YouTube Character Limits

Every limit is taken from the platform’s own help or developer pages, last checked on 4 October 2026. Platforms change these without notice, so if a figure looks wrong, the linked page is the one to trust.

A video title can be up to 100 characters and a description up to 5,000. YouTube Help also says neither may contain invalid characters, though it does not list which ones; if YouTube rejects a title that is under 100 characters, an unusual symbol is the likely cause.

The title limit is the one that bites. 100 characters is about 15 words, and long titles are often shortened when shown in search results and recommendations, so put the words that matter most at the start.

Both fit. The second uses most of the allowance, and the part after the colon is the part most likely to be cut off on a phone.

• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• X (Twitter)
• TikTok
• SMS
• UCAS personal statement

For anything else, the character counter counts with and without spaces.