Free TikTok tool
TikTok Caption Preview
Only about the first line of a TikTok caption shows over the video, roughly 100 characters, before the "more" toggle. This preview draws that line in a 9:16 frame.
Last updated: 2026-08-03
TikTok gives a video description 4,000 characters and displays roughly 100 of them. Only about the first line shows over the video before the "more" toggle, and the exact cut depends on screen width. That is the tightest ratio of allowed to visible on any network except Pinterest, and it means the caption is effectively a one line subtitle with an archive attached.
The caption also competes with the video itself. It sits over the footage, alongside the sound label and the action rail, which cover the bottom sixth and the right edge of the frame. A caption that runs long does not just get folded, it covers the thing people came to watch.
This preview lays the caption over a 9:16 frame, the shape a TikTok photo post and video both use, and cuts it where the "more" toggle appears. Add your own cover image to see the two together. Nothing you type or upload leaves your browser.
260 of 4,000 characters on TikTok, 160 of them below the fold
Your image never leaves your browser. It is shown from a local object URL and nothing is uploaded to us. HEIC photos straight from an iPhone only decode in Safari, so export a JPEG copy first if yours will not appear.
TikTok preview
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This is an approximation, not a screenshot. Only about the first line shows over the video, roughly 100 characters, before the "more" toggle. The exact cut depends on screen width. Write as if the fold sits earlier than the number and you will never be surprised by it.
Where each network folds a caption
The character limit is the ceiling. The fold is the number that decides how much of your caption a scrolling reader ever sees, and it is far smaller on every network that has one.
| Network | Folds at | What happens at the cut |
|---|---|---|
| ~125 charsBehind "... more" | The feed collapses a caption after roughly 125 characters behind a "... more" link, so the opening line carries the hook. | |
| ~477 charsBehind "See more" | Desktop folds a post behind "See more" after about 477 characters. Mobile folds earlier depending on screen width. | |
| Threads | No fold500 character cap | Each post in a chain gets its own 500 characters, so longer thoughts are split across replies rather than stretched. |
| ~210 charsBehind "...see more" | Desktop cuts the post at about 210 characters behind "...see more". Mobile folds closer to 140, so write for the tighter number. | |
| X (Twitter) | No fold280 character cap | A standard post never folds. Premium posts longer than 280 characters collapse behind a "Show more" toggle in the timeline. |
| TikTokThis page | ~100 charsBehind "more" | Only about the first line shows over the video, roughly 100 characters, before the "more" toggle. The exact cut depends on screen width. |
| YouTube | ~157 charsBehind "...more" | The watch page shows roughly the first 157 characters of the description before "Show more", and that opening usually seeds the search snippet. |
| ~50 charsBehind "more" | Only the first 50 to 60 characters of the description appear under a Pin in the feed. The rest opens on the Pin page. |
Fold points verified 2026-07-31. Every one of them moves with screen width, text size and language, so treat them as close rather than exact.
Writing above the fold
On TikTok you are writing two things at once: a caption of up to 4,000 characters, and an opening of roughly 100 that has to work entirely on its own. Everything past that opening sits behind "more", and the tap rate on that control is nothing like the read rate on the line above it.
Put the claim in the first sentence
Not the setup, not the context, not the greeting. The sentence that would make someone stop has to be the one that survives the cut, because everything after it is behind a tap that most readers never make.
Never break a thought across the fold
A caption that stops mid-clause reads like a bug rather than like a teaser. Either finish the idea before the cut or place a deliberate cliffhanger there, but do not let the character count choose the break for you.
Push hashtags and credits to the end
A block of tags at the top spends the most valuable space on the page on text nobody reads as a sentence. Tags work the same anywhere in the caption, so they belong after the words that have to be seen.
The one thing no preview can do is tell you exactly where the cut lands on a given phone. The fold moves with screen width, with the text size a reader has chosen, and with the language: German runs longer than English for the same sentence and folds sooner. Treat every number on this page as a ceiling to write under rather than as a mark to write up to, and the caption reads the way you meant it on every device.
TikTok preview tips
- Write one line, then stop. Roughly 100 characters is what shows, and a caption that needs the "more" tap is a caption most viewers never finish.
- Say what the video is, not what you feel about it. The visible line works hardest as a promise of payoff, because the viewer is deciding whether to keep watching, not whether to read.
- Put hashtags after the sentence. Three to five is the useful range, and they are charged against the same 4,000 characters as everything else, spaces and emoji included.
- Keep the subject out of the bottom sixth and the right edge of the frame. The caption, the sound label and the action buttons all sit over the video there.
- The separate title field stops at 90 characters. That is shorter than the caption fold, so it is a headline rather than a summary.
- Export photo posts at 1080 x 1920 as JPEG. The publishing API accepts JPEG and WEBP but not PNG, so a PNG export fails at schedule time even though it looks fine locally.
Frequently asked questions
Is this a real TikTok screenshot?
No. It is a neutral HTML approximation: a 9:16 media box matching the 1080 x 1920 TikTok expects, a name and handle line, and generic action icons. There is no TikTok branding or interface in the card, and no attempt to reproduce the app.
Will the caption cut in the same place on my phone?
Approximately. Only about the first line shows over the video, roughly 100 characters, before the "more" toggle, and the exact cut depends on screen width. A narrow phone shows less than the preview does, so keep the visible line comfortably under 100 characters.
Where does my uploaded image go?
Nowhere. It becomes a local object URL and is drawn into the card inside your browser. It is not uploaded to us and does not reach TikTok until you post it yourself, and the URL is released when you replace it or close the tab.
Can I download this preview as an image?
Not yet. Copying the caption is one button, but exporting the card as a picture is not built. Use a screenshot: Cmd, Shift and 4 on macOS, or the Windows key with Shift and S on Windows.
How long can a TikTok caption be?
Four thousand characters, raised from the old 2,200 limit. Hashtags, mentions, emoji and spaces are all charged against that total and there is no separate hashtag cap. The number that matters is still the roughly 100 characters shown before "more".
Does the caption matter if the video is good?
Less than it does on Instagram or LinkedIn, but it is not free. The visible line is what a viewer reads in the first second while deciding whether to swipe, and the full description is also what TikTok reads for topic and search, so the part below the fold still earns its place.
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