Design3 min read
Pinterest Pin Size: 2:3, and When to Break It
Pinterest recommends a 2:3 Pin at 1000x1500. Here is why that ratio wins, what happens to taller Pins, and the title and description limits alongside it.
The Pinterest Pin size to use is 1000×1500 pixels — a 2:3 aspect ratio, which is what Pinterest itself recommends (Pinterest specs). Everything else about a Pin, including the title and description limits, follows from the fact that the feed is a column of tall tiles competing for one glance.
The Pinterest Pin size specification
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Aspect ratio | 2:3 |
| Resolution | 1000×1500 |
| File size | Up to 20 MB on desktop, 32 MB in-app |
| Formats | PNG or JPEG — Pinterest converts everything to 8-bit RGB JPEG |
| Title | Up to 100 characters; roughly the first 40 show in feeds |
| Description | Up to 800 characters; used for relevance, not shown in feeds |
Two details in that table are worth pausing on. Pinterest converts every upload to JPEG, so uploading a PNG in sRGB is the safest way to control what that conversion produces. And the description does not appear in the home or search feed at all — it is read by Pinterest for matching, not by the person scrolling.
FreeMentioned in this article
Pin Image SizerOne image at the three shapes Pinterest distributes.The Pin sizer exports 2:3, 1:1 and 9:16 from one image at Pinterest's own dimensions, which covers standard Pins, square placements and the vertical video slot.
Why 2:3 and not taller
Longer Pins were once a growth trick. Pinterest now truncates Pins taller than 2:3 in the feed, so the bottom of a tall Pin — usually where people put the call to action — is simply not shown until someone taps through.
The result is that 2:3 is not a recommendation to consider, it is the shape that gets seen. Square Pins work and take less vertical space; landscape Pins are a waste of a vertical feed.
FreeMentioned in this article
Pinterest Pin PreviewYour Pin in the feed tile and the closeup — they show different things.The preview draws the Pin as both the feed tile and the closeup, which show different things — the feed tile crops, the closeup does not, and a design that only works in one of them is a design that fails half the time.
Text on a Pin
Pinterest is a visual search engine where most Pins carry a text overlay, and the overlay is usually the reason a Pin is clicked. Rules that survive the small feed tile:
- Six words or fewer. The Pin is competing at thumbnail size.
- Top third or bottom third, not centred over the busiest part of the image.
- High contrast. Assume it will be recompressed.
- Say the outcome, not the topic. "Sourdough that rises in 4 hours" beats
"Sourdough tips".
The fields that decide whether it is found
The image gets the click; the text fields get the impression. Titles are capped at 100 characters with roughly the first 40 showing in feeds, and descriptions run to 800 characters used for relevance matching.
FreeMentioned in this article
Pinterest Pin SEO CheckerScores a Pin the way a search engine reads it, because that is what Pinterest is.The SEO checker scores keyword placement across the title, description, board and destination URL together — which is the right unit, because Pinterest reads all four. See Pinterest SEO and writing a Pin description Pinterest can read.
Rich Pins pull data from your page
A Rich Pin adds metadata from the linked page — article, product or recipe details — and it depends on markup on your site being correct and validated.
FreeMentioned in this article
Rich Pin ValidatorWhich tags your page is missing, not just whether it failed.When they stop working, the cause is nearly always the markup: Rich Pins not working.
The cross-network ratio reference is social media image sizes.
What is the best Pinterest Pin size?
1000×1500 pixels at a 2:3 aspect ratio, which is Pinterest's own recommendation.
What happens if a Pin is taller than 2:3?
It is truncated in the feed, so anything at the bottom - typically the call to action - is not seen until someone opens the Pin.
How long can a Pin title be?
Up to 100 characters, with roughly the first 40 visible in feeds. Front-load anything that has to be read.
Does the Pin description show in the feed?
No. It is used by Pinterest for relevance matching. It still matters, but not as copy the scroller reads.
Export every Pin ratio at Pinterest's own dimensions with the Pin image sizer.
Put it to work
Tools for the job you just read about
Free to run, most of them without an account.
FreeImages & video
Pin Image Sizer
One image at the three shapes Pinterest distributes.
Size the pin →1 runs
FreePreviews
Pinterest Pin Preview
Your Pin in the feed tile and the closeup — they show different things.
Preview →2 runs
FreePreviews
Pinterest Pin SEO Checker
Scores a Pin the way a search engine reads it, because that is what Pinterest is.
Check →2 runs
FreePreviews
Rich Pin Validator
Which tags your page is missing, not just whether it failed.
Validate →1 runs
FreePreviews
Google SERP Snippet Preview
See your title and description as a Google result — on a desktop and a phone.
Preview →5 runs
FreeUtilities
Social Media URL Cleaner
Strip the tracking off a link — and see what each parameter was telling somebody.
Clean →1 runs
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