Free Google Ads tool
Google Ads Character Counter
A responsive search ad takes up to 15 headlines of 30 characters, 4 descriptions of 90, and 2 display paths of 15. Google rejects anything longer rather than truncating it.
Last updated: 2026-08-06
Google Ads is the strictest set of limits in paid media and the easiest to plan around, because nothing here truncates. A responsive search ad headline is 30 characters. A description is 90. A display path is 15. Type a 31st character into a headline and the field stops accepting it, so an over-length asset never reaches an auction in the first place.
The counting problem on Google is not length, it is quantity. A responsive search ad takes up to 15 headlines with a minimum of 3, and up to 4 descriptions with a minimum of 2. Google assembles them at serve time and shows at most three headlines and two descriptions in any single impression, with the second description often dropped on mobile. Every headline therefore has to read correctly on its own and next to any other two, which rules out writing a sentence across three assets.
Performance Max reuses the same 30 character headline and 90 character description caps, then adds fields a search ad does not have: up to 5 long headlines at 90 characters for larger display slots, up to 5 descriptions where the first one is capped at 60 rather than 90, and a single 25 character business name. The 60 character first description is the detail that catches people out, because the field accepts 90 in other positions.
This counter runs one box per field, counts against the hard cap and shows how many assets of that type the format takes, so 15 headlines is one input and a reminder rather than 15 empty boxes. For organic post captions, which work nothing like this, use the social media character counter instead.
Google Ads copy fields
Google Ads has 7 copy fields across 2 placements. Limits verified 2026-08-06.
Green means it fits, amber means the placement will truncate it or you are inside the last 10% of the usable length, red means the platform rejects it. Where a field has a visible cap, that is the one counted against, because copy hidden behind "See more" has already failed even though the ad runs.
Responsive search ad
3 copy fields on this placement.
Hard cap 30 characters, no truncation, the platform rejects anything longer. The format takes up to 15 of these.
0 of 30 characters
- Up to 15 headlines, minimum 3. Google rejects an over-length headline outright, it never truncates one.
- Only three show at a time, so every headline has to make sense on its own and next to any other two.
Hard cap 90 characters, no truncation, the platform rejects anything longer. The format takes up to 4 of these.
0 of 90 characters
- Up to 4 descriptions, minimum 2. Two show at most, and the second is often dropped on mobile.
Hard cap 15 characters, no truncation, the platform rejects anything longer. The format takes up to 2 of these.
0 of 15 characters
- Two optional path fields appended to the display URL. They are cosmetic and do not have to exist on the site.
Performance Max asset group
4 copy fields on this placement.
Hard cap 30 characters, no truncation, the platform rejects anything longer. The format takes up to 15 of these.
0 of 30 characters
- Up to 15, minimum 3, same 30 character cap as a search headline.
Hard cap 90 characters, no truncation, the platform rejects anything longer. The format takes up to 5 of these.
0 of 90 characters
- Up to 5. Used on larger display placements, where it can be truncated to fit the slot.
Hard cap 90 characters, no truncation, the platform rejects anything longer. The format takes up to 5 of these.
0 of 90 characters
- Up to 5, minimum 2. The first description is capped at 60 characters, not 90, so write that one to 60.
Hard cap 25 characters, no truncation, the platform rejects anything longer.
0 of 25 characters
- One per asset group. Long names are truncated on small placements.
Google Ads character limits, field by field
Every copy field Google Ads accepts, grouped by placement. The hard cap is where the ad is rejected or the field stops taking input. The visible cap is where the placement truncates: the ad still runs, it just stops being read past that point.
Google Ads: Responsive search ad
| Field | Hard cap | Visible | How many |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headline | 30 chars | No truncation published | Up to 15 |
| Description | 90 chars | No truncation published | Up to 4 |
| Display path | 15 chars | No truncation published | Up to 2 |
- Headline: Up to 15 headlines, minimum 3. Google rejects an over-length headline outright, it never truncates one.
- Headline: Only three show at a time, so every headline has to make sense on its own and next to any other two.
- Description: Up to 4 descriptions, minimum 2. Two show at most, and the second is often dropped on mobile.
- Display path: Two optional path fields appended to the display URL. They are cosmetic and do not have to exist on the site.
Google Ads: Performance Max asset group
| Field | Hard cap | Visible | How many |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headline | 30 chars | No truncation published | Up to 15 |
| Long headline | 90 chars | No truncation published | Up to 5 |
| Description | 90 chars | No truncation published | Up to 5 |
| Business name | 25 chars | No truncation published | One |
- Headline: Up to 15, minimum 3, same 30 character cap as a search headline.
- Long headline: Up to 5. Used on larger display placements, where it can be truncated to fit the slot.
- Description: Up to 5, minimum 2. The first description is capped at 60 characters, not 90, so write that one to 60.
- Business name: One per asset group. Long names are truncated on small placements.
Limits verified 2026-08-06. Character limits were checked against each network published ad specifications on 2026-08-06. Hard limits are the point at which an ad is rejected, visible limits are where a placement truncates and are approximate: they move with device width, font size and language. Platforms change these without notice, so check the ad builder before a large launch.
