Threads Character Limit: 500 per Post, 10,000 Attached

A Threads post or reply can be up to 500 characters. For longer writing, you can attach up to 10,000 characters of text to a text post, which readers open from the post. Here is how Threads counts, what an attachment can and can't do, and when a thread of short posts works better.

Checked against each platform's help pages on 5 November 2026.

The short answer

Post or reply: 500 characters
Text attachment: Up to 10,000 characters
Emoji: Count as their bytes, usually 4
Topic tags: 1 per post, up to 50 characters
Links: Up to 5 per post
Editing: Text only, within 15 minutes

500 characters per post

Every Threads post and reply is limited to 500 characters, spaces and line breaks included. Each post in a thread has its own 500.

Meta's developer docs say emoji are counted as their size in UTF-8 bytes, so a single emoji uses about 4 of your 500 and one with a skin tone about 8. Our counter applies the same rule. The app doesn't publish how it counts, so leave a margin if your post is full of emoji.

How text counts toward Threads' 500
Text	Threads counts	Plain character count
Hello (plain text)	5	5
👍 (one emoji)	4	1
👍🏽 (emoji with skin tone)	8	2
❤️ (heart)	6	2
नमस्ते (Hindi)	6	6

Counted with our Character Counter's Threads rule, from Meta's Threads API docs. Everything except emoji counts 1 per Unicode character.

Count a post the way Threads doesLive counts against every platform's limit: X, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube and more.

Text attachments: up to 10,000 characters

In September 2025 Threads added text attachments: up to 10,000 characters of text attached to a post, which people read without leaving Threads. It's free; on X, posts longer than 280 characters need Premium.

Meta's developer docs set out what an attachment can do. Its text can be bold, italic, highlighted, underlined or struck through, and it can carry one link.

It goes on a text post or a reply, not on a post with photos or video.
It can't go on a post with a poll.
Links in the post and the attachment together are limited to 5.
After posting you can edit a post's text for 15 minutes, but you can't add or remove attachments.

Split into a thread or attach? How to decide

A thread of short posts and an attachment suit different jobs. A thread puts every part in the feed, where each can be liked, replied to and reposted. An attachment keeps one long piece together behind a single post.

Thread of posts or text attachment
If…	Do this	Why
Each point stands on its own	Split into a thread	Each post can be replied to and reposted separately.
It's one piece: an essay, a story, a newsletter excerpt	Attach	Up to 10,000 characters read as one text.
You want photos or video with it	Split into a thread	Attachments only go on text posts.
You want a poll	Split into a thread	A post with a poll can't take an attachment.
You'll post the same text on X or Bluesky too	Split into a thread	Those apps have no attachment; split once for the shortest limit (X: 280).

Either way, the first post is the one most people see: make it work on its own.

Split long text into numbered Threads postsPaste a long post and get a numbered thread for X, Threads, Bluesky or Mastodon.

Other Threads limits: tags, links and edits

If you type more than one #tag, only the first becomes a topic. For hashtag rules on other apps, see the Instagram hashtag limit guide.

Threads limits besides post length
What	Limit	Source
Topic tags	1 per post, up to 50 characters, spaces allowed	Threads Help
Links	Up to 5 per post, attachment included	Threads API docs
Editing	Text only, within 15 minutes of posting	Threads Help
Text attachment	Up to 10,000 characters, one link, text posts only	Threads API docs

Check your tags against Threads' one-topic limitCount, dedupe and sort a caption's hashtags, catch banned or broken ones, and save sets to reuse.

Threads vs X, Bluesky and Mastodon

Threads and Mastodon both allow 500 per post by default. Threads adds a free attachment of up to 10,000; on X longer posts need Premium, and Bluesky has no long-post option. For every platform's limits, see social media character limits.

Post length on Threads and similar apps
App	Per post	Longer option
Threads	500	Text attachment, up to 10,000, free
X (Twitter)	280	Premium posts, up to 25,000
Bluesky	300	None: split into a thread
Mastodon	500	Depends on the server; many keep the default

From the Character Counter's limits: X developer docs, Meta's Threads docs, Bluesky's post lexicon and Mastodon's source code.

Frequently asked questions

What is the character limit on Threads?

500 characters per post or reply. You can also attach up to 10,000 characters of text to a text post.

Do emojis count more on Threads?

Meta's developer docs say emoji count as their size in bytes, so most use 4 characters and one with a skin tone about 8.

Can I edit a Threads text attachment?

Within 15 minutes you can edit the post's text, but Threads Help says attachments can't be added or removed after posting.

Can I add a text attachment to a reply?

Yes. Meta's developer docs say attachments work on posts and replies, as long as they are text only.

Is a thread or a text attachment better?

A thread when each point stands alone or you want photos; an attachment for one long piece of writing. Either way, make the first post work on its own.