X Post Character Limits and Formatting Tips
Stay within X’s character budget, use bold where it still works, and avoid surprises when you paste from a markdown editor.
Standard posts on X are capped at 280 characters. Premium accounts may have higher limits, but most readers still experience the short-form feed—so every character counts.
Formatting that survives on X
- Unicode bold for emphasis on key phrases
- Line breaks to separate ideas (avoid walls of text)
- Links that count toward the limit—shorten when needed
- Threads when one post is not enough
Markdown habits like ## headings do not render as HTML on X. Treat markdown as your writing shorthand, then let the formatter produce text X will actually show.
Practical tips
- Write the hook first, then trim to fit the counter.
- Preview on mobile width before posting.
- For long ideas, link to an X Article or a blog post instead of cramming.