How to use the TikTok Caption Checker
- Pick the post type. Video captions allow 2,200 characters. Photo post titles allow 90. The meter changes with the choice.
- Paste the caption. The count uses UTF-16 units, so an emoji can add 2. The tool shows both the visible character count and the TikTok count.
- Type your search phrase. Enter the words you want the post to be found for, such as "banana bread recipe". The tool checks that they appear as plain words, near the start.
- Fix the warnings. Move the key words ahead of the "more" cut, take links out, tone down ALL CAPS and repeated punctuation, then copy the caption.
How the TikTok caption checker works
What it checks
The length in UTF-16 units against 2,200 for video or 90 for a photo title, with the number of extra units caused by emoji. The hashtags and @mentions it finds and the share of the caption each group takes. A preview of the opening of the caption. Links. ALL CAPS words and runs of punctuation. Whether the search phrase you typed appears in the text and in the opening.
Everything runs in your browser. The caption is not uploaded.
Rules and sources
Per TikTok's Content Posting API reference, checked October 2026: a video caption is at most 2,200 in UTF-16 runes, a photo post title is at most 90 in UTF-16 runes, and a photo post holds up to 35 images. The same pages say the longest allowed video length differs by creator.
Not official, so labeled approximate: the roughly 90 characters used for the "more" preview, and the advice that links in captions are generally not clickable. Neither is a number TikTok publishes.
Limitations
The keyword check is a text match. It does not know how TikTok search ranks videos. The preview length changes by device. Hashtag and mention extraction follow common patterns and will not match every edge case, such as a username with unusual characters.
Frequently asked questions
What is the TikTok caption limit?
For a video, 2,200 characters, counted in UTF-16 units, per the maximum length on TikTok's Content Posting API reference (checked October 2026). For a photo post the title is limited to 90, and a photo post can have up to 35 images. The older figure of 150 characters is out of date.
Why does one emoji count as 2 characters on TikTok?
TikTok measures length in UTF-16 units, the same way JavaScript and many systems store text. Most letters take one unit. An emoji, and some rare CJK characters, take two. A flag emoji can take four. So a caption with many emoji reaches 2,200 sooner than it looks. Common Chinese, Japanese and Korean characters take one unit each.
How much of my caption shows before "more"?
TikTok shows roughly one to two lines, then a "more" link. The exact cut depends on the phone, the font size and line breaks, and TikTok does not publish it, so this tool marks its preview as approximate. Put the main point and your search words first.
Can I put a link in a TikTok caption?
Links in captions are generally not clickable. Put the link in your bio and say "link in bio" in the caption. The tool warns you when it finds a URL so you can move it.
Do captions help a video show up in TikTok search?
The words in a caption are text TikTok can read, so a plain-language phrase that matches what people type can help. TikTok has not published a ranking formula, so treat it as good practice, not a guarantee. The keyword check only tests whether your phrase appears as normal words and whether it comes early.
Do ALL CAPS and repeated punctuation hurt a caption?
TikTok has not said they affect reach. They do make a caption harder to scan and can read as shouting, so the tool flags them as a style warning, not a rule.