Social Media Tools
Tools for posting: count characters against every platform’s real limit, check video title and description lengths before they truncate, and grab any YouTube thumbnail.
About Social Media Tools
Every platform counts your post differently, and each one cuts it off at a different point. That is the problem this small category solves. It has three tools: the social caption counter, which measures a caption against the real limits of the platforms you post to, the video title and description length checker, which shows where a title or description will be truncated, and the YouTube thumbnail downloader, which grabs the thumbnail image for a public video. It is for creators, social media managers and anyone who has watched a good line disappear behind a "more" link.
Use the caption counter while you are still writing, not after. Limits are not just about the maximum — the number that usually matters is where the platform collapses your text, because everything after that point only exists for people who tap. Writing to that cut-off, so the hook lands before it, is most of the craft. The video length checker does the same job for video, where titles get truncated differently on a phone than on a desktop, and where only the first couple of lines of a description are visible before the fold. The thumbnail downloader is a different kind of tool — it is for pulling an existing thumbnail, whether to reuse your own artwork, build a reference board, or study what is working in your niche.
All three are free, need no sign-up, and there is no connected account or API token involved. The counters run in your browser, so drafts you are not ready to publish stay on your device. The one honest limit worth stating: platforms change their limits and their truncation points whenever they like, and they vary between the web and mobile apps. These tools reflect the well-documented limits, but the final check is always a preview in the app itself before you hit post. The thumbnail downloader also only works for public videos, and the image belongs to whoever made it — downloading is not permission to republish. For counting plain text, see the text tools category.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my caption count differently on the platform itself?
Platforms count in different units. Some count characters, some count in a way that treats emoji, links and non-Latin scripts as multiple units, and several shorten links automatically to a fixed length. Treat any counter as a close guide and confirm in the app for a post that sits right at the limit.
Are these limits kept up to date?
They reflect the published limits, but platforms change them without notice and often differ between their web and mobile versions. If a limit looks wrong to you, trust the app you are posting from.
Can I download a thumbnail from a private or unlisted video?
No. The thumbnail downloader works with publicly available images only. It also cannot fetch anything that requires being logged in.
Do I need to connect my social accounts?
No. These tools never ask you to log in or authorise anything. They are free, work on text you paste or a link you provide, and do not post on your behalf.