only the first 40 characters show |
| Pin description | 800 characters | Descriptions don’t show in the home or search feed |
| Alt text | 500 characters | |
| Profile About section | 500 characters | |
| Username | 3 to 30 characters | Letters, numbers and underscores |
| Board name, board description, display name | Not published | Pinterest’s help pages give no figure |
| Video Pin | 4 seconds to 5 minutes | |
| Video ad | 4 seconds to 15 minutes | 6 to 15 seconds recommended |
Source: Pin specs, Alt text, Edit your profile, Product specs for ads.
Pinterest image sizes
| Item | Size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pin image | 2:3 ratio, 1000 × 1500 px | BMP, JPEG, PNG, TIFF or WEBP; 20 MB maximum on the web |
| Video Pin | 9:16, 1080 × 1920 px recommended | 1:2, 2:3, 3:4, 4:5 and 1:1 also work |
| Profile cover | At least 800 × 450 px | 16:9 recommended |
Story Pins and Idea Pins no longer have separate specs, because Pinterest merged them into standard Pins in 2023.
Source: Pin specs, Creative best practices, Personalize your profile, Pinterest newsroom.
7. YouTube
YouTube’s current thumbnail guidance is 3840 × 2160 pixels, not the 1280 × 720 that many guides still give, and playlist titles run to 150 characters, not 100.
YouTube character and video limits
| Item | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Video title | 100 characters | |
| Video description | 5,000 characters | The Help Center counts characters; the API counts 5,000 bytes |
| Tags | 500 characters in total | From Google’s Data API documentation; the Help Center gives no number |
| Hashtags | More than 60 and YouTube ignores all of them | Up to 3 show above the title |
| Handle | 3 to 30 characters | |
| Channel name | 30 characters | From the Data API documentation |
| Channel description | 1,000 characters | From the Data API documentation |
| Playlist | Title 150 characters, description 5,000 | |
| Comments | Not published | YouTube’s help pages give no figure |
| Shorts | Up to 3 minutes | Applies to uploads after 15 October 2024 |
| Upload length | 15 minutes by default, 12 hours or 256 GB for verified accounts |
Source: Upload videos, Titles and descriptions, Hashtags, Handles, Playlists, Shorts length, Upload limits, Videos API, Channels API.
YouTube image sizes
| Item | Size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Video thumbnail | 3840 × 2160 px, 16:9 | Minimum width 640 px; JPG or PNG |
| Shorts thumbnail | 2160 × 3840 px, 9:16 | Minimum height 640 px |
| Thumbnail file size | 2 MB on mobile, 50 MB on desktop | |
| Channel banner | 2560 × 1440 px recommended | Minimum 2048 × 1152 px at 16:9, 6 MB or smaller; the safe area for text and logos is 1235 × 338 px at the minimum size |
| Profile picture | Renders at 98 × 98 px | JPG, GIF, BMP or PNG, 15 MB or smaller, square or round |
Source: Custom thumbnails, Channel banner and profile picture.
8. Snapchat
Snapchat publishes little for organic posts, but its account rules and ad specs are clear.
| Item | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Display name | 30 characters, spaces included | |
| Username | 3 to 15 characters | Can be changed once a year |
| Story uploaded from the web | 5 to 60 seconds, 9:16, at least 540 × 960 px | |
| Spotlight | At least 5 seconds, vertical | |
| Snap ad canvas | 9:16, 1080 × 1920 px | Image minimum 720 × 1280 px; JPG or PNG, 5 MB maximum |
| Snap ad safe zone | Keep the top 150 px and the bottom 330 px clear | Single image and video ads |
| Story ad tile image | 360 × 600 px | PNG, up to 2 MB |
| Ad headline | 34 characters |
Source: Display name, Username, Stories from the web, Spotlight, Top Snap ad specs, Snap ad practices, Snapchat ad formats.
Free character counter tools
A character counter shows how long a draft is before you paste it into a composer. A generic counter treats every character as one, while X counts a link as 23 and an emoji as 2, so check the total in the platform’s own composer before you publish. Three free counters:
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Character count online: It is a freely available character and word counter tool. It also gives you information on the number of sentences, spaces, and paragraphs.
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Word counter: This tool provides you with the number of characters, words, and lines.
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Character Counter: It is more comprehensive than the above two and gives you information on the number of characters (with and without spaces), syllables, words, alphanumeric characters, sentences, paragraphs, estimated reading time, and much more.
Final words
Platform limits change without much notice, and the same field can carry different numbers on different pages of a platform’s own help center. We’d treat every number here as a ceiling rather than a target, and open the help page linked under a table when an upload fails. If you publish to several networks, write to the tightest limit first, then expand the version for platforms that allow more. You can also run A/B tests to find which lengths bring you the best engagement rates.
Social media character limits FAQs
How do I keep a post inside each platform’s limit when I publish to several networks?
Write to the tightest limit first, such as 280 characters for X, then lengthen the version for networks that allow more. Sociality.io lets teams plan and schedule posts for their connected channels on one collaborative calendar. Check each network’s limit in its own composer before you schedule.
What is the character limit for a TikTok caption?
TikTok’s Creator Academy says a photo post can have up to 4,000 characters, on a page updated in July 2026. No TikTok help page gives a figure for video captions, and the developer API lists 2,200 for post titles. For videos, keep captions under 2,200 characters.
How many hashtags can you use on Instagram?
Instagram’s Help Center says you can use up to 5 hashtags on a post. Meta’s developer documentation allows 30 hashtags in a caption published through the API. Staying at 5 or fewer keeps a post valid wherever it is published.
What size should a Facebook cover photo be?
Facebook says a Page cover loads fastest as an sRGB JPG that is 851 pixels wide, 315 pixels tall and under 100 KB. It shows at a 16:9 ratio on computers and 2.4:1 on mobile, and the minimum size is 400 × 150 pixels.
How many characters can you post on X?
Standard accounts can post up to 280 characters, and X counts every link as 23 characters and every emoji as 2. X’s help pages list 25,000 characters for Premium subscribers on two pages and 4,000 on a third, so check your composer before you rely on a longer post.
How many characters can a LinkedIn post have?
LinkedIn says a post can contain up to 3,000 characters and an article up to 125,000. Its help pages give no figure for the headline or the About section, and the 1,250-character limit often quoted for comments applies to comments in groups.
What is a character limit?
A character limit is the maximum number of letters, numbers, spaces, symbols and emoji a platform accepts in one field, such as a post, bio or username. Platforms count differently: X counts a link as 23 characters and an emoji as 2, and YouTube’s API counts description length in bytes.
