Long URLs can break your XML sitemap, break in older browsers, and look messy in search results. Even though there is no fixed URL length limit, they are also inconvenient for visitors and can indirectly affect your SEO.
There is no exact maximum length for a URL. It usually depends on browser or where the link is used. For example, links might get cut off in XML sitemaps, bookmarks, or when shared.
If you want to learn about the technical limits of long URLs, this article explains what happens with very long URLs, and what to expect if you use non-Latin characters in your permalinks.
Check Your Real URL Length
Why Standard URL Character Counters Fail?
Most URL characters counters count only the visible text. This can be misleading if you e.g. use emojis or other characters outside standard ASCII.
You do not see this in your browser because browsers usually convert these characters back from their encoded form, but it still affects the actual URL length.
How This Calculator Counts
The calculator below shows the real length of your URL. It includes percent-encoding in the count. If you type a space, an accented letter, or a non-Latin character, it counts each one as three characters (e.g.
%20
for space).
Is There A Limit On The Length Of The URLs?
What Is the Longest URL Possible?
When the HTTP protocol was first described in RFC 2616 and RFC 3986, no maximum URL length was officially defined. Back then, early browsers could process a limited number of ASCII characters, and that was a real problem.
Fortunately, modern browsers now handle much longer addresses without any issues. Still, for the best compatibility across all devices and older systems, we suggest keeping your permalinks under 2000 characters.
It also keeps your sitemap links valid for search engines, which typically allow a maximum URL length of 2,048 characters.
URL Length Limits by Browser
| Browser | Practical Limit |
|---|---|
| Google Chrome/Edge/Brave | ~2,000,000 characters URLs are hard-capped at 2 MB |
| Mozilla Firefox | ~65,536 characters URLs are hard-capped at 1 MB, but the address bar will stop displaying text after 65,536 characters [64 KB] |
| Apple Safari | ~80,000 characters |
| Microsoft Edge | ~2,083 characters |
| Internet Explorer | ~2,083 characters |
The "414 URI Too Long" Error
Just like web browser, servers and CDNs have their own limits on URL length. If a URL is too long, the server will reject the request and return an
HTTP 414 URI Too Long
error.
Most servers use default limits of about 8 KB for Apache and 4 to 8 KB for NGINX, configurable via LimitRequestLine (Apache) or large_client_header_buffers (NGINX).
If your website uses a Content Delivery Network (CDN), all links pass through CDN edge servers before they reach your server. For example, AWS CloudFront supports URLs up to 8,192 bytes, which is about 8,000 characters when using simple English text.
Why Are Accented or Non-Latin Urls Longer Than They Appear?
The URL is longer if it contains non-Latin characters than if it only contains ASCII letters. The difference comes from the fact that each ASCII letter, which includes Latin characters, only takes one byte to write. Non-ASCII characters, however, require additional bytes while being transmitted.
Additionally, non-ASCII characters must be converted into a standardized format that all web browsers can interpret. This conversion process, called percent-encoding, replaces each special character with its equivalent hexadecimal value prefixed with "%". For instance, the Japanese character "
に
" would become "
%E3%81%AB
".
As a result, URLs containing non-English text undergo this percent-encoding, thereby increasing their overall length. Take a look at the simple URL examples below. The first one is merely 23 bytes long and contains only regular ASCII characters. The equivalent URL in Greek is only 5 letters longer, but it is nearly twice in bytes!
What Happens When a URL Gets Too Long?
Does URL Length Affect SEO?
Google has stated publicly that URL length is not a ranking factor. A long URL does not get penalized simply because it is too long. John Mueller from Google has confirmed that the crawler can handle URLs well over 1,000 characters.
Therefore, shortening the URLs shorter will not automatically boost your position in search results.
Why Longer URLs Are Inconvenient
While there is no strict limit on how long a URL can be, the length of your permalinks still matters. Very long URLs can be tricky for browsers to handle and inconvenient for your visitors.
It is harder to read and share long links. They also often get cut off in search results reducing the chance of people clicking on them. This can affect user experience, even if SEO is not directly impacted.
Tips for Optimizing URL Length
Using standard English letters usually keeps a URL short and simple. If you add special characters like emojis or non-English letters, the URL can become longer than expected.
Handling Non-ASCII Characters in URLs
Transliteration is without a doubt one of the most straightforward methods that will reduce the length of URLs and enhance their readability. Transliterating URLs involves replacing non-Latin characters with their closest Latin equivalents.
Using the familiar Latin characters that make up the bulk of the English language allows URLs to be more readable at a glance for many internet users.
How WordPress Removes Diactricts And Accents From Slugs?
When working with a writing system on the Latin alphabet, like German, French, Spanish, or Polish, things get simpler. If you create a new post, WordPress will automatically remove any diacritical marks from the slug hrough its built-in remove_accents() function.
For example, if you publish a post titled "Café Menu" with the "é" character, WordPress will automatically convert it and use "e" instead inside the slug. This way, the final URL ("example.com/cafe-menu") will be fully ASCII compatible.
Translate The URLs to English
While WordPress automatically removes diacritics from post titles and URLs, you may still want more control over URL slugs. The Simple Slug Translate plugin provides an easy way to automatically translate slugs to English.
There is no need for advanced technical skills or custom coding, as the plugin handles the translation process seamlessly without disrupting the original content. When you add a new post or edit an existing one, the slug is automatically converted into English. This applies to pages, categories, and taxonomies as well.
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