LinkedIn Character Counter
Every LinkedIn limit on one screen, counted live as you type, with over-limit warnings before the editor silently eats your ending.
Counting method: Unicode code points, so an emoji counts as 1. LinkedIn's own counter can differ by a character or two on complex emoji combinations; plain text counts match exactly.
- 100% free
- No signup
- Runs in your browser
- Nothing uploaded
A 246-character draft would show: Headline (220): 26 over, trim needed · Connection note (300): 54 left · About and post: comfortably within limits. Same text, four verdicts, because each field has its own cap.
How it works
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Paste your text
Headline, About, post or connection note, any of them.
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Watch all four counters
Every LinkedIn limit is tracked at once, so you see what fits where.
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Trim before you paste
Over-limit fields turn red with the exact overshoot, so nothing gets silently cut.
What this tool does and does not do
It does
- Counts live against all four LinkedIn limits at once (headline, About, post, note)
- Shows exact remaining characters and exact overshoot when you are over
- Counts emoji as one character (code points), the way people count
- Runs entirely in your browser; your text goes nowhere
It does not
- Claim byte-perfect parity with LinkedIn on every exotic emoji sequence
- Judge the quality of the writing; it measures length only
- Store drafts anywhere; leaving the page erases everything
- Track limits we cannot verify against LinkedIn’s live editors
What is a LinkedIn character counter?
A length check against the caps LinkedIn actually enforces. The point is not the counting, your keyboard could do that, it is knowing the right ceiling for each field and seeing all of them at once. A 250 character line is a fine post opener, an over-limit headline and a roomy connection note, all at the same time.
How do I check my LinkedIn headline length for free?
Paste the headline above and read the first counter. Green number: characters left of the 220. Red: exactly how much to cut. The counter updates as you edit, so you can trim to fit in the same box, then copy the final version straight into LinkedIn.
The four limits, and how full each should actually be
A cap is not a target. Each field has a working range where it does its job best:
- Headline, cap 220. Working range 60 to 220. Below 60 you are probably just stating a job title. The structure that earns the space: role, who you help, one number.
- About, cap 2,600. Working range 800 to 2,000. Under 400 reads as a placeholder; brushing the cap usually means the middle needs a trim. Remember only ~300 characters show before the fold.
- Post, cap 3,000. No universal working range; the fold at ~210/140 characters matters more than the cap. Write the length the idea needs, then check what lands above the fold.
- Connection note, cap 300. Working range: most of it. One reason you are reaching out, one line of context, no pitch. Notes that read like ads get declined at the speed of thumb.
Why "characters" is trickier than it sounds
Computers can count the same text three ways: bytes, UTF-16 units, or code points. An emoji is 4 bytes, 2 UTF-16 units, 1 code point. We count code points because that matches human intuition and LinkedIn's behavior for ordinary text. The one honest caveat: some elaborate emoji are several code points fused together (a family emoji can be seven), and platforms disagree on counting those. If your post is one emoji from the cap, your problem is not counting.
The counter is the seatbelt, not the driver
Fitting the limit is table stakes; saying something worth the space is the game. Once the length is right, pressure-test the words: the profile scorer for headline and About, the post preview for what shows above the fold.
Frequently asked questions
What are the LinkedIn character limits in 2026?
The ones this counter tracks live: headline 220, About section 2,600, post 3,000, connection note 300. These are the caps LinkedIn’s own editors enforce. When one changes, we update the single constant in our code and this page in the same commit, which beats the many articles still quoting limits from years ago.
Does the whole 3,000 characters of a post get shown?
No. The feed shows roughly the first 210 characters on desktop and 140 on mobile (or 3 and 2 lines) before "...see more". The cap is how much you may write; the fold is how much gets read for free. The post preview tool shows exactly where your draft gets cut.
How does this counter count emoji and special characters?
As Unicode code points: one emoji counts as 1, which matches how people count. LinkedIn’s own counter can differ by a character or two on complex emoji combinations (like family emoji built from several joined characters). For plain text, the counts match exactly. We say this instead of claiming impossible perfection.
Should I use all 220 characters of the headline?
Use at least 60; the full 220 is optional. Under about 40 characters the headline is usually just a job title, which wastes the most-read line you own. Structure beats length: role, audience, proof. The profile scorer grades your headline on exactly that.
What happens if I paste text over the limit into LinkedIn?
The editor hard-stops at the cap and silently drops the rest, usually mid-sentence. That is the failure this counter exists to prevent: trim deliberately here, keep your best lines, then paste. For trimming while keeping spacing intact, the line break formatter helps.
Is there a limit on connection request notes?
Yes, 300 characters, and it is the tightest writing on LinkedIn: enough for one reason and one sentence of context. The counter tracks it live. When you want help writing one, the connection request writer drafts notes that fit.
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