Free X (Twitter) Post Preview Tool
Preview your X (Twitter) post before you publish, with the real weighted character count: URLs always cost 23 characters and emoji cost 2. Free, no signup.
By Tayyab, Founder
Preview profile
What the feed actually shows
- 146
- Visible chars
- 0
- Behind “more”
- 41
- Hook length
- 0
- Hashtags
Nothing is hidden. The whole post is visible on desktop without expanding.
Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is uploaded or stored.
X counts characters differently
Most free counters report the length of your string. X bills you on a weighted count, and the difference is what makes a post fail at publish time after it looked fine everywhere else.
Post limit
280
weighted characters.
Any link
23
characters, however long the URL really is.
Emoji and CJK
2
characters each, not one.
Getting more out of 280 characters
- Do not shorten your links. A URL shortener saves you nothing: X already bills every link at 23 characters, and a shortened link looks less trustworthy.
- Line breaks are free. They cost one character each and make a dense post scannable.
- Budget your emoji. Six emoji cost twelve characters, which is a whole extra clause.
- Lead with the claim. The first line is what shows in notifications and quote posts.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my character count differ from other tools?
X does not count raw characters. Every link counts as exactly 23 characters no matter how long it is, and emoji and CJK characters count as 2. This tool applies those rules, which is why a post that looks fine in a plain character counter can still be rejected.
How many characters is an X post?
A standard X post is 280 weighted characters. Premium subscribers can post longer, in which case the post collapses behind "Show more" in the timeline.
Is this tweet preview free?
Yes, free with no signup. It runs in your browser and nothing you type is uploaded or stored.
Do hashtags count toward the limit?
Yes. Hashtags are ordinary characters and count in full against the 280, unlike links which are always billed at 23.
Where these numbers come from
A preview is only as good as its cut-off point, so here is ours and when we took it.
| Surface | Cuts at | Or lines | Expand label |
|---|---|---|---|
| desktop | 280 characters | 10 | Show more |
| mobile | 280 characters | 10 | Show more |
We measured these against X’s live web and mobile clients on 7 August 2026 and have not changed them since. Whichever limit lands first wins, which is why a short post with four line breaks can be cut before a long one with none. X cuts at the same point on both surfaces, so there is no desktop and mobile split to design around here.
X also does not count characters the way you do: a URL counts as 23 whatever its real length and an emoji counts as two. This tool applies that arithmetic. A counter that reports raw string length will tell you a post fits when it does not.
Platforms move these without announcing it. If your own feed disagrees with what you see here, your feed is right, and we would rather hear about it than have you find out on a post that mattered.
Preview is the last step, not the first
You previewed a post you still had to write. Content Drifter writes it in your voice, keeps it under the character ceiling, picks the posting time from your own engagement history and publishes it to X for you.
Start freeFree forever plan, no credit card. Every network is included.