X (Twitter) Character Limit 2026: Posts, Bio, DMs

A post on X is limited to 280 characters, or 25,000 characters if you have any X Premium tier. X does not count every character as one: links count as 23 however long they are, and emoji and Chinese, Japanese or Korean characters count as 2. This page puts the confirmed numbers first and says plainly where X publishes none.

X character limits at a glance

Field	Limit	Source
Post (free account)	280 (weighted)	X developer docs, "Counting characters"
Post (X Premium, any tier)	25,000	X Help Center, About X Premium
Link in a post	Counts as 23	X developer docs
Emoji, Chinese, Japanese, Korean	Count as 2 each	X developer docs
Photos and videos (X apps)	Count as 0	X developer docs
Username (@handle)	15	X Help Center
Display name	50	X Help Center
Bio	160	X Help Center
Image description (alt text)	1,000	X Help Center
Poll option	25, with 2 to 4 options	X Help Center
Direct message	Not published	X states no current number

What is the X post character limit?

280 characters on a free account. X's developer docs describe a weighted count: most letters, numbers and punctuation count as 1, while emoji and CJK characters count as 2, so a post in Japanese fits about 140 characters. Every link is shortened and counts as 23. Media you attach through X's own apps counts as 0. The @usernames X adds automatically at the start of a reply do not count; ones you type do.

With X Premium (Basic included), posts go up to 25,000 characters. Anyone can read a long post, but only subscribers can write one. In the timeline a long post folds behind "Show more", and X does not document exactly where, so write the first lines as if they were the whole post. Only accounts mentioned in the first 280 characters get notified.

Profile limits: username, display name and bio

Username: 15 characters. Letters, numbers and underscores only.
Display name: 50 characters.
Bio: 160 characters. Say who you help and what you give away, since that is what someone reads before they follow.

X lists location and website as editable profile fields but publishes no length for them.

Direct messages

X's current Help Center and API docs state no DM character limit. Twitter raised it to 10,000 characters in 2015, and many guides still repeat that number, but we could not confirm it on X's pages today. If a long DM matters, test it in your own account.

Fitting a lead magnet into 280 characters

A comment-to-DM post on X has three jobs: the hook, what you are giving away, and the trigger word. Put all three in the first 280 characters, even on Premium, because that is what shows before the fold and the only part that notifies anyone you mention. A link costs 23 characters, so drop it from the post and send it in the DM instead. See real examples in our X lead magnet examples.

How this ties to LeadShark

LeadShark now runs on X as well as LinkedIn. X scheduling and posting are on Pro and up, and X lead-magnet automations are on Pro+ (1 running) and Apex (10 running): someone replies with your keyword and LeadShark sends them the resource. More than 1,500 creators use LeadShark, and it has delivered 2.8M+ DMs. Try it free for 7 days, no card. See pricing, and for LinkedIn's numbers see LinkedIn character limit.

FAQ

What is the character limit on X?

280 characters for a standard post, or 25,000 with any X Premium tier.

Do links count toward the 280?

Yes. Every link counts as 23 characters, whatever its real length.

Do emoji count as one character?

No. Each emoji counts as 2, and so does each Chinese, Japanese or Korean character.

How long can an X bio be?

160 characters. Display names allow 50 and usernames 15.

Is there a DM character limit on X?

X does not publish one today. The 10,000 figure dates from Twitter's 2015 change and is not on X's current pages.

Is the Twitter character limit the same as the X character limit?

Yes. Twitter became X in 2023 and the post limit stayed at 280.