LinkedIn character counter for posts, notes, InMail and polls, with every limit taken from LinkedIn Help and none invented.

How to use the LinkedIn character counter

The LinkedIn character counter above is a free tool that checks your text against the limit LinkedIn publishes for the place it will go. It works the same on desktop and on mobile.

Pick the field first, because a connection note and a post live under very different limits: 200 characters against 3,000.

1. Pick what you are writing

   Choose Post, Comment, Connection note, InMail, Poll, Headline, About section or Article. The limit and its LinkedIn Help source change with it.

2. Type or paste your text

   The count updates as you type. Spaces and line breaks count, as they do on LinkedIn.

3. Read the bar and the number left

   The bar fills as you approach the limit and changes color once you pass it.

4. Check the stricter count

   If the text has emojis, look at the code unit count too. The counter warns you when only that count is over.

5. Copy it back to LinkedIn

   Click Copy text and paste it into LinkedIn. LinkedIn's own field is the final check.

The LinkedIn character limits the counter uses

Every limit in the counter comes from a LinkedIn Help article, read on Sep 30, 2026. Where LinkedIn Help publishes no number, the counter says so instead of borrowing one.

Our LinkedIn post character limit guide covers each of these in depth, including the group post limit and the cap on mentions.

Why the headline and About section show no limit

Most character counters give a limit for headlines and for the About section as if LinkedIn had published them. We checked the two LinkedIn Help articles on editing the headline and the About section, again on Sep 30, 2026, and neither states a character limit.

So the counter does not set one. It counts, shows your total, and lets you type your own target if you work to one. When you paste the text into your profile, LinkedIn's own field decides. Our LinkedIn headline examples show what fits in the space a prospect actually reads.

InMail: 1,900 or 2,000 characters

LinkedIn Help gives two figures for the InMail body. Its InMail character limits article says up to 1,900 characters in the body, with a required subject line of up to 200. Its InMail Messages FAQ and its Send an InMail Message article both say 2,000, and the FAQ calls the subject line optional.

The counter uses 1,900. A message that fits 1,900 fits every version of the rule. In practice, an InMail that needs either number is too long: our LinkedIn InMail best practices guide explains why short ones get read.

How the counter counts characters

The counter counts characters the way a reader sees them: every letter, space, punctuation mark and line break is one character, and so is each emoji. It also shows the count in code units, the unit many systems store text in, where a single emoji often takes two.

LinkedIn Help does not say which way LinkedIn counts. Its ad specifications say the 150 character guidance for introductory text includes spaces, emojis and punctuation, but not how an emoji is weighed.

If your text is close to a limit and contains emojis, the counter warns you so you can leave room. Our LinkedIn emojis guide covers when they help at all.

Bold and italic letters from our LinkedIn text formatter count the same way: one character each, usually two code units.

The first 150 characters of a post

For posts, the counter shows the first 150 characters on their own. The number comes from LinkedIn's single image ad specifications, which recommend up to 150 characters of introductory text to avoid truncation, within a 3,000 character maximum.

LinkedIn does not publish where an ordinary post is cut off, and other counters quote cutoffs they do not source. The honest rule is simpler: the opening line is the hook, and it has to work on its own, because it is the only part everyone sees.

Use the preview to read your opening as a stranger would.

Writing a connection note in 200 characters

The connection note is where the counter earns its place. LinkedIn Help allows 200 characters, and gives free accounts three notes a month in one article and five in another, so each note has to count. Two hundred characters is roughly 35 words: one observation and one reason to connect.

Our LinkedIn connection request templates are written to fit, and the note at the end of this page is a shape you can adapt.

How long should a LinkedIn post be?

LinkedIn publishes a maximum, 3,000 characters, not an ideal length. Ranges you see elsewhere, such as a sweet spot of so many hundred characters, are practice or vendor data, and we do not quote them.

A useful test is the one the counter makes easy. Write the post, read the first 150 characters in the preview, and cut everything that does not earn its place after that. Our LinkedIn posting best practices cover structure and format.

Hashtags, mentions and links count too

Everything you type into LinkedIn posts is text, and the counter treats it that way. A hashtag is a number sign plus letters, so #SalesDevelopment costs 17 characters. A mention is the name as typed, and a link is every character of the address.

For ads, LinkedIn's specifications say a URL longer than 23 characters is converted to a short link. LinkedIn does not publish a rule for links in ordinary posts, so count the full address and leave room. Our LinkedIn hashtags guide covers how many to use in your content.

Comments and poll text

A comment can run to 1,250 characters, the figure LinkedIn lists in its groups limits table. A comment that long is usually a post in the wrong place: two or three sentences that add one real point do more for a seller than a long reply.

Polls are the tightest limit on LinkedIn: 140 characters for the question and 30 for each option. Count each option separately, since the 30 applies to each one. Our LinkedIn polls guide covers the rest of the rules.

What happens to the text you type

Nothing leaves your browser. The counter runs as a script in this page: it does not send your text anywhere, does not store it, and forgets it when you close or reload the tab. That makes it safe for a draft message you have not sent yet.

Why other LinkedIn character counters show different numbers

Character counters copy their limits from each other, and some of those figures are not in LinkedIn Help. The table compares common claims with what LinkedIn Help said when we checked on Sep 30, 2026.

Common mistakes with LinkedIn character limits

• Writing a connection note to 300 characters because an older guide said so, then losing the end of it.
• Filling an InMail to 2,000 characters when one of LinkedIn's own articles says 1,900.
• Trusting a headline or About limit that LinkedIn has never published.
• Treating 3,000 characters as a target rather than a ceiling.
• Adding emojis to a note that is already at 199 characters.
• Counting all poll options together instead of 30 characters each.

A connection note that fits in 200 characters

The note below was written for this page and comes in under 200 characters with short placeholders filled in. Paste it into the counter with your details, pick Connection note, and trim until the bar stays short of the end.

Hi {{firstName}}, your post on {{topic}} made a point I rarely see: {{onePoint}}. I work on {{area}} too and would be glad to connect.

Frequently asked questions