Ijharul Islam
YouTube allows 100 characters in a video title, 5,000 characters in a description and 500 characters for all tags combined. Handles must be 3 to 30 characters, and if a video has more than 60 hashtags YouTube ignores all of them. Titles and descriptions can't contain the < or > characters, and the description limit is counted in bytes, so emoji and non-Latin scripts fill it faster.
More on this topic: Video specs by platform, every guide in one place.
Here are all the limits in one table with where each comes from, how YouTube counts them, and how much of each field viewers actually see.
The short answer
Title: 100 characters, no < or >. Description: 5,000 characters (the Data API counts 5,000 bytes, so emoji and non-Latin text count double or more). Tags: 500 characters in total, with commas counted and tags that contain a space counted as if quoted. Hashtags: up to 60, with the first three shown by the title. Handle: 3 to 30 characters. Check your text against them with a free counter before you upload.
Key takeaways
- Title 100 characters, description 5,000, tags 500 in total (YouTube Help and the Data API videos resource, checked October 2026).
- The Data API measures descriptions in bytes: a 4-byte emoji uses 4 of the 5,000.
- Commas between tags count, and a tag with a space is counted with its quote marks: "Foo Baz" is 9 characters.
- Over 60 hashtags and YouTube ignores every one of them.
- Only the start of a title shows in feeds and search, so put the key words first.
What are YouTube's character limits?
YouTube's character limits are set in its help pages and its Data API reference. Here they are together, checked in October 2026:
| Field | Limit | How it's counted | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Video title | 100 characters | Any UTF-8 character except < and > | YouTube Help; Data API |
| Video description | 5,000 characters | The Data API counts 5,000 bytes; no < or > | YouTube Help; Data API |
| Tags | 500 characters in total | Commas count; a tag with a space counts its quote marks | Data API |
| Hashtags | 60 per video | More than 60 and all are ignored; first 3 show by the title | YouTube Help |
| Handle | 3 to 30 characters | Letters, numbers, _ - . and ·; not at the start or end | YouTube Help |
Paste your title, description and tags into the free YouTube title and description length checker to see each count, the byte count of the description, the total tag characters and any < or > that YouTube would reject. It's free, runs in your browser and sends nothing to QuickVeed.
How long can a YouTube title be?
A YouTube title can be up to 100 characters, and the < and > characters aren't allowed. That is the hard limit; what viewers see is shorter. YouTube shows a title on one to three lines depending on the page, device and font, then cuts it with an ellipsis, so in practice the first 50 to 60 characters do the work.
| Title length | What happens |
|---|---|
| Under 50 characters | Usually shown in full in feeds and search |
| 50 to 70 characters | Often fits on desktop; may be cut on phones |
| 70 to 100 characters | Cut off in most places; only the start is read |
| Over 100 characters | YouTube Studio won't save it |
How to use those characters well is a separate question, covered in how to write YouTube titles that get clicks.
How long can a YouTube description be?
A YouTube description can be up to 5,000 characters. YouTube's Data API states the same limit as 5,000 bytes, which matters if you write in a script other than Latin or use emoji: a Latin letter is 1 byte in UTF-8, most accented and Cyrillic or Arabic letters 2, Hindi, Bengali, Chinese and Japanese characters 3, and most emoji 4.
| Text | Bytes per character | About how many fit in 5,000 bytes |
|---|---|---|
| English (plain Latin letters) | 1 | 5,000 characters |
| Russian, Greek, Arabic, Hebrew | 2 | about 2,500 characters |
| Hindi, Bengali, Chinese, Japanese, Korean | 3 | about 1,650 characters |
| Emoji | 4 (some more) | each one uses 4 or more |
Only the first two or three lines show under the video before "...more", so start with the sentence that tells viewers (and search) what the video is about. Chapters go in the description too: a list of timestamps starting at 0:00 with at least three entries, each 10 seconds or longer. The free chapter timestamp generator formats them; see how to add chapters to a YouTube video.
How should you use the 5,000-character description?
Use the description to tell viewers and search what the video covers, in the order people read it. A structure that fits most videos:
| Part | Length | What goes in it |
|---|---|---|
| Opening lines (shown before "...more") | 1 to 2 sentences, about 150 characters | What the video answers, with the main search phrase |
| Key link | 1 line | The one link you most want clicked |
| Chapters | One line per chapter | Timestamps from 0:00, at least three, 10 s or longer each |
| Detail | A short paragraph or two | Steps, tools or sources mentioned in the video |
| Other links | A few lines | Related videos, playlist, website |
| Hashtags | 3 to 5 | The first three show by the title |
Most descriptions need a few hundred characters, not 5,000. Long keyword lists don't help, and YouTube's spam policies treat stuffed descriptions as a problem.
How many characters can YouTube tags have?
YouTube tags can have 500 characters in total, across all the tags on a video. The Data API reference explains the counting: the commas between tags count, and a tag that contains a space is counted as if it were wrapped in quotation marks. Its own example counts Foo-Baz as 7 characters but Foo Baz as 9.
| Tags entered | Counted as | Characters |
|---|---|---|
| video editing | "video editing" | 15 |
| video editing, captions | "video editing",captions | 24 |
| mp4-to-gif | mp4-to-gif | 10 |
Tags matter little for ranking today; YouTube says they mostly help with common misspellings. Spend the effort on the title, thumbnail and first lines of the description.
How many hashtags can a YouTube video have?
A YouTube video can have up to 60 hashtags; YouTube Help says that if you add more than 60, it ignores all hashtags on the video. The first three hashtags in the description appear above or beside the title. Three to five relevant ones is plenty; see how many hashtags to use on each platform. The free hashtag generator suggests broad, niche and branded ones for YouTube Shorts.
How long can a YouTube handle be?
A YouTube handle can be 3 to 30 characters. YouTube Help says handles may use letters or numbers from supported languages plus underscores, hyphens, periods and Latin middle dots, which can't come first or last. Handles aren't case-sensitive. Some scripts have different ranges, such as 1 to 10 characters for Han or Hangul handles.
Frequently asked questions
What is the YouTube title character limit?
100 characters. Titles can't contain < or >. Aim for the key words in the first 50 to 60 characters, because longer titles are cut off in feeds.
What is the YouTube description limit?
5,000 characters, which the Data API counts as 5,000 bytes, so emoji and non-Latin scripts use it up faster.
How many characters are allowed in YouTube tags?
500 in total for all tags, including the commas between them and quote marks around tags with spaces.
Why won't YouTube accept my title?
It's probably over 100 characters or contains < or >. Remove those characters or shorten it.
How many characters of a description show before "more"?
Only the first two or three lines, which varies by device. Put the summary and main link first.
How long can a YouTube handle be?
3 to 30 characters for most scripts, using letters, numbers, underscores, hyphens, periods and middle dots.
Try it with your own video
Add accurate captions and translated subtitles so your video can be found and followed in more languages. Upload a video, check the transcript line by line, and export the SRT for YouTube. QuickVeed plans start at $18/month, and new accounts get a 14-day trial with 250 credits, no card needed. Sign up or see pricing.
Sources
Competitor details in this post were checked against these public pages in October 2026. Products and prices change, so confirm with each vendor before you decide.
