Reddit post character limit: 40000 body, 300 title, and mobile previews
Reddit gives you enough room to write a detailed self-post, but most readers decide whether to open it from the title and the first few visible lines. That creates a tension: the body can carry logs, evidence, context, and updates, while the title has to be searchable, specific, and fair. A good Reddit post respects both limits. It does not hide the actual question in paragraph six, and it does not use a clickbait title to compensate for vague context.
The limit, exactly
Plan for a 300-character title and a 40,000-character self-post body. Count spaces, punctuation, markdown syntax, line breaks, links, code fences, usernames, subreddit mentions, and pasted logs. Poll options, flair, images, link URLs, and comments are separate from the self-post body, but subreddit rules may impose stricter requirements. Some communities remove posts for title formats, missing tags, low-effort body text, or unsupported links long before platform limits matter. If you are posting code, the backticks and indentation count. If you are posting logs, remove private tokens and irrelevant repeated lines before counting. Reddit rewards enough context, not maximum length. The practical title limit is usually much shorter than 300 because readers need to parse it in a feed.
What displays vs what is stored
Reddit stores the full self-post, but listing pages and mobile cards show only a preview. The title is the main display surface in feeds, search, notifications, and shares. The body preview may include only the first sentence or two, depending on device and subreddit layout. That means the first paragraph should summarize the situation, not warm up. Edits are allowed, and many communities expect update notes, but large edits can confuse readers who responded to the original version. If the post is long, use headings, bullets, and a short `What I tried` section so people can scan before commenting. Preview text also affects search snippets outside Reddit, so plain language beats in-jokes at the top.
Real-world tips
- Make the title specific and neutral. `How do I stop Next.js middleware from redirecting API routes?` is better than `Help please` and better than `This framework is broken`. It names the system, symptom, and question without exaggeration.
- Put the core question in the first paragraph. Readers should know what happened, what you expected, and what answer you need before screenshots, logs, or background stories appear.
- Use markdown headings for long posts. Sections like `Context`, `What I tried`, `Error`, and `Question` reduce repeated clarification comments. They also make mobile reading less tiring.
- Trim logs aggressively. Include the exact error, relevant stack trace, version numbers, and minimal config. A 15,000-character log dump usually hides the useful line instead of proving that you did research.
- Respect subreddit norms. A legal advice community, a game subreddit, and a programming help subreddit have different expectations. The same 1,200-character post can be perfect in one place and under-detailed in another.
- Use updates at the bottom. If the issue is solved or new information arrives, add a dated `Edit` note instead of rewriting the post so thoroughly that older comments no longer make sense.
- Separate evidence from interpretation. Screenshots, logs, quotes, and timelines should be clearly labeled so readers can tell what happened from what you think it means. That distinction is especially important in advice, troubleshooting, and dispute posts.
Common mistakes
- Using the body limit as permission to paste every detail chronologically.
- Writing a title that withholds the topic to create curiosity. Reddit readers usually punish that.
- Forgetting that markdown characters count, especially in tables and code blocks.
- Ignoring automod rules. A post can be under the platform limit and still be removed instantly.
- Deleting context after receiving answers. Future readers need the original problem to understand the thread.
- Posting before searching the subreddit. If the same question was answered yesterday, a long duplicate post may get less help than a short comment in the existing thread.
Use the counter
Use the Reddit counter twice: once for the title and once for the self-post body. If the title is near 300 characters, it is probably too complex. If the body is near 40,000 characters, move supporting material to a gist, paste, image album, or linked document after checking the subreddit rules. Before publishing, read only the title and first paragraph. If they do not explain the problem without the rest of the post, revise the opening instead of adding more detail.
Related platforms
Reddit is the long-form outlier among social posts. If you are moving the same update into chat or community channels, compare it with Discord, Slack, and Telegram before posting. Tumblr is another useful comparison when the post is personal, fandom-related, or built around tags and reblog context.
Source notes
Platform limits and display behavior can vary by surface. These references are useful starting points for the current published rules:
For fields where the platform does not publish a stable public number, this guide uses the conservative limit planned for the Phrasit counter and calls out practical display behavior separately. That distinction matters: a field can accept more text than most viewers will ever see, and a third-party scheduler can reject copy that the native composer accepts. Recheck the live composer before high-stakes campaigns, policy posts, paid placements, or messages that include required legal wording.