Character Counter Online
Count characters with and without whitespace, check a custom limit, and explore letters, digits, Unicode characters and text size as you type.
Text is counted as entered. Line breaks and other whitespace are included in the total. Nothing is trimmed or automatically removed.
Choose the method required by your destination. This is a general counter; individual platforms may apply special rules. Exceeding the limit does not cut or change your text.
Grapheme counting is unavailable in this browser. Use a newer browser for this method.
How to use the character counter
1. Enter your text
Type or paste a draft. The statistics update automatically.
2. Check your limit
Select a counting method and enter your maximum length to see the remaining amount.
3. Use your result
Edit your draft, copy the text or download a UTF-8 TXT file.
What does a character count include?
The main character count measures Unicode code points, including letters, numbers, punctuation, symbols, spaces and line breaks. The count without whitespace excludes JavaScript whitespace, including ordinary spaces, tabs and line breaks.
Ordinary spaces are also shown separately. This helps you distinguish a space made with the spacebar from other whitespace in pasted text. Letters, decimal digits and punctuation are measured using Unicode categories; these categories do not cover every symbol or combining mark, so their totals will not necessarily add up to the character count.
Why can an emoji have several character counts?
A displayed symbol can contain several code points. For example, 👨👩👧👦 is one grapheme cluster but contains seven code points, eleven UTF-16 code units and twenty-five UTF-8 bytes. Grapheme clusters approximate user-perceived characters; their appearance depends on the font and rendering system.
Which counting method should you choose?
- Unicode code points: use when your requirement specifies Unicode code points.
- Grapheme clusters: use to estimate user-perceived characters, including combined accents and emoji sequences.
- UTF-16 code units: use when matching JavaScript string length or a field that explicitly uses UTF-16 units.
- UTF-8 bytes: use when a storage or submission requirement specifies a UTF-8 byte budget.
Check short drafts without losing your text
A custom limit helps you edit form responses, descriptions and other short drafts. The tool reports the excess instead of truncating your writing. It does not reproduce platform-specific handling of links, weighted characters or SMS encoding. Check the destination’s own counter before submitting.
For longer drafts with reading time and word-frequency analysis, use the Word Counter.
Privacy and text handling
This counter’s code processes your text in your browser. It does not send your input to an API or save it in browser storage. Copying writes to your clipboard only when you click Copy text. Downloading creates a TXT file locally.
Your browser, extensions and other scripts installed on this website have their own behavior. This tool does not control them.
Frequently asked questions
Does the character count include spaces?
Yes. The main count includes spaces and line breaks. The separate count without whitespace excludes spaces, tabs, line breaks and other JavaScript whitespace.
Why does another application show a different total?
Applications can count grapheme clusters, code points, UTF-16 units or bytes. They may also normalize text or handle line breaks differently. Match the required method before comparing totals.
Does it work with Arabic and accented text?
Yes. Unicode counts include Arabic and accented characters. A combining accent or Arabic diacritic can increase the code-point count without adding a separate grapheme cluster. Word counts remain approximate.
Does Clear text also reset my custom limit?
No. It clears your writing and resets the statistics while keeping your selected counting method and limit for the next draft.
Are blank lines counted?
Yes. Empty text has zero lines. Once text is present, each line break starts another line, including a trailing empty line.
Is the TXT download the same size as the byte count?
The UTF-8 byte count measures the textarea text without a byte-order mark. The download uses UTF-8 without a byte-order mark and preserves the textarea’s line breaks.