LinkedIn Post Formatter · You
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12824 comments · 6 repostsSample numbers for the preview, not real engagement.
LinkedIn Character Counter
Write or paste your text to count characters as you see them and as LinkedIn is likely to count them, with a warning before you reach the 3,000-character post limit.
- Free, no sign-up
- Characters and UTF-16 units
- Limits for five fields
Write
Line breaks and lists are kept
Loading editor…
0 / 3,000 characters
styled weight 0
0 words · 0 min read
Fold 210
Limit 3,000
Preview
Hook: 0 chars
Guide updated
What this counter measures
The counter under the editor shows two counts and two bars. The large figure is the number of characters as a person would count them: each letter, space, punctuation mark and emoji is one. Next to it is the number of UTF-16 code units, which is how most software, probably including LinkedIn, measures the length of text internally. The bars below show how much of the post limit you have used and how much of the approximate above-the-fold budget your opening takes up.
For plain English text the two counts are the same. They drift apart as soon as you add styled letters or emoji, and that gap is where most surprises at publishing time come from. Keep an eye on both, and on the table below if you are writing for a field other than a post.
LinkedIn character limits by field
Only the 3,000-character post limit is published by LinkedIn. The other figures come from third-party testing and can change without notice; the fold rows are estimates of where see more appears.
| Field | Limit | Documented / approximate |
|---|---|---|
| PostPersonal posts and company page updates. | 3,000 characters | LinkedIn-documented |
| CommentEach comment or reply under a post. | 1,250 characters | approximate (third-party) |
| Profile headlineThe line under your name everywhere on LinkedIn. | 220 characters | approximate (third-party) |
| About sectionThe summary on your profile. | 2,600 characters | approximate (third-party) |
| Direct messageA single message in a conversation. | 8,000 characters | approximate (third-party) |
| See more fold, desktopAbout 3 lines in a 555 px column. | about 210 characters | approximate (third-party) |
| See more fold, mobileAbout 2 lines in a 360 px column. | about 140 characters | approximate (third-party) |
Bars use a log scale so short and long limits fit on one axis.
Visible characters versus code units
Computers store text as numbers. The most common scheme on the web, UTF-16, uses one 16-bit unit for most everyday characters and two units for anything outside Unicode’s original range. That outside range includes the mathematical alphabets used for bold text and italic, and many emoji.
So the word Hello in plain letters is five units, but the same word in bold sans is ten. A family emoji built from four people joined by invisible connectors can be eleven units while looking like one picture.
This counter works out visible characters by splitting text into grapheme clusters, the units a reader perceives as single characters, using the browser’s built-in text segmentation. That gives a number that matches what you see. The UTF-16 count is shown alongside because LinkedIn appears to measure its limit in those units. When you are close to the limit, trust the larger of the two.
Colours and warnings
The counter changes colour as the post grows so you notice limits before LinkedIn does:
- Neutral below 1,200 characters, where most short posts sit, and again between 1,501 and 2,799.
- Green between 1,200 and 1,500 characters. This is our suggested range for a story-length post, not a LinkedIn rule.
- Amber from 2,800 characters, a signal that you have about 200 characters left.
- Red above 3,000 characters, where LinkedIn will not accept the post.
Copy still works when the counter is red, so you can move the text elsewhere to edit it, but a warning appears to remind you that it will not fit in a single post. The smaller fold bar is separate: it fills as your text approaches the approximate number of characters that show before see more on the device selected in the LinkedIn post preview. How we measure the fold explains where those numbers come from.
Notes on each field
Posts and company updates
3,000 characters for posts, documented by LinkedIn; company updates appear to match. Long enough for a detailed story; most readers will only see the opening, so length is less of a constraint than the fold.
Comments
Roughly 1,250 characters. Long comments collapse quickly in the thread, so lead with your point.
Headline
Roughly 220 characters. Many surfaces show only the start of it, so put the words that matter most first.
About section
Roughly 2,600 characters. Only the first few lines show on your profile before see more, which makes the opening as important as a post hook.
Messages
Roughly 8,000 characters per message. Few messages should come anywhere near that; a short, specific message is more likely to be answered.
Paste text for any of these into the editor to count it. The bar tracks the post limit, so for other fields compare the visible count with the table yourself.
How to trim a post that is over the limit
When a draft runs long, cut in this order, checking the counter as you go:
- Remove styling you do not need. If you used several Unicode fonts, keep one. Converting a bold paragraph back to plain text can save hundreds of code units without losing a word.
- Replace emoji bullets with plain ones. A • bullet is one unit; many emoji are two or more.
- Collapse repeated blank lines. One empty line between paragraphs is enough.
- Cut the warm-up. The first paragraph of a draft often restates the hook. Delete it and see if anything is lost.
- Move detail to the comments. Links, sources and extended examples can go in a first comment you post straight after publishing.
If the post is still too long, it may be two posts. Splitting a long story into a short series also gives you a reason to come back to the topic.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about styled text, limits, privacy and how LinkedIn shows your post.
Back to the formatterWhat is the LinkedIn post character limit?
A LinkedIn post can contain up to 3,000 characters. That figure comes from LinkedIn's own help pages and is the only limit in the table above that LinkedIn documents. Company page updates appear to use the same cap. LinkedIn will not publish a post over the limit, so it is easier to trim here first than to discover the problem when you paste.
How many characters can a LinkedIn comment have?
Third-party tests put the comment limit at about 1,250 characters. LinkedIn does not publish the number, and it has changed in the past, so treat it as approximate. In practice comments are read in a narrow column and collapse after a few lines, so a comment that needs more than a few hundred characters is often better as its own post.
How long can a LinkedIn headline be?
About 220 characters, according to third-party measurements; LinkedIn does not document it. Only the first part shows in many places, such as beside your name in comments and in search results, so put the most important words first. The headline is also searched, so keep job titles and skills in plain letters.
Why does LinkedIn say my post is too long when this counter says it is not?
The most likely reason is styled text or emoji. The large number on the counter shows characters as you see them. LinkedIn appears to count UTF-16 code units, where most bold, italic and other styled letters, and many emoji, count as two. Check the UTF-16 figure next to the main count; when that number passes 3,000, LinkedIn will probably reject the post even if the visible count is lower.
Do spaces and line breaks count as characters?
Yes. Every space, line break and blank line counts toward the limit, both here and on LinkedIn. A post with lots of short paragraphs and empty lines between them uses more of its budget on structure than you might expect. That is usually worth it for readability, but it is the first place to look when you need to save a few dozen characters.
How are emoji counted?
On this counter, each emoji you see counts as one character, even a combined one such as a family, a flag or a profession with a skin tone, which are built from several code points. The UTF-16 count shows the larger number underneath: a simple emoji is usually two units, and a combined emoji can be seven or more. The UTF-16 figure is the safer guide to LinkedIn's limit.
What length should a LinkedIn post be?
There is no rule from LinkedIn, and length should follow what you have to say. The counter shows 1,200 to 1,500 characters in green as our editorial suggestion: enough room for a hook, a short story and a takeaway without padding. It is not a reach threshold. A sharp 400-character post can do better than a long one that loses readers halfway.
Does the counter store or send my text?
No. Counting happens in your browser as you type. The text is not uploaded, and nothing is shared with LinkedIn. If you choose to save a draft, it is kept in your browser's local storage on this device and you can delete it whenever you like.