Title: WYSIWYG Character Limit for ACF Author: Code and core Published: 23 April 2025 Last modified: 3 September 2026 --- Search plugins ![](https://ps.w.org/wysiwyg-character-limit-for-acf/assets/banner-772x250.png?rev =3279804) ![](https://ps.w.org/wysiwyg-character-limit-for-acf/assets/icon-256x256.png?rev =3464144) # WYSIWYG Character Limit for ACF By [Code and core](https://profiles.wordpress.org/codeandcore/) [Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/wysiwyg-character-limit-for-acf.5.0.2.zip) * [Details](https://en-gb.wordpress.org/plugins/wysiwyg-character-limit-for-acf/#description) * [Reviews](https://en-gb.wordpress.org/plugins/wysiwyg-character-limit-for-acf/#reviews) * [Installation](https://en-gb.wordpress.org/plugins/wysiwyg-character-limit-for-acf/#installation) * [Development](https://en-gb.wordpress.org/plugins/wysiwyg-character-limit-for-acf/#developers) [Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/wysiwyg-character-limit-for-acf/) ## Description **WYSIWYG Character Limit for ACF** is a powerful, feature-rich WordPress plugin that enables you to set **maximum character limits** for Advanced Custom Fields ( ACF) WYSIWYG editor fields. Perfect for maintaining content quality, SEO optimization, and editorial consistency across your WordPress site. #### Key Features **Character Limiting & Counting:** * **Global Limit** – Set a site-wide default limit for all WYSIWYG fields * **Per-Field Limits** – Override global settings with custom limits for individual fields * **Limit Type** – Restrict content by either Character count or Word count * **Real-Time Counter** – Live count updates as you type * **Smart HTML Exclusion** – Counts only visible text, ignoring all HTML tags and formatting * **Space Counting Options** – Choose whether to include or exclude spaces from the count * **Ignore Shortcodes** – Optional setting to exclude shortcodes from the limit count **Visual Feedback & Validation:** * **Color-Coded Counter** – Visual indicators showing normal, warning, and error states * **Customizable Colors** – Set your own colors for counter, warning, and error states * **Visual Progress Bar** – Display an optional progress bar below the counter * **Warning Messages** – Configurable messages when approaching the limit * **Error Messages** – Custom error messages when limit is exceeded * **Counter Position** – Place counter above or below the editor * **Server-Side Validation** – Prevents saving content that exceeds limits * **Hard Limit** – Option to prevent typing in the editor once the limit is reached * **Auto-truncate on Paste** – Automatically cuts off pasted text that exceeds the limit **Editor Compatibility:** * **TinyMCE Support** – Works seamlessly in Visual editor mode * **Text Mode Support** – Full functionality in HTML/Text editor mode * **Mode Switching** – Maintains accurate count when switching between Visual and Text modes * **ACF Extended Compatible** – Full support for ACF Extended features **Advanced Field Support:** * **Flexible Content** – Works inside Flexible Content layouts * **Repeater Fields** – Full support for Repeater fields * **Group Fields** – Compatible with ACF Group fields * **Clone Fields** – Works with ACF Clone fields * **Dynamic Fields** – Handles dynamically loaded fields **Performance & Optimization:** * **Lightweight Code** – Minimal impact on page load times * **Efficient Counting** – Optimized algorithm for large content * **Smart Initialization** – Multiple triggers ensure counters work with dynamic content * **No jQuery Conflicts** – Clean, conflict-free JavaScript **User Experience:** * **Intuitive Settings Page** – Clean, modern admin interface with full customization * **Dashboard Statistics** – View usage metrics like “Configured Fields” and “Errors Prevented” * **Deactivation Feedback** – Collect valuable feedback when users deactivate the plugin * **Accessibility Friendly** – WCAG compliant with keyboard navigation * **Multisite Ready** – Works perfectly on WordPress multisite networks * **Multilingual Compatible** – Works with WPML, Polylang, and other translation plugins * **Developer Friendly** – Well-documented, clean code with hooks and filters **How it works:** * The plugin automatically adds a character counter below every ACF WYSIWYG field. * The counter updates live as you type, whether you are in Visual or Text mode. * HTML tags are ignored in the count, so only the text that will be visible on the front-end is counted. * If you exceed the limit, the counter turns red and saving is prevented until you reduce the character count. * Works with dynamic fields, repeaters, flexible content, and ACF Extended. **Why use this plugin?