Instagram character counter
Instagram allows 2,200 characters in a caption, but two other limits catch people out first. Only about the first 125 characters show in the feed before the caption folds behind "more", and Instagram's help centre allows 5 hashtags a post. This counter checks all three as you type, and your @mentions too.
0 / 2,200
2,200 left
See it drawn as a real Instagram post, add your photos and profile, and export it or send it to a client. Free.
Instagram's caption limits
- 2,200 characters, counted as typed
- Letters, numbers, spaces, line breaks, hashtags and @names all count toward the limit. Instagram does not say how it counts an emoji, so this counter counts each one the way it is stored, which is 2 for most and more for joined emoji such as a family. Near the limit, leave a little room.
- About 125 characters show before more
- In the feed, a caption is cut after roughly its first 125 characters, and the rest is hidden behind a more link. Instagram does not publish the figure; it is the cut the PostDecks preview draws, so the counter and the preview always agree on what shows.
- 5 hashtags a post
- Instagram's help centre allows up to 5 hashtags on a post and says a post with more will not go through. A hashtag can hold letters, numbers and emoji, but not spaces or symbols such as $ or %. Instagram's developer documentation, which schedulers follow, still lists 30, and Instagram has not said which applies to a scheduled post, so 5 is the number that works everywhere.
- 20 @mentions
- Instagram's developer documentation caps a caption at 20 @mentions. The help centre gives no figure for posting from the app.
Questions
- What is the Instagram caption limit?
- 2,200 characters. Only about the first 125 show in the feed before the caption is cut behind a more link, so put what matters first.
- How many hashtags can you use on Instagram?
- Up to 5 on a post, according to Instagram's help centre, which says a post with more will not go through. Its developer documentation still lists 30 for posts made through the API, which schedulers use. Instagram has not said whether that still holds, so 5 is the safe number.
- How many people can you @mention in an Instagram caption?
- 20, according to Instagram's developer documentation. The help centre does not give a number for the app.
- Do emoji count as one character on Instagram?
- Instagram does not say. This counter counts each emoji as the units it is stored in, 2 for most, so with a lot of emoji its count may differ a little from Instagram's. Near the limit, leave some room.
- Do hashtags count toward the caption limit?
- Yes. Hashtags and @mentions are part of the caption, so every character in them counts toward the 2,200.
- Is anything I type stored?
- No. The counting happens in your browser and the text is not sent anywhere. It is kept in this tab so a refresh does not lose it, and it is gone when you close the tab.
Also here: X character counter, Bluesky character counter, and the limits for every platform.
Once it fits, see how it will look in the feed.
Preview an Instagram post free