Free Online Character Counter
Count characters with and without spaces, check length limits and SMS segments.
- Free
- Real-time
- Runs locally
Characters
0
Including spaces
No spaces
0
Excluding spaces
Words
0
Lines
0
Character breakdown
Start typing to see the composition of your text.
| Category | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Letters | 0 | 0% |
| Digits | 0 | 0% |
| Spaces & line breaks | 0 | 0% |
| Punctuation | 0 | 0% |
| Symbols | 0 | 0% |
| Emoji | 0 | 0% |
| Invisible & control | 0 | 0% |
- Code points
- 0
- UTF-16 units
- 0
- UTF-8 bytes
- 0
Length limit
280 characters remaining
Paste or type any text to see exactly how many characters it contains, with and without spaces. Below the totals you get a breakdown of letters, digits, punctuation, symbols, emoji and whitespace, plus the size of your text in UTF-8 bytes and UTF-16 code units.
Use the length limit panel to check a title, description or field against a maximum, or switch to SMS mode to see how many text messages your copy will take. Everything is calculated locally in your browser.
How to use the character counter
- STEP 01
Enter your text
Type in the editor or paste text from anywhere. The Paste button inserts your clipboard at the cursor.
- STEP 02
Check the counts
Characters with and without spaces, words and lines update instantly, with a breakdown by character type.
- STEP 03
Test it against a limit
Pick a preset or enter your own maximum to see how many characters remain, or choose SMS to count message parts.
Features
With and without spaces
Two totals side by side, so you can match whichever rule a form, platform or assignment uses.
Character breakdown
See how many letters, digits, punctuation marks, symbols, emoji and whitespace characters your text contains.
Length limit checker
Set any maximum or use the SEO title and meta description presets, with a live progress bar and remaining count.
SMS segment calculator
Detects GSM-7 or Unicode (UCS-2) encoding, counts message parts and shows which characters force Unicode.
Byte and code unit sizes
UTF-8 bytes, UTF-16 code units and Unicode code points for database columns, APIs and developer limits.
Emoji-aware and private
Flags, skin tones and joined emoji count as one character. Your text never leaves your browser.
Characters, code points and bytes
A single character on screen is not always a single unit in a computer. That is why this tool reports several sizes:
- Characters are what a reader sees. An accented letter or a multi-part emoji like a family or a flag counts as one.
- Code points are the Unicode values the text is built from. A flag emoji is two code points; “é” can be one or two depending on how it was typed.
- UTF-16 code units are what JavaScript, Java and C# report as a string's length, and what many database and API limits measure. Most emoji take two.
- UTF-8 bytes are the size of the text in files, web requests and most databases. English letters take one byte, accented letters two, and emoji four.
How SMS length works
Text messages use one of two encodings. If every character is in the GSM-7 alphabet, a single SMS holds 160 characters; longer messages are split into parts of 153. A few GSM characters, such as € [ ] { } ~ ^ | and \, use two units each.
If the message contains any character outside GSM-7, such as most emoji or many accented letters, the whole message switches to UCS-2: 70 characters for a single SMS and 67 per part. Removing a single emoji can sometimes halve the number of messages sent.
Frequently asked questions
Does the character count include spaces?
The Characters total includes spaces, tabs and line breaks. The No spaces total removes all whitespace, so you can use whichever one your limit refers to.
How are emoji counted?
Each emoji counts as one character, including combined emoji such as flags, skin tones and family groups. In the technical sizes, an emoji usually takes two UTF-16 code units and four UTF-8 bytes.
Why is my character count different from a programming language's length?
Many languages measure UTF-16 code units or bytes rather than visible characters. Compare with the UTF-16 units or UTF-8 bytes figures in the breakdown, which match what most code and databases report.
How many characters fit in one SMS?
160 characters when the message uses only GSM-7 characters, or 70 when it contains any other character such as an emoji. Longer messages are split into parts of 153 or 67 characters.
What is a good length for an SEO title and meta description?
Search engines cut off long snippets based on pixel width, not an exact character count. As a practical guide, titles of about 50–60 characters and descriptions of about 150–160 characters are usually shown in full.
Is my text stored or sent anywhere?
No. Counting runs entirely in your browser with JavaScript. Nothing is uploaded, logged or saved.