Free tool
Instagram character counter.
An Instagram post can be up to 2,200 characters. Paste yours to count it the way Instagram does.
0 / 2,200
2,200 left
How it counts
How Instagram counts characters.
It counts Unicode characters: letters and most emoji are 1, but an emoji built from several pieces counts each piece.
- A simple emoji counts 1. A family emoji, a flag or one with a skin tone counts each of its pieces.
- Links count their full length.
| Example | Text | Counts as |
|---|---|---|
| A word | Hello | 5 |
| Accented | Café | 4 |
| An emoji | 🌙 | 1 |
| A family emoji | 👨👩👧👦 | 7 |
| A flag | 🇨🇦 | 2 |
| Japanese | 日本 | 2 |
| A link | https://example.com/spring-sale | 31 |
Limits
Instagram post limits.
Text is only part of it. These are the limits an Instagram post has to fit, as SocialHelper checks them.
Source: Instagram API reference ↗ Posting to Instagram with SocialHelper: Instagram integration
- Text limit
- 2,200 characters, counted as described above
- Text
- Optional
- Images per post
- 10
- Videos per post
- 10
- Images and video together
- Allowed
- Media
- Every post needs an image or video
- Image formats
- JPG
- Largest image
- 8.0 MB
- Video formats
- MP4, MOV
- Largest video
- 300.0 MB
FAQ
About the Instagram limit
What is the Instagram character limit?
An Instagram post can be up to 2,200 characters. It counts Unicode characters: letters and most emoji are 1, but an emoji built from several pieces counts each piece.
Do emoji count as one character on Instagram?
Not always. A moon emoji (🌙) counts 1, and a family emoji (👨👩👧👦) counts 7.
Do links count toward the limit?
Yes. A link counts its full length, so a 31-character link uses 31 characters.
Is my text sent anywhere?
No. The counter runs in your browser, and nothing you type leaves this page.
Why do counters disagree?
Many counters count every symbol as 1. Instagram doesn’t, so their number can be off for emoji, links or other scripts. This one uses the same counting code SocialHelper runs before it posts to Instagram.
Does SocialHelper check this before posting?
Yes. Every post is checked against these limits for each account before it goes out. If anything doesn’t fit, nothing is posted and you see every problem at once.
More counters
Posting somewhere else?
Post to Instagram, checked first.
SocialHelper is invite-only during early access. Join the waitlist: the first 100 people to sign up get a Founding account with higher limits, free for 12 months.