Text tool / 03
Character Counter
Count Unicode characters, non-space characters, words, lines, and UTF-8 bytes live.
Character Counter: TOEA counts user-perceived Unicode code points, whitespace, practical word shapes, lines, and encoded UTF-8 bytes. Runs 100% locally in your browser with zero server file uploads.
- Category
- Text tools
- Runs
- In your browser
- Cost
- Free · no sign-up
- Availability
- Ready to use
Runs entirely in your browser
Limits that count characters
A post on X allows 280 characters, and counts each Chinese, Japanese, or Korean character as two. A single SMS holds 160 characters of the basic alphabet, but only 70 once it contains an emoji or any character outside that alphabet, and longer messages are split into parts. Search results show a page title of roughly 50–60 characters and a description of about 150–160 before cutting them off, although the real limit is measured in pixels.
Characters, bytes, and code units
Three different numbers get called length. Characters are what you see. Bytes are what UTF-8 stores, one for plain English letters and up to four for emoji, and database columns and some APIs limit bytes. JavaScript's .length counts UTF-16 code units, so most emoji count as two. When a form rejects text that looks short enough, it is usually counting one of the other two.
How to use it
- Type or paste text.
- Read the live counts.
- Revise the text and compare instantly.
Privacy & limitations
Text stays in the browser. Counts are mechanical and may differ from platform-specific limits.
Related tools
Frequently asked questions
Does this upload my input?
No. The work happens in your current browser tab.
Why can bytes exceed characters?
Many Unicode characters require more than one byte in UTF-8.
How are accented letters and emoji counted?
Characters are Unicode code points, so á, ñ, ü, and ¿ each count as one character. Bytes are UTF-8: those same letters take two bytes each and most emoji take four. Flags and a few emoji are built from several code points and count as more than one character.
Free tool · runs in your browser · no account required