The three formats
A single post holds up to 500 characters. A thread is a chain of posts you write together, each with its own 500-character limit. And since September 2025 you can attach up to 10,000 characters of text to a post, which readers open and read without leaving Threads.
The choice depends on how the idea is shaped, not on how long your draft happens to be.
- Single post: one claim, one observation or one question. If you can say it in a paragraph, do.
- Thread: a sequence where each step is worth reading on its own, such as a process, a list with explanations or a story in stages.
- Text attachment: an argument that needs nuance and would break if cut into 500-character pieces, such as a case study, a policy explanation or a long reply to a debate.
One draft, three ways
Take a 1,200-character draft about why a small agency stopped offering hourly billing. As a single post it does not fit, and cutting it to 500 characters leaves only the conclusion: "We dropped hourly billing. Fixed project prices made clients happier and us less tired." That is a decent post, but the reasoning is gone.
As a thread it becomes four posts: the decision and the result as the opener, then one post each for the three reasons (clients hated open-ended invoices, the team stopped padding estimates, scoping got better). Each reason works alone, which is a good sign the thread format fits.
As a text attachment, the post says "Why we stopped billing by the hour, and what it cost us in the first three months" and the attachment holds the full draft, including the part about the two clients who left. That caveat is the most honest part of the story and the first thing a thread would cut.
There is no single right answer here. If you want replies about each reason, use the thread. If you want people to read the whole argument before reacting, use the attachment.
Rules for writing a thread
The first post carries the hook and the promise. Readers decide from it whether to open the rest, and it is the post most likely to be shown to people who do not follow you.
Every later post should make sense if someone lands on it directly, because posts in a thread can be replied to, quoted and shared individually. Avoid "as I said above" and repeat the key noun instead of using "it".
End with something to respond to: the takeaway in one line and a specific question. Threads that end mid-list feel unfinished.
Pro tip
Write the thread as one block in a notes app, then split it. If a post only makes sense with the one before it, merge the two or rewrite the opening.
Numbering and length
Numbering posts ("1/5") tells readers how long the sequence is and that a thread is a deliberate series. It also costs four or five characters per post and makes individual posts look like fragments when shared alone. Use it for lists and processes; skip it for stories.
There is no official ideal thread length. Three to seven posts covers most ideas worth a thread. If you need more than ten, the content is probably a text attachment or an article.
Sources
Platform facts in this guide link to Meta's own documentation, its newsroom or established tech press. Advice without a source is our editorial judgement, not a Meta rule.
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Format your content into a thread
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I edit a post after publishing?+
Yes, but only the text and only within 15 minutes of posting, according to Meta's Help Center. Fix typos quickly; for later corrections, add a reply that says what changed so readers who already reacted are not confused.
Should every thread include images?+
Only when an image adds information, such as a chart or a screenshot. Meta's creator guidance recommends always pairing photos and videos with text, not the other way around.
Does the Thread Formatter handle the 500-character limit?+
It splits your text at sentence boundaries so each post stays under the length you set, then numbers the posts "1/n". The numbering is added on top of that length, so keep the setting a little below 500. The default of 480 leaves room.