Meta descriptions must be under 155–160 characters
Misquoted Confidence: high
Primary source found, but the way it is quoted changes the subject, metric, population or precision.
- Commonly cited as
- "Meta description max length is 160 characters"
- True origin
- Google Search Central — Control your snippets in search results
- Type
- Stat check: A widely repeated statistic traced back to its origin.
- Year
- Current documentation
- Data as of
- Documentation read on 2026-10-16
- Last checked
- What the source says
There's no limit on how long a meta description can be, but the snippet is truncated in Google Search results as needed, typically to fit the device width.
- Method & sample
- Official Google Search documentation.
- Drift between quote and source
- Type: a display-truncation rule of thumb presented as a limit
- Interest
- Google operates Google Search.
Safe rephrasing
Google sets no length limit on meta descriptions; snippets are truncated to fit the device, so 155–160 characters is a display guideline only.
Sources we opened
Machine-readable: /api/claims/meta-descriptions-must-be-under-160-characters.json · Last checked 2026-10-16