Title tags in 2026: we measured where Google cuts them
We measured Google’s results pages in October 2026: the fonts, where long titles and snippets are cut on desktop and mobile, and what that means for writing them.
Most advice on title length counts characters. Google doesn’t: it measures pixels, in its own fonts, and those fonts have changed. On 27 October 2026 we measured Google’s results pages on a desktop screen and on a phone-sized one to see exactly where titles and snippets are cut today. Here is what we found, and what it changes about the way you write them.
How we measured
We loaded an ordinary English results page in Chrome twice: in a desktop window 1,440 pixels wide, and in an Android phone emulation 375 pixels wide. For each result we read the styles the browser applied to the title and the snippet. Then we measured the width of every character in those same fonts with the browser’s own text measurement, including the small adjustments between pairs of letters known as kerning.
To test the model, we compared its widths with what Chrome actually drew for ten real titles. Every one came within one per cent. Treat the numbers as a snapshot rather than a law: one browser, one location, one day. Google tests its layouts constantly, which is why we date every figure.
Google’s results page, measured on 27 October 2026
Titles are shortened on Google’s side
Result titles are now set in Google Sans at 22 pixels, on desktop and on mobile. A title wider than about 600 pixels doesn’t simply run off the edge: Google shortens it before the page reaches you, stopping after the last whole word that fits and adding “ …”. The longest title we saw shown in full measured 598 pixels.
A phone then wraps the shortened title onto a second line, and stops at two. So a phone doesn’t reveal more of a long title: in our sample the same shortened text appeared on both devices. The extra line only helps titles that already fit.
The old rule still holds, but the yardstick has moved. Put the topic and the words people search for first, because anything past roughly 600 pixels is gone. If your length checker measures in Arial at 20 pixels, it will put the same titles about 7–9% narrower than Google now draws them. That is enough to call a title safe when Google is going to cut it.
How wide single characters are in Google Sans at 22 px
Capitals are where character counts mislead most. In our measurements, a 56-character title came to 557 pixels in sentence case and 559 in title case, but 669 pixels in capitals. That is about a fifth wider, and enough for Google to cut it.
Snippets: two lines on desktop, three narrower lines on a phone
On desktop, snippets are set in Arial at 14 pixels, in lines up to 652 pixels wide, and stop after two lines with an ellipsis. On a 375-pixel phone they use Roboto at the same size, in lines 343 pixels wide, and stop after three. Three lines sound like more, but together they are narrower than two desktop lines, so a phone shows less of your description.
Two more things take up room. A date in front of the snippet uses part of the first line, and words that match the search appear in bold, which is wider. Remember, too, that Google writes many snippets from the page itself, choosing the text that best answers the query, and uses your meta description when it describes the page better. Put the point of the page in the first sentence of the description and in your opening paragraph, so either way the right words show.
What happens to long titles and snippets
| If | Then | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| The title fits within about 600 px | It shows in full on desktop and wraps onto two lines on a phone | Goal |
| The title is wider than about 600 px | Google cuts it after the last whole word and adds “ ...” on every device | Cut |
| The description runs past two desktop lines | The rest is hidden behind an ellipsis | Cut |
| The description runs past three phone lines | It is cut sooner on a phone, despite the extra line | Cut |
| A date appears before the snippet | The first line has less room for your words | Check |
What we changed on our own site
We ran our own titles through these numbers before publishing this. A good number of our article headlines, plus the “ | Serpevo” suffix, ran past 600 pixels. Google already shows a site name with each result, so the suffix now drops automatically when a title wouldn’t fit. Our longest headlines also get a shorter title tag, while the headline on the page stays as written. The same check now runs before every post goes live, so a title that would be cut can’t slip through.
This is the approach we would suggest for most sites: decide on a width budget, test every template against it, and keep long, descriptive headlines on the page where they help readers.
How to use this
Write titles for about 600 pixels in Google Sans, with the topic first, in sentence case, and with the brand at the end only if it still fits. Write descriptions so that their first line works on its own on a phone. Then check them in pixels rather than characters. Our free SERP preview and pixel checker is built on these measurements: it previews desktop and mobile side by side and checks a whole CSV of titles at once.
For the thinking behind a good title, see title tags and meta descriptions that earn the click. When older pages need the same treatment, our guide to content refreshes covers which ones to update first.
Before you publish a title and description
- Title under about 600 px in Google Sans, not just under 60 characters
- The topic and the searched words in the first few words
- Sentence case rather than capitals, which run about a fifth wider
- The brand at the end only if it still fits
- The point of the description in its first line
- A description that still works when a phone cuts it at three short lines
- A shorter title tag when the headline on the page needs to be long
Want every title on your site checked against these numbers? Request a free SEO audit and we’ll show you which ones Google is cutting.