The main Pinterest character limit numbers, as of October 2026: pin titles take 100 characters, pin descriptions 500, alt text 500, board names 50 and board descriptions 500. Your profile’s About text also allows 500. Those are ceilings, though, not targets. Only a slice of each field shows on screen, and that slice is where pins win or lose the click.
Every Pinterest character limit at a glance
| Field | Limit | What people actually see | Aim for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pin title | 100 | About the first 40 in feeds, depending on the device | 40–70 |
| Pin description | 500 (800 through the API) | The opening line or two on the pin page | 150–300 |
| Alt text | 500 | Nothing; screen readers and search read it | 100–250 |
| Board name | 50 | Often cut on profile grids | Under 30 |
| Board description | 500 | Under the board name on the board page | 1–2 sentences |
| Profile About (bio) | 500 | The first line or two on phones | 100–200 |
| Username | 3–30 (letters, numbers, underscores) | Your profile URL | Short, easy to spell |
| Display name | Guides quote 30 to 65; Pinterest doesn’t publish it | Top of your profile and on every pin | Under 30 |
Where do these numbers come from? Pinterest shows the title and description counters as you type; the alt text and board figures match the limits in Pinterest’s developer documentation. The display name is the one field nobody agrees on, so keep it short and you’ll never find out.
Pin title: 100 characters, about 40 on screen
Pinterest gives you 100 characters for a pin title. Then the editor itself adds the warning that matters: depending on the device, only the first 40 may show in people’s feeds. So write titles in two halves. The first 40 characters carry the searched phrase and the reason to click; the rest is a bonus for people who open the pin.
Example
Small Living Room Ideas That Make a Tiny Space Feel Bigger (58 characters). If the feed cuts it at 40, the reader still sees “Small Living Room Ideas That Make a Tiny”, and Pinterest still has the full phrase.
Titles also have a quirk: on some pins the feed shows no title at all. That’s usually not a length problem. Our guide to a Pinterest title not showing goes through the causes. For the writing itself, the Pinterest title generator guide has 30 formulas that fit comfortably under the limit.
Pin description: 500 characters (and why you’ll see 800)
Pinterest’s pin builder caps descriptions at 500 characters. You’ll also find 800 quoted around the web, and that’s not wrong either: it’s the ceiling in Pinterest’s API, which scheduling tools use to publish. Write for 500. Then it fits wherever the pin is created, by hand or by a tool.
Most pins don’t need all of it. One sentence that opens with the keyword, one or two with the details a searcher wants (time, size, price, steps), and an invitation to click: that’s 150 to 300 characters. Use the full 500 when detail is the selling point, as with a recipe or a product. The description guide has templates for eight niches.
Alt text: 500 characters nobody sees
Alt text describes the image for people using screen readers. Pinterest reads it too, as one more clue about what the pin shows. The limit is 500 characters; one or two literal sentences are plenty. “Sage green linen midi dress on a hanger against a white wall” does the job in 60. Our Pinterest alt text guide shows where to add it, because the field hides under “More options” in the pin builder.
Board names, board descriptions and your profile
Board names stop at 50 characters, but a name that long gets cut on most profile grids. Name boards like searches (“Small Bathroom Storage Ideas”, 28 characters) and they stay readable and findable. The board description gets 500 characters: one or two sentences with the board’s main phrase and a related one are enough.
On the profile, the About text holds 500 characters even though many generators still stop at 160, an older limit. Phones show only the start, so aim for 100 to 200 and put the most useful words first. The Pinterest bio guide has examples by niche.
Do spaces, hashtags and emoji count?
Yes, all of them. Every space, comma, hashtag and emoji uses up the limit of the field it sits in, and some emoji take two characters in counters that measure the way browsers do. Hashtags get no separate allowance. Since Pinterest reads plain words far more than tags, a line of ten hashtags is mostly 100 characters you could have spent on a sentence people search.
What happens if you go over
On Pinterest itself, you can’t. The field simply stops taking letters. Tools that post through the API are a different story. If a tool lets you write more than Pinterest keeps, find out what it does with the extra, because a trimmed description can end mid-word. Checking before you post costs nothing. SiteToSocial’s Pin Preview & SEO Checker counts the title, description and alt text against these limits and shows how the pin looks in a feed, free and without limits on use.
A complete pin, inside every limit
| Field | Text | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Easy Sourdough Discard Crackers With Rosemary and Sea Salt | 58 / 100 |
| Description | Easy sourdough discard crackers you can roll out in 10 minutes. Thin, crisp and ready to snap, with fresh rosemary and flaky sea salt. Great with cheese boards or soup. Get the full recipe, with tips for making them gluten free. | 228 / 500 |
| Alt text | Thin homemade sourdough crackers topped with rosemary and sea salt on a wooden board | 84 / 500 |
| Board | Sourdough Discard Recipes | 25 / 50 |
Notice what’s missing: no field anywhere near its ceiling. The searched phrase opens the title, the description and the board name, so it survives whatever the screen cuts off.
Writing every field to fit, pin after pin, is the tedious part. SiteToSocial’s free Pin Title & Description Generator does it within the limits, with each pin built on a keyword people search. Its paid plans go further and write, design and post the pins for you. That’s why it heads our list of the best Pinterest automation tools.
Frequently asked questions
What is the character limit for a Pinterest title?
A Pinterest pin title can be up to 100 characters. Pinterest's own pin builder warns that, depending on the device, only the first 40 may show in feeds, so the keyword belongs at the start.
How many characters can a Pinterest description have?
A Pinterest pin description can have up to 500 characters in Pinterest's pin builder. The API that scheduling tools use accepts 800, but writing for 500 keeps a description valid everywhere. Most pins need 150 to 300.
What is the Pinterest alt text character limit?
Pinterest alt text can be up to 500 characters. One or two plain sentences describing what the image shows, usually 100 to 250 characters, is enough.
How long can a Pinterest board name be?
A Pinterest board name can be up to 50 characters, and the board description up to 500. Short board names read better because long ones get cut on profile grids.
What is the Pinterest bio character limit?
The About field on a Pinterest profile takes up to 500 characters. Many guides and generators still quote 160, the older limit, and 100 to 200 characters is a sensible target because phones show only the first line or two.
Do hashtags and spaces count toward Pinterest's character limit?
Yes. Spaces, punctuation, hashtags and emoji all count toward the limit of the field they are in, and some emoji count as two characters. Hashtags have no separate allowance.
