YouTube is generous with space but strict with what it shows. A video title can be up to 100 characters, but most viewers see only the first 50–70 before it is cut off. The description holds 5,000 characters, but only the first couple of lines appear above the "…more" link.
Here is every limit you need, and how to write so the important part lands in the visible area. Draft titles and descriptions in the Character Counter to keep track of length.
YouTube limits at a glance
| Field | Limit |
|---|---|
| Video title | 100 characters |
| Video description | 5,000 characters |
| Tags | 500 characters in total |
| Comment | 10,000 characters |
| Channel description | 1,000 characters |
| Hashtags | More than 60 on one video, and YouTube ignores all of them |
Titles and descriptions cannot contain the angle brackets < and >; YouTube rejects them. Shorts use the same title and description limits as regular videos.
Video titles: 100 characters, about 60 visible
The full 100 characters are stored and indexed for search, but how much people see depends on where the video appears:
- Search results and the home feed on desktop usually show around 60–70 characters before truncating, depending on the letters used.
- Mobile feeds and suggested videos often show less, sometimes wrapping to two short lines.
- TV apps and embeds cut titles even earlier.
So treat the first 60 characters as the real title and the rest as optional detail.
Tips:
- Put the hook and keyword first. "iPhone 17 Battery Test: 3 Days Without Charging" works even when cut to "iPhone 17 Battery Test: 3 Days Without…".
- Avoid long prefixes. Starting every title with "My Channel Name | Episode 214 |" wastes the visible part.
- Use numbers and specifics. "I Tried 5 Budget Mics Under $50" tells viewers exactly what they get.
- Write in sentence or title case, not all caps. Capitals are wider, so fewer characters fit, and full caps can read as clickbait.
Descriptions: 5,000 characters, about 150 above the fold
Viewers see roughly the first 100–150 characters of the description before they tap "…more" — on mobile, often less. Search engines read the whole thing.
A practical structure:
- First two lines: a plain summary of what the video covers, with the main keyword, written to make someone keep watching.
- Links and calls to action: the product, article or playlist you mention.
- Chapters: timestamps starting with
00:00, at least three of them, each at least 10 seconds long, so YouTube shows chapter markers on the progress bar. - Details: sources, gear lists, credits, a longer explanation.
- Hashtags: the first three hashtags from your description appear above the title (unless you add hashtags to the title itself). Keep them relevant.
You do not need to use all 5,000 characters. A focused 1,000–2,000 character description with chapters is usually more useful to viewers than a wall of keywords.
Tags: 500 characters in total
Tags have far less influence than titles, descriptions and thumbnails; YouTube says they mainly help with commonly misspelled search terms. The 500-character limit applies to all tags combined, and the separators count. A tag that contains spaces is stored in quotes, so the quotation marks count too. A few precise tags are enough.
Comments: 10,000 characters
Comments can be up to 10,000 characters long, but replies and pinned comments are mostly read on phones, where long comments collapse after a few lines behind "Read more". If you pin a comment with links or corrections, put the key information in the first sentence.
Why the count may differ from YouTube's
YouTube Studio shows its own counter. If your draft looks different there, check for:
- Emoji: most count as more than one character.
- Line breaks: each new line in a description counts.
- Invisible characters copied from other apps — the Invisible Character tool can reveal and remove them.
- Characters in non-Latin scripts, which are counted by encoded size in some fields, making them use more of the limit.
Frequently asked questions
How long can a YouTube title be?
Up to 100 characters, but plan for the first 60 or so to be the part most viewers see.
What is the YouTube description character limit?
5,000 characters. Only the first 100–150 characters are visible before "…more".
How many tags can I add on YouTube?
As many as fit within 500 characters in total, including separators.
How many hashtags can a YouTube video have?
Use a few relevant ones. If a video has more than 60 hashtags, YouTube ignores all of them.
Final takeaway
Write for the visible part first: ~60 characters of title and ~150 characters of description. Fill the rest with chapters, links and useful context, and keep your drafts in the Character Counter so nothing gets cut where it matters.