YouTube Description Character Counter
See your character count live and preview exactly what's visible before "Show more".
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YouTube Description Limits
YouTube descriptions have a maximum length of 5,000 characters. However, only the first 157 characters are visible in search results and on the video page before the viewer clicks "Show more". This makes the opening of your description critical for both SEO and click-through.
This tool highlights the above-the-fold section in white and the hidden section in yellow so you can see at a glance what gets cut off. It also counts words and lines to help you structure longer descriptions with timestamps and links.
What to Put in the First 157 Characters
Your primary keyword, a clear summary of what the video covers, and a call to action should all appear in the first 157 characters. YouTube's algorithm reads the full description, but viewers only see the start — so write the opening line as if it were the only thing anyone will read.