What is the character limit for YouTube video titles?

YouTube titles allow up to 100 characters, but only 70 characters are typically visible in search results, suggested videos, and subscription feeds before being cut off with an ellipsis. Put your most important keywords and the compelling hook within the first 70 characters, and use the remaining space (up to 100) for secondary context if needed.

How long should a YouTube description be?

YouTube descriptions support up to 5,000 characters — that's roughly 800–1,000 words. Most well-optimized videos use 200–400 words of descriptive text in the description, plus timestamps, links, and social profiles that fill out the rest. YouTube's algorithm uses description text to understand video topics, so a 150-word description is generally better for discoverability than a 20-word one.

How many characters show in the YouTube description preview?

YouTube shows the first 157 characters of a video description above the 'show more' fold. This is your most visible real estate — use it for a compelling summary of what the video covers, your primary keyword, and a call-to-action. Put links, timestamps, and credits further down where they won't crowd the visible preview.

Does YouTube title length affect search ranking?

Title length itself is less important than keyword placement. However, titles that are too short (under 30 characters) often lack enough context for YouTube's algorithm to understand the topic. Titles that are too long get truncated in search, which hurts click-through rate. The sweet spot is 50–70 characters — enough for a keyword and a compelling hook without overflow.

Is this YouTube counter free?

Yes. No account, no login, no limits on usage. Check as many titles, descriptions, and bios as you need.

Can I use this to check YouTube community post length?

Yes. YouTube community posts follow the same 5,000-character limit as video descriptions. Community posts typically perform best at 100–300 characters — short enough to read in the Community tab feed without clicking 'read more'. Paste your draft here to verify length before posting.

Word Counter for YouTube

Check your video title, description, and channel About section against YouTube's limits — in real time.

Auto-expand

Title Limit

0 / 100

Description Limit

0 / 5,000

Words

Characters

Characters (no spaces)

Sentences

Paragraphs

Reading Time

0min

What Is a YouTube Word Counter?

A YouTube word counter is a free online tool that counts characters and words in your video titles, descriptions, and channel content against YouTube's platform-specific limits. YouTube titles allow up to 100 characters, but only 70 show in search results and the subscription feed before being cut off. Video descriptions support up to 5,000 characters, but only the first 157 characters appear above the 'show more' fold. Channel About sections allow 1,000 characters. Community posts match the description limit at 5,000 characters. Each of these fields serves a different purpose — and knowing the exact character budget for each one lets you use every character strategically.

YouTube titles are capped at 100 characters and descriptions at 5,000, but the opening lines do most of the work for click-through and watch intent.

How to Use This YouTube Word Counter

1
Paste your video title
Check your title against the 100-character limit and — more importantly — the 70-character visible threshold. Anything past 70 characters is cut off in search and suggested video panels.
2
Check your description
Paste your full video description and check the character count against 5,000. More critically, check what appears in the first 157 characters — that's your visible preview before 'show more'.
3
Count words for SEO planning
YouTube descriptions with 200–350 words tend to rank better because they give the algorithm more text to understand the video's topic. Use word count to verify you're hitting that range.
4
Check your channel About section
Paste your channel About text separately to check it against the 1,000-character limit. This section is indexed and contributes to channel search visibility.
5
Copy and update your video
Once your text is optimized, copy and paste directly into YouTube Studio.

Use the YouTube-specific counter when you are tuning a title or description for search visibility and early on-page context instead of counting generic long-form text.

YouTube titles allow 100 characters and descriptions allow 5,000, but the visible working range is smaller: many high-function titles do their job inside roughly 50 to 70 visible characters, and only the opening lines of the description show before expansion. That makes YouTube text a dual-field optimization problem: the title has to earn the click, and the description has to confirm relevance and support search context quickly.

A practical title target is often 50-70 visible characters, enough to carry the topic and the payoff without truncating the important part.

This works differently from TikTok, where the video hook carries more of the discovery burden and the caption usually plays a lighter support role.

Reality Check: If you ignore this on YouTube, the title can win the click but lose the viewer because the promise and the actual topic no longer line up cleanly.

When Not to Use This Tool

Do not use this page for fast-scroll caption pacing. If the same idea is being published as short-form video support text, use the TikTok page instead of optimizing it like search metadata.

Who Uses It & Why

YouTubers and Video Creators

Video creators publishing regularly need to write optimized titles and descriptions for every upload. Titles need to be compelling, keyword-rich, and under 70 visible characters so they don't get cut off. Descriptions need to deliver value in the first 157 characters. This tool makes both benchmarks visible so creators can optimize without guesswork.

Video SEO Specialists

YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world. Video SEO requires precise control over title length, keyword placement in descriptions, and character counts across all metadata fields. SEO specialists use this tool to verify that every element of a video's metadata is properly optimized before publishing.

