YouTube Title & Tag Character Counter

A great video can still get skipped because its title is cut off in the wrong place or its description says nothing useful in the first line. This counter checks your title, description and tags against YouTube’s real limits while you type, and shows a live search preview so you can see what viewers will actually read.

How to use the counter

1. Type or paste your title. The meter turns orange close to the 100-character limit and red past it, and the checklist warns you when the title is longer than 70 characters.
2. Add your description. The preview shows the first lines that appear under your title in search.
3. Add your tags, separated by commas. The counter uses YouTube’s own counting method.
4. Work through the checklist until everything is green, then copy your text into YouTube Studio.

YouTube’s limits at a glance

The limit is not the goal. A 100-character title will be cut off almost everywhere; most successful titles are between 40 and 70 characters.

What the checklist looks for

• Title is 70 characters or less, so it is not cut off on most screens.
• Title is within the 100-character limit, so YouTube accepts it.
• No < or > characters, which YouTube refuses to save.
• The description has a couple of sentences, which gives YouTube and Google context.
• Chapters start at 0:00 if you added any (optional). Build them with the chapters generator.
• Tags stay within 500 characters.

Writing titles that fit and get clicked

• Front-load the keyword. “Thumbnail Size for YouTube (2026): 1280×720 Explained” is found and understood even when cut off.
• Promise one clear outcome. Viewers click when they know what they will get.
• Use numbers when they are real. “7 Mistakes” beats “Some Mistakes”.
• Write for the thumbnail, not the same text twice. The title and image should work together; check them side by side in the thumbnail preview tool.
• Avoid ALL CAPS and clickbait. They may win one click, but viewers who leave quickly hurt the video.

Our guide on how to write YouTube titles has before-and-after examples.

Writing the first lines of the description

The opening sentence works like a second title. Say what the video is about using the words people search for, then add a link or call to action. Keep links, credits and long lists lower down. For a ready structure, copy our YouTube description template.

How tags are counted

YouTube’s tag counter is stricter than simply counting letters:

• Commas between tags count.
• A tag with a space, like thumbnail tips, counts 2 extra characters because YouTube wraps it in quotes.
• So thumbnail, thumbnail tips uses 9 + 1 + 16 = 26 characters, not 24.

That is why YouTube sometimes says your tags are too long when a normal counter says they fit. This tool counts the same way YouTube does.

Before you publish

Check the whole package together: title, thumbnail and the first line of the description. Test your thumbnail’s size and readability with the thumbnail checker, and if click-through stays low after a week, read our guide to YouTube click-through rate.