YouTube Character Counter
Check your video title, description, or channel description against YouTube's character limits, with live word, hashtag, and emoji counts. Nothing you type is uploaded anywhere.
Who uses this tool?
A quick, no-signup way to check your text against YouTube's limits.
Social media managers
Check client video titles, descriptions, and channel descriptions against YouTube's limits before you publish.
Small business owners
Write channel descriptions and video copy that fit YouTube's limits, no guessing required.
Content creators & YouTubers
Craft titles and descriptions optimized for search and viewer engagement, within YouTube's limits.
Marketing teams
Keep campaign copy consistent and on-limit across every video and channel.
How it works
Four steps, entirely in your browser.
1. Choose what you're checking
Select Video Title, Description, or Channel Description to check your text against the right limit.
2. Type or paste your text
Write directly in the box or paste in a draft. It's processed locally and never leaves your browser.
3. Watch the live stats
The progress bar and stat bubbles for words, hashtags, mentions, and more update instantly as you type.
4. Copy when ready
Copy your finished text straight to the clipboard, ready to paste into YouTube Studio.
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know before you start.
Is my text uploaded anywhere?
No. Everything happens locally in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to our servers or stored anywhere.
How is the character count calculated?
By Unicode character, not raw bytes, so multi-byte characters and most emoji count as a single character, matching how YouTube counts most everyday text.
Do I need an account to use this tool?
No. The YouTube Character Counter is free to use without signing in. If you're signed in to PostPlanIt, you'll also find it under Tools in the sidebar.
What's the difference between Video Title, Description, and Channel Description limits?
Video Title (100 characters) is the limit for a single video's title, though titles under ~60 characters avoid truncation in search results. Description (5000 characters) is your video description limit, though only the first ~150 characters show before "Show more" truncates it. Channel Description (1000 characters) is the About section on your channel page.
Can I go over the limit?
Yes, you can keep typing past the limit. The progress bar and count turn red so you can see exactly how much to trim before publishing.
Does this count links, hashtags, or mentions differently?
No, every character is counted the same way. YouTube supports hashtags in titles and descriptions, and both count toward your character limit like any other text.