WhatsApp Character Limit (2026) | Messages, Status, Groups & About

Published: April 2026 | Last Updated: April 2026

Quick Answer

WhatsApp messages allow up to 65,536 characters. Status text updates are limited to 700 characters. The About section allows 139 characters.

Field	Character Limit	Notes
Message	65,536	One of the highest message limits across platforms
Status (Text)	700	Text-based status updates
Group Name	100	Group chat display name
Group Description	2,048	Visible in group info
About	139	Your profile About section
Profile Name	25	Your display name
Broadcast List Name	25	Name for broadcast lists
Image Caption	1,024	Caption when sending an image

65,536 characters is enormous. That's roughly 10,000 words. You'll almost never hit this limit in normal conversation.
Status updates are more restricted. At 700 characters, text status updates require you to be concise. This is WhatsApp's version of a social post.
The About section is oddly specific. At exactly 139 characters, it's one of the most precise limits across any platform. Make every character count.
WhatsApp supports formatting. Use *bold*, _italic_, ~strikethrough~, and ```monospace``` in your messages.
Check your character count. Use our character counter for status updates or when crafting WhatsApp Business messages.

Draft your WhatsApp status or business message in our free word counter tool and check the character count instantly.

Paste your text into our free word counter tool to instantly count words, characters, sentences, paragraphs and pages.

What is the WhatsApp message character limit?

WhatsApp messages can be up to 65,536 characters long, making it one of the most generous messaging platforms for text length.

What is the WhatsApp status character limit?

WhatsApp text status updates are limited to 700 characters.

What is the WhatsApp About character limit?

The WhatsApp About section is limited to 139 characters.

Does WhatsApp support text formatting?

Yes. WhatsApp supports *bold*, _italic_, ~strikethrough~, and ```monospace``` text formatting in messages.