Pinterest Pin Description Limit: 800 Characters, Other Caps

Every Pin field cap in one table

If you're writing Pins in batches, or handing the job to a scheduling tool, it helps to know where each field stops before you start. Pinterest publishes these caps in its developer documentation for the create Pin endpoint, which is the reference scheduling tools build against. Here's what that reference sets for each part of a Pin, plus the editing rule from Pinterest's help pages.

Item	Limit	Applies to
Pin description	800 characters	Pins created through the Pinterest API (create Pin)
Pin title	100 characters	Pins created through the Pinterest API
Alt text	500 characters	Pins created through the Pinterest API
Destination link	2048 characters	Pins created through the Pinterest API
Edit after publishing	Title, description, link and board editable; image, video and audio not	Published Pins

Two things stand out. The description gives you eight times the room of the title, so the title is where you'll need to be ruthless. And every one of these fields is nullable in the API schema, which means each one can be left empty. A Pin with no description is allowed. It's just a missed chance to tell people what they're looking at and why they should click.

Where the 800 number comes from, and where it doesn't

Here's the part most quick answers skip. The 800 character cap is documented in the Pinterest developer docs for the create Pin endpoint. Pinterest's help page for creating a Pin from an image or video lists the details you add (Title, Description, Link and Board) and says a description can include hashtags, but it doesn't state a character number for the description box in the app or on the web.

So 800 is the API schema value, not an in-app notice. A scheduler or app may enforce a different cap in its own composer, because each one builds its own text box on top of the API. If a tool you use stops you short of 800, or lets you keep typing past it, that's the tool's own rule rather than one Pinterest has written down for the app.

What happens when you reach a cap

Pinterest's reference states each maximum length, not the message you'll see when you go past it. Anything longer than 800 characters falls outside what the create Pin schema accepts, and how that's handled depends on the tool you're writing in. Pinterest's help pages don't describe an in-app warning or a cut-off, so I'd be wary of any guide that quotes one as settled fact.

The sensible habit is simple: keep an eye on the character counter in whichever composer you use, and if there isn't one, paste your text into something that counts before you schedule a batch. It takes seconds and saves you finding out later that a long description was trimmed or rejected by a tool.

Writing the text: title, hashtags and alt text

Because the title tops out at 100 characters, write it first. Say what the Pin is in plain words, then use the description to add who it's for and what they'll get when they click through. Pinterest's help page confirms a description can include hashtags, so a couple of relevant ones can sit at the end without crowding the message.

Alt text is a separate field with its own 500 character cap. That means you don't need to squeeze a description of the image into the main text, and you shouldn't. Keep the description for the reader who can see the Pin, and use alt text to describe the image itself.

The destination link can run to 2048 characters, which is plenty for a normal web address, even one with campaign tags on the end. If you're new to the create flow and want the full walkthrough, my guide to creating a Pin on Pinterest from start to finish covers each screen.

Editing a Pin after it goes live

Pinterest's help page on editing Pins says you may be able to change a Pin's title, details, description, board, section and comment settings, depending on how the Pin was created. That's good news if you spot a typo or want to sharpen a description that isn't pulling clicks.

What you can't change is the media. The same page says the image, video or audio can't be edited once a Pin is published. If the picture is wrong, the fix is a new Pin, and my guide to deleting a Pin you no longer want covers clearing out the old one, so check the creative carefully before you hit publish, especially when you're scheduling a week of Pins at once.

One more detail from the API reference: a Pin is created on a board or board section owned by the account doing the posting. If you're working on a client's account, the boards need to belong to that account, not yours.

A quick check before every batch

• Title written first and under 100 characters.
• Description under 800 characters, with any hashtags at the end.
• Alt text filled in separately, under 500 characters.
• Link pasted in full and clicked once to make sure it lands.
• Image or video checked, because it can't be swapped after publishing.

Schedulers that write Pins for you

If you'd rather plan Pins in advance than post them one at a time, two tools cover the job. Buffer's Pinterest page says it schedules photo and video Pins and crossposts Pins to Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Threads. Publer's Pinterest scheduler page describes planning, scheduling and recycling Pins, and turning TikToks, Reels and Shorts into video Pins.

For the bigger picture on what to post and why, my Pinterest marketing strategy guide goes deeper. Whichever you choose, check its composer counter against the 800 cap, since each one sets its own text box.

My advice if you only do one thing

Write the title first, because 100 characters is the tight one, then use the description to say plainly what the Pin shows and who it's for. Treat 800 as Pinterest's documented ceiling from the API reference rather than a promise about what the app box will show, and trust your scheduler's own counter over any number you've read elsewhere. You'll never be caught out by a cap you didn't know about.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the Pinterest Pin description limit?

800 characters, per Pinterest's API reference for creating a Pin.

How long can a Pin title be?

100 characters in the API reference.

Can I use hashtags in a Pin description?

Yes. Pinterest's help page says a description can include hashtags.

Can I edit a description after publishing?

Yes, depending on how the Pin was created. The image, video or audio can't be changed once it's published.

Is there a limit on alt text?

Yes, 500 characters in the API reference.