YouTube Title Length Checker
Paste your video title to count characters against YouTube's 100-character limit, see where it is likely to be cut off in search, the watch page and on mobile, and get an instant click-through checklist.
Used to check that your main search phrase is front-loaded.
How your title may look
Estimated by measuring your title with the Roboto/Arial font at the sizes YouTube uses. Real cut-offs vary with screen size, app version, language and letter widths: roughly ~70 characters in desktop search and ~50–60 on mobile.
Click-through checklist
How to use the YouTube Title Length Checker
- Paste or type your video title. The counter and colour bar update as you type.
- Enter your target keyword, the phrase you want the video to rank for.
- Look at the four previews to see where the title is likely to be cut off on desktop and mobile.
- Work through the checklist: move the keyword forward, trim to the 50–70 sweet spot and fix any warnings.
- Press Check title to refresh the score, then Copy title and paste it into YouTube Studio.
YouTube title limits at a glance
| Where | What shows | Rough visible length |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube Studio (upload) | Hard limit for every title | 100 characters maximum |
| Desktop search results | Up to two lines next to a large thumbnail | About 70 characters |
| Desktop watch page, up-next list | Two short lines beside a small thumbnail | About 50–60 characters |
| Mobile home feed | Up to two lines under the thumbnail | About 55–65 characters |
| Mobile suggested videos | Two narrow lines | About 45–55 characters |
These numbers are approximations. YouTube cuts titles by pixel width, so a title full of wide letters (W, M, capitals) is cut sooner than one with narrow letters (i, l, t). That is why the previews above measure the text instead of counting characters.
Anatomy of a strong title
A reliable pattern is keyword + specific benefit + context. Compare these versions of the same video:
| Title | Length | Why |
|---|---|---|
| My new video about phone editing!!! | 35 | Vague, no searchable phrase, no benefit |
| In this video I will show you some of the ways you can edit videos on your phone | 80 | Keyword appears late and will be cut off on mobile |
| Edit Videos on Your Phone: 7 Easy Tips for Beginners (2026) | 59 | Keyword first, a number, a benefit and context in brackets |
Title writing tips that hold up
- Front-load what matters. The first 40 or so characters are the only part almost everyone sees. Put the topic or keyword there.
- Match the thumbnail, don't repeat it. The thumbnail and title work as a pair; let the image show the emotion or result and the title explain the topic.
- Be specific. "7 tips", "in 10 minutes" or "under $50" are more concrete than "some tips" or "cheap".
- Deliver what you promise. Titles that overpromise lead to quick exits, and viewer satisfaction matters more than a single click.
- Test, then compare. Use YouTube Studio's Test & Compare feature where it is available, or change a title after a few days and compare click-through rate in YouTube Analytics before and after.
Frequently asked questions
What is the YouTube title character limit?
YouTube allows up to 100 characters in a video title. YouTube Studio will not let you save a longer title, and titles cannot contain the < or > characters.
What is the best length for a YouTube title?
Many creators aim for roughly 50 to 70 characters. That is long enough to include a keyword and a benefit, and short enough that most of it stays visible before YouTube cuts it off with an ellipsis. There is no official ideal length, so treat it as a guideline.
Where do YouTube titles get cut off?
It depends on the layout and the width of the letters, not a fixed number of characters. As a rough guide, desktop search shows about 70 characters across two lines, while mobile feeds and suggested-video lists often show only about 50 to 60. Wide letters such as W and M fill the space faster than i or l.
How accurate are the previews?
They are estimates. The tool measures your title with the browser's canvas text measurement in the Roboto/Arial font at sizes similar to YouTube's, then wraps it into the number of lines each layout shows. Your screen size, the app version, the language and YouTube's frequent design tests all change the exact cut-off.
Should I put the keyword at the start of the title?
Putting the main search phrase near the beginning helps in two ways: viewers see it even when the title is truncated, and it clearly tells YouTube and searchers what the video is about. Keep the title natural, though; clarity and curiosity matter more than exact keyword placement.
Do emoji and capitals help click-through rate?
Used sparingly they can draw the eye, but several emoji or a title in all capitals often looks like clickbait or spam and takes space away from words that explain the video. One emoji or one capitalised word for emphasis is usually plenty.
Does the title length include spaces and emoji?
Yes. Spaces, punctuation and emoji all count toward the 100-character limit. Some emoji are made of several Unicode characters, so YouTube may count them as more than one.