** * Maintain content standards for SEO, news, or editorial sites * Prevent editors from exceeding allowed content length * Ensure uniformity in banners, meta descriptions, and structured content * Save time on manual content checks * Improve user experience for your content team #### Privacy & Data Collection **Your Privacy Matters** This plugin respects your privacy and operates with full transparency: * **No Automatic Data Collection** – The plugin does not collect or transmit any data without your explicit consent * **Opt-In Telemetry** – You can optionally enable anonymous usage tracking from Settings > ACF WYSIWYG Limit to help improve the plugin * **Deactivation Feedback** – When deactivating, you can choose to share feedback to help us improve. This is completely optional * **Encrypted Transmission** – All data sent (if you opt-in) is encrypted using AES-256-CBC encryption for security * **No Personal Content** – We never collect your post content, user passwords, or sensitive information * **What We Collect (Only if you opt-in)**: - Plugin version and settings - WordPress and PHP versions - Theme information - Site language and multisite status - Anonymous site URL (for duplicate detection only) **Deactivation Feedback** When you deactivate the plugin, a feedback modal appears asking for your reason. This helps us improve the plugin: * **Completely Optional** – You can skip and deactivate immediately * **Contact Consent** – Check the consent box only if you want us to follow up with support * **Your Choice** – Your name and email are only sent if you check the consent checkbox * **Secure** – All feedback is encrypted before transmission ### License This plugin is released under the **GPL v2 or later**. You are free to modify and distribute it. ## Screenshots [⌊Global Settings Panel – Configure global character limits and counter display options.⌉⌊Global Settings Panel – Configure global character limits and counter display options.⌉[ **Global Settings Panel** – Configure global character limits and counter display options. [⌊ACF Field Character Limit Setting – Set a character limit for individual WYSIWYG fields.⌉⌊ACF Field Character Limit Setting – Set a character limit for individual WYSIWYG fields.⌉[ **ACF Field Character Limit Setting** – Set a character limit for individual WYSIWYG fields. [⌊Character Counter – Normal State – Shows remaining characters within allowed limit.⌉⌊ Character Counter – Normal State – Shows remaining characters within allowed limit .⌉[ **Character Counter – Normal State** – Shows remaining characters within allowed limit. [⌊Character Counter – Approaching Limit – Displays warning message when nearing the limit.⌉⌊Character Counter – Approaching Limit – Displays warning message when nearing the limit.⌉[ **Character Counter – Approaching Limit** – Displays warning message when nearing the limit. [⌊Character Counter – Limit Exceeded – Shows error when character count goes over the limit.⌉⌊Character Counter – Limit Exceeded – Shows error when character count goes over the limit.⌉[ **Character Counter – Limit Exceeded** – Shows error when character count goes over the limit. [⌊Validation Error on Save – Prevents saving and displays error when strict validation is enabled.⌉⌊Validation Error on Save – Prevents saving and displays error when strict validation is enabled.⌉[ **Validation Error on Save** – Prevents saving and displays error when strict validation is enabled. ## Installation 1. Upload the plugin folder to `/wp-content/plugins/wysiwyg-character-limit-for-acf/` 2. Activate the plugin via the **Plugins** menu in WordPress. 3. Go to **Settings > ACF WYSIWYG Limit** to configure global settings and opt-in preferences. 4. To apply per-field limits, edit any ACF **WYSIWYG** field and set a **Character Limit** value. 5. The character counter will appear automatically below each WYSIWYG field. ## FAQ ### Does this work with ACF Pro? Yes, the plugin is fully compatible with **ACF Free & ACF Pro**. ### Does this work with Flexible Content and Repeater fields? Yes, you can apply character limits inside **Repeater, Flexible Content, and Group fields**. ### Does the counter count HTML tags? **No.** As of version 2.0.2, the character counter **excludes all HTML tags** and counts only the visible text, in both Visual and Text modes. ### Can I use this for Word Count instead? Yes! As of version 5.0.0, you can choose the “Limit Type” in the settings to restrict content by either characters or words. ### Is it compatible with ACF Extended and dynamic field loading? Yes, the plugin supports ACF Extended and works with dynamically loaded fields. ### Can I customize the counter style? You can override the `.char-counter` CSS class in your theme or custom CSS. ## Reviews There are no reviews for this plugin. ## Contributors and Developers “WYSIWYG Character Limit for ACF” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin. Contributors * [ Code and core ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/codeandcore/) “WYSIWYG Character Limit for ACF” has been translated into 2 locales. Thank you to [the translators](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/wysiwyg-character-limit-for-acf/contributors) for their contributions. [Translate “WYSIWYG Character Limit for ACF” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/wysiwyg-character-limit-for-acf) ### Interested in development? [Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/wysiwyg-character-limit-for-acf/), check out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/wysiwyg-character-limit-for-acf/), or subscribe to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/wysiwyg-character-limit-for-acf/) by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/wysiwyg-character-limit-for-acf/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss). ## Change