How Google Ads compares to the other ad platforms
Where Google Ads sits against the other four networks on the three fields every ad builder asks for. The number after the comma is where that placement truncates: past it the ad still serves, it just stops being read.
| Platform | Headline | Primary text | Description | Placements |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meta (Facebook and Instagram) | 40 charsAbout 27 visible, Facebook and Instagram feed | 3,000 charsAbout 125 visible, Facebook and Instagram feed | 30 charsNo truncation, Facebook and Instagram feed | Facebook and Instagram feed, Stories and Reels |
| Google AdsThis page | 30 chars x 15No truncation, Responsive search ad | Not a fieldSearch ads carry no body text field. | 90 chars x 4No truncation, Responsive search ad | Responsive search ad, Performance Max asset group |
| TikTok Ads | Not a fieldAd text is the only copy field. | 100 charsNo truncation, In-feed ad | Not a fieldAd text is the only copy field. | In-feed ad, Spark ad |
| LinkedIn Ads | 200 charsAbout 70 visible, Single image ad | 3,000 charsAbout 150 visible, Single image ad | 75 charsNo truncation, Text ad | Single image ad, Text ad |
| Pinterest Ads | 100 charsAbout 40 visible, Promoted Pin | Not a fieldThe description carries the copy. | 500 charsAbout 50 visible, Promoted Pin | Promoted Pin, Idea ad |
Limits verified 2026-08-06. Character limits were checked against each network published ad specifications on 2026-08-06. Hard limits are the point at which an ad is rejected, visible limits are where a placement truncates and are approximate: they move with device width, font size and language. Platforms change these without notice, so check the ad builder before a large launch.
Visible caps and hard caps are two different limits
A hard cap is where the platform refuses the ad: the field stops accepting input, or the upload is rejected on review. You find out immediately, which makes it the harmless one. A visible cap is where the placement truncates. The ad is approved, it serves, you pay for the impressions, and the copy past that point sits behind a "See more" control that most of the feed never taps. Nothing tells you it happened.
That is why the counter above measures against the visible cap wherever a field has one. Copy that is hidden has already failed even though the ad is running, so treating the hard cap as the target is how a 3,000 character ad ends up delivering 150 characters of value. Fields turn amber inside the last 10% of the usable length, amber again once they cross the visible cap, and red only when the platform would reject them outright.
Meta (Facebook and Instagram): primary text shows about 125 of 3,000 characters
On the facebook and instagram feed placement, an ad written to the hard cap has roughly 96% of its copy hidden behind a "more" control. The ad is accepted, delivered and charged for in full either way.
LinkedIn Ads: introductory text shows about 150 of 3,000 characters
On the single image ad placement, an ad written to the hard cap has roughly 95% of its copy hidden behind a "more" control. The ad is accepted, delivered and charged for in full either way.
Pinterest Ads: description shows about 50 of 500 characters
On the promoted pin placement, an ad written to the hard cap has roughly 90% of its copy hidden behind a "more" control. The ad is accepted, delivered and charged for in full either way.
Google Ads and TikTok Ads sit outside this problem entirely: none of their copy fields publish a truncation point, so the hard cap is the only cap. A 30 character Google Ads headline is 30 characters, and the 31st is refused in the builder rather than trimmed in the auction.
Visible counts are approximate on every network. They move with device width, font size, language and whether a link preview is attached, so they are recorded here as the conservative figure each platform publishes as its recommendation rather than as a pixel measurement.
Google Ads copy tips
- Treat 30 as absolute. Google will not shorten a headline for you, it will refuse to save it, and there is no visible cap to trade against because search never truncates an approved asset.
- Write at least 8 to 10 genuinely different headlines rather than 15 near-duplicates. Only three ever show together, so variety is what the asset combination step actually has to work with.
- Never write a sentence across assets. Headlines are shuffled, so "Free shipping on" and "every order over 50" can appear separately, in either order, or not at all.
- Cap the first Performance Max description at 60 characters, not 90. The field accepts more in later positions, which makes the tighter first slot easy to miss until the asset is rejected.
- Keep display paths readable rather than accurate. The two 15 character path fields are cosmetic, they do not have to exist on your site, and they are the cheapest relevance signal in the whole ad.
- Front-load the keyword and the number. Search results truncate around the ad in ways you do not control, and a headline that opens with the offer survives every layout Google renders.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Google Ads headline character limit?
Thirty characters per headline, including spaces. A responsive search ad takes up to 15 headlines with a minimum of 3, and Performance Max asset groups use the same 30 character cap with the same 15 asset maximum.
How many characters is a Google Ads description?
Ninety characters, with up to 4 descriptions per responsive search ad and a minimum of 2. At most two are shown, and the second is frequently dropped on mobile, so the first description has to work alone. Performance Max allows up to 5 descriptions but caps the first one at 60 characters.
How many headlines does a responsive search ad need?
Three at minimum and 15 at maximum. Google shows up to three at a time and mixes them per auction, so the practical target is 8 to 10 distinct angles: different benefits, different proof, different calls to action, not the same claim reworded.
What is the display path limit in Google Ads?
Two optional fields of 15 characters each, appended to the display URL. They are cosmetic: the paths do not need to correspond to a real page on your site, and they exist to make the ad look more relevant to the query.
Does Google truncate ads that are too long?
No. Google is the only network in this set that never truncates copy, because it never accepts over-length copy in the first place. The field blocks input past the cap and the ad cannot be saved, so the failure happens in the builder rather than in the auction.
Are Performance Max limits the same as search?
Mostly, with additions. Headlines are still 30 characters and descriptions still 90, but Performance Max adds up to 5 long headlines at 90 characters for larger display placements, allows 5 descriptions instead of 4 with the first capped at 60, and requires a business name of up to 25 characters. Long headlines can be truncated to fit a slot, unlike search assets.
Write it once, ship it to all five
Postify Ads builds and launches campaigns across Meta, Google, TikTok, LinkedIn and Pinterest from one place, with each platform's copy fields in front of you as you write them. The counter above checks the limits; this is where the ad goes live.
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