How it works
Characters are Unicode code points, counted after normalising line endings. Words split on whitespace. Bytes are the UTF-8 encoding length, which is what most databases and HTTP limits measure. Lines are counted by newline characters.
- Characters are Unicode code points; bytes are the UTF-8 size, which is what most databases store.
Why it matters
A form that accepts 160 characters can still reject the submission when the column is 160 bytes. Knowing both numbers before you paste is the difference between a working bio and a validation error you cannot explain.
A worked example
A single é is one character but two UTF-8 bytes. A form limiting bytes will accept about half as much accented text as a form limiting characters, which is a common source of rejected submissions.
Common mistakes
- Counting UTF-16 code units and calling them characters.
- Assuming every emoji is one code point.
- Ignoring line breaks when a limit counts them.
Practical tips
For social posts and meta descriptions, keep a margin of about 10% — platforms truncate differently. If a system counts grapheme clusters instead of code points, pasting the text into the target platform is still the only reliable final check.
How to use it
- Open the tool. Everything runs in your browser tab.
- Paste or type your input, then choose the action you need.
- Check the result and copy it with one click.
Common questions
What is the difference between characters and bytes?
Characters are Unicode code points; bytes are the UTF-8 size, which is what most databases and limits count.
Why do emoji count more than once?
Many emoji are made of several code points (for example a base character plus modifiers), and each one counts.
Does it count spaces and line breaks?
Characters include spaces and line breaks. A separate count shows characters without spaces.
Is this tool really free?
Yes. There is no account, no paywall and no usage limit. Tools App is funded by aumenso, the studio behind it.
Is anything I enter uploaded?
No. The tool runs in your browser tab; what you enter is never sent to us and never stored.