Twitter Character Counter for X Posts and Threads
Check character count, remaining length, and draft fit before publishing or scheduling your next X post.
How to use the X character counter
Paste or type your post in the box above. The counter shows the total characters, how many remain before the 280-character limit, and a status that turns red once you are over. It counts every character you type, including spaces, line breaks and emoji, so what you see here is what X will count when you paste the same text into the composer.
If you are writing a thread, check each post separately: the limit applies per post, not to the thread as a whole. Keep the hook in the first post under about 200 characters so it survives the preview card that X shows in timelines and in link previews on other networks.
The X character limits that matter
Standard accounts can post up to 280 characters. X Premium subscribers can publish long-form posts of up to 25,000 characters, but anything past the first few hundred is collapsed behind a Show more link, so the short limit is still the one to write for. Every link is counted as 23 characters regardless of its real length, because X wraps it with its t.co shortener. Emoji usually count as two characters, and an @mention placed at the very start of a reply is not counted against the limit, while one in the body is.
Images, video and polls do not use characters, which makes a 280-character caption plus media the most reach-efficient format for most accounts. Alt text on images has its own limit of 1,000 characters.
Scheduling X posts at the right length
Once a post fits, you can schedule it natively in X Premium or through a third-party scheduler. The schedulers on our X page publish posts and threads through the paid X API, and the X-first tools among them (Typefully, Hypefury) run the same character check inside their editors, preview the thread as it will appear, and queue replies automatically. If X is one channel among several, a general scheduler such as Buffer or Publer will do the same check when you compose.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Twitter/X character limit?
A standard X post is limited to 280 characters. X Premium subscribers can post up to 25,000 characters, but long posts are collapsed behind a Show more link in the timeline, so 280 is still the limit worth writing to.
Do links count towards the X character limit?
Yes, but every link counts as 23 characters no matter how long it is, because X shortens it with t.co. A post with one link therefore has 257 characters left for text.
Do emoji count as one character on X?
Most emoji count as two characters, and some flag and skin-tone combinations count as more. The counter above counts them the same way your keyboard enters them, so check the remaining figure rather than counting by eye.
Should I write shorter X posts?
Shorter posts are easier to read in a fast feed, but clarity matters more than length. Put the point in the first line, keep hashtags to one or two, and let the counter tell you when a post needs trimming rather than cutting everything to a fixed length.