Agencies and Video Marketing Teams

Agencies managing YouTube channels for clients often write metadata in batches — titles and descriptions for 10–20 videos at a time. Checking each piece against YouTube's limits in this tool before loading into YouTube Studio prevents truncation issues and ensures consistent quality across all uploads.

Educators and Course Creators

Educators posting tutorial content on YouTube use detailed descriptions to explain video content, add timestamps, list resources, and include relevant keywords for discoverability. With 5,000 characters available, a good description can run 400–600 words. This tool helps educators hit that length without guessing.

This matters when you are comparing a curiosity-led title with a keyword-led title, when a description intro needs to clarify payoff before the fold, or when a social-style headline has to be adapted for a search-and-browse environment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the character limit for YouTube video titles?: YouTube titles allow up to 100 characters, but only 70 characters are typically visible in search results, suggested videos, and subscription feeds before being cut off with an ellipsis. Put your most important keywords and the compelling hook within the first 70 characters, and use the remaining space (up to 100) for secondary context if needed.
How long should a YouTube description be?: YouTube descriptions support up to 5,000 characters — that's roughly 800–1,000 words. Most well-optimized videos use 200–400 words of descriptive text in the description, plus timestamps, links, and social profiles that fill out the rest. YouTube's algorithm uses description text to understand video topics, so a 150-word description is generally better for discoverability than a 20-word one.
How many characters show in the YouTube description preview?: YouTube shows the first 157 characters of a video description above the 'show more' fold. This is your most visible real estate — use it for a compelling summary of what the video covers, your primary keyword, and a call-to-action. Put links, timestamps, and credits further down where they won't crowd the visible preview.
Does YouTube title length affect search ranking?: Title length itself is less important than keyword placement. However, titles that are too short (under 30 characters) often lack enough context for YouTube's algorithm to understand the topic. Titles that are too long get truncated in search, which hurts click-through rate. The sweet spot is 50–70 characters — enough for a keyword and a compelling hook without overflow.
Is this YouTube counter free?: Yes. No account, no login, no limits on usage. Check as many titles, descriptions, and bios as you need.
Can I use this to check YouTube community post length?: Yes. YouTube community posts follow the same 5,000-character limit as video descriptions. Community posts typically perform best at 100–300 characters — short enough to read in the Community tab feed without clicking 'read more'. Paste your draft here to verify length before posting.
What if the title fits and includes the keyword but still feels weak?: That usually means the wording names the topic without promising a meaningful outcome. Add a clearer result, contrast, or payoff instead of stuffing in more keywords.

YouTube copy underperforms when the title is clickable but vague, or when the description hides the real topic below timestamps, links, and boilerplate.

YouTube Limits & Benchmarks

Video Title100 charactersOnly 70 visible in search results

Description5,000 characters157 chars show before 'show more'

Channel About1,000 charactersIndexed for channel search

Community Post5,000 charactersOptimal: 100–300 characters

Pro Tips

Put your keyword in the first 5 words of the title

YouTube's algorithm and viewers both read left-to-right. Your primary keyword — the thing people actually search for — should appear within the first 5 words of the title. 'How to Make Cold Brew Coffee at Home' beats 'A Step-by-Step Home Tutorial for Making Cold Brew Coffee' even though both contain the same keywords.

Use the first 157 characters as a summary

Write your description opening as a standalone paragraph: what the video covers, who it's for, and what they'll learn. Put your primary keyword in the first sentence. This 157-character window is what YouTube and Google show in search snippets — it's your click-through pitch.

Add timestamps to descriptions over 200 words

If your video is longer than 5 minutes and your description runs over 200 words, add timestamps. They improve viewer experience, are indexed by YouTube for chapter markers, and make your content more accessible. Timestamps don't count against character limits in any meaningful way at 5,000 chars.

Write descriptions at 200–350 words for better discoverability

YouTube's algorithm uses description text to categorize video content. Descriptions under 100 words give the algorithm less to work with. Aim for 200–350 words of genuine descriptive content in the main body, then add timestamps, links, and social info. Check your word count here before uploading.

Keep your channel About section under 500 characters

Your channel About section allows 1,000 characters, but most viewers read only the first 150–200 before the 'show more' fold. Front-load your niche, upload schedule, and what makes your channel worth subscribing to. Save keywords and boilerplate for the lower portion.

Bad vs Good

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Decision Rule

If the title is clear but not clickable, improve the promised outcome. If it is clickable but vague, improve the topic signal. On YouTube, both have to work together.

Common Mistake

Why it fails: People treat the title like pure clickbait or the description like a storage box. That hurts both click quality and search clarity.

How to fix it: Write the title to attract the right viewer, then use the first description lines to confirm that the video delivers exactly that promise.

This reflects how YouTube text works across both search-driven and browse-driven discovery, based on public platform limits and common viewing behavior.