Caption and text limits by platform (2026)
TikTok captions and Instagram captions both allow 2,200 characters, but only the first line or two show before the fold, so the practical limit is much smaller. An Instagram bio is 150 characters. A standard X post is 280. YouTube gives titles 100 characters, with roughly 70 visible in search, and descriptions 5,000.
Emoji and non-Latin characters can count differently per platform; this tool counts Unicode code points, which matches caption fields on the major apps closely. If you are at the exact boundary, trim a few characters of margin.
What actually belongs in a short-form caption
The algorithm reads your caption for context, but humans read only the first line, so front-load it: the hook or the payoff, not "New video!". Keep hashtags few and specific; a handful of relevant tags outperforms a wall of generic ones on every current platform.
The caption is the last step of a post, the retention happens inside the video: pacing, on-screen captions, and visual changes. Wavcut handles that half automatically on iPhone, burned-in captions, silence cuts, and b-roll placement, so the caption box is the only writing left to do.