Log #### 5.0.2 – 2026-09-03 * Bug Fix: Fixed activation redirect to prevent interruption of bulk plugin activations and WP-CLI workflows. #### 5.0.1 – 2026-08-25 * Bug Fix: Fixed character counting logic where HTML entities (like &) were incorrectly counted as multiple characters. * Bug Fix: Fixed a UI bug where the inline TinyMCE link editing popup would unexpectedly close when clicking a link. * Bug Fix: Resolved an issue where setting the “Approaching Limit Percentage” to 0 would default back to 90%. * Bug Fix: Fixed hard limit logic so the Enter key is correctly blocked when reaching the word limit. #### 5.0.0 – 2026-06-03 * New: Added Dashboard statistics showing “Configured Fields” and “Errors Prevented”. * New: Added “Limit Type” option to restrict by Words instead of just Characters. * New: Added visual Progress Bar option below the counter. * New: Added “Hard Limit” feature to prevent typing in the editor once the limit is reached. * New: Added “Auto-truncate on Paste” to automatically cut off pasted text that exceeds the limit. * New: Added option to ignore shortcodes from the character/word count. * Security Fix: Removed hardcoded symmetric encryption key and improved telemetry payload security. * Bug Fix: Resolved potential “Headers already sent” fatal error during tracking opt-in routing. * Enhancement: Standardized function prefixes across the codebase for improved maintainability. #### 4.1.2 – 2026-05-06 * New: Automatically redirect to settings page after plugin activation for faster onboarding. #### 4.1.1 – 2026-03-18 * New: Automatic redirect to settings page after plugin activation for first-time setup * Enhancement: Improved plugin activation flow and user onboarding experience #### 4.1.0 – 2026-02-05 * New: Deactivation feedback popup to collect user insights and improve the plugin * New: Professional modal UI with WordPress Dashicons for deactivation reasons * New: Optional contact consent checkbox for user support follow-up * Enhancement: Encrypted data transmission for deactivation feedback with AES-256- CBC * Enhancement: Comprehensive system information collection (PHP, WordPress, theme versions) * UI: Modern, accessible deactivation modal with blur background effect * UI: Poppins font integration for consistent typography #### 4.0.1 – 2026-01-29 * Fix: Fatal error “Call to undefined function” during plugin update tracking. #### 4.0.0 – 2025-12-10 * Full PHP/JS/CSS documentation across the codebase and improved code organization. * Updated for WordPress 6.9 and PHP 8+; improved performance and accessibility. * Optional, encrypted opt-in telemetry (no personal or post content collected). * Enhanced uninstall cleanup, validation, and settings UX for developers and editors. * Added extra admin settings and customization options for editors and developers. #### 3.0.0 – 2025-10-03 * Fixed: Character counter now ignores all HTML tags in both Visual and Text modes( counts only visible text) * Improved documentation and accessibility * Enhanced compatibility with ACF Extended and dynamic field loading #### 2.0.1 – 2025-05-19 * Fixed character counting in nested fields * Improved performance for large content * Added support for custom TinyMCE configurations #### 2.0 – 2025-05-19 * Added support for WordPress 6.8 * Improved character counting accuracy * Enhanced validation messages * Fixed compatibility issues with ACF Pro 6.0+ #### 1.0.0 – 2025-04-16 * Initial release * Global and per-field character limits * Live character counter below WYSIWYG editor * Works in both TinyMCE and Text Mode ## Meta * Version **5.0.2** * Last updated **1 month ago** * Active installations **100+** * WordPress version ** 5.0 or higher ** * Tested up to **7.1.3** * PHP version ** 7.4 or higher ** * Languages * [English (US)](https://wordpress.org/plugins/wysiwyg-character-limit-for-acf/), [Gujarati](https://gu.wordpress.org/plugins/wysiwyg-character-limit-for-acf/) and [Russian](https://ru.wordpress.org/plugins/wysiwyg-character-limit-for-acf/). * [Translate into your language](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/wysiwyg-character-limit-for-acf) * Tags * [acf](https://en-gb.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/acf/)[character limit](https://en-gb.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/character-limit/) [tinyMCE](https://en-gb.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/tinymce/)[validation](https://en-gb.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/validation/) [wysiwyg](https://en-gb.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/wysiwyg/) * [Advanced View](https://en-gb.wordpress.org/plugins/wysiwyg-character-limit-for-acf/advanced/) ## Ratings No reviews have been submitted yet. [Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/wysiwyg-character-limit-for-acf/reviews/#new-post) [See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/wysiwyg-character-limit-for-acf/reviews/) ## Contributors * [ Code and core ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/codeandcore/) ## Support Got something to say? Need help? [View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/wysiwyg-character-limit-for-acf/)