How many characters is the App Store keyword field?

Apple says keywords are limited to 100 characters total. App Store Connect states the limit as 100 bytes.

Do I put a space after the comma?

No. Apple says terms are separated by commas and no spaces. Spaces are only for separating words inside a phrase, like Real Estate.

Should I repeat words from my app name in the keyword field?

No. Apple says not to repeat any words included in your app name, subtitle or category.

Do plurals need their own keyword?

No. Apple says plurals of words you already included count as duplicates.

Can I see the keyword field of another app?

Not in App Store Connect or on the product page. Apple does not show it to customers.

What to put in the App Store keyword field

Updated 14 November 2026

The App Store keyword field is 100 characters. Separate terms with commas and no spaces; use spaces only inside a phrase. Apple says not to repeat words from your name, subtitle or category, and not to use competitor names. Put the searches that did not fit the name and subtitle here.

The rules, from Apple

Apple's search guidance says keywords are limited to 100 characters total, with terms separated by commas and no spaces. You can use spaces to separate words within a phrase. Apple's own example: Property,House,Real Estate

App Store Connect adds two details. Each keyword must be longer than two characters, and the limit is written as 100 bytes. Plain Latin letters are one byte each. For other scripts, count bytes, not letters

What to leave out

Words already in your app name, subtitle or category. Apple says not to repeat them
Plurals of words you already have ("climbs" and "climb" count as duplicates)
Generic words like "app" or "game", and filler like "the" and "to"
Special characters such as # or @
Competitor app names, trademarks and celebrity names. Apple does not allow them

More on the last one: can I use competitor names in keywords

An example

Say your app is a sleep tracker. Name: Sleep Tracker - Snore Log. Subtitle: Bedtime Reminders. Your field should not say "sleep" or "tracker". It can say:

insomnia,nap,smart alarm,white noise,dream journal,rem

That is 55 characters. Words in the field combine with words in the name and subtitle, so "smart alarm" also helps searches that mix it with "sleep". Spending commas on separate words, not repeated phrases, gets more combinations from the same 100 characters

What it can and can't do

The field is invisible to users, but it counts. From our scan of 350,712 searches: it wins small results and won't carry you through big ones. The name is the strongest place. How much stronger than the keyword field is something we have not measured, so we don't quote a number

Apple builds phrases from separate words but won't join them into one. If people type a search as one word, put that whole word in. Different forms of a word can count as different words, so use the form people type

How to fill 100 characters

List the searches in your niche and check each one for demand and competition
Put the middle one (real demand, rivals you can beat) in the name. See the subtitle page for the next tier
Fill the keyword field with what is left, one word per comma slot
Check no word repeats across fields

How long until it works

Apple re-indexes after you ship a new version. On one of our apps, a metadata release was followed by about 4-5 days of near-zero search impressions, then recovery above the old level. Plan for the dip. Don't undo the change on day two

Not sure which searches deserve the 100 characters? Check a name free on Lazy ASO, or see how to find keywords