Pinterest Character Limits: Title, Description and Alt Text (2026)

Every pin has three pieces of text that Pinterest reads: the title, the description and the alt text. Each one has a Pinterest character limit, and the numbers you find online do not agree. Some guides say a description can hold 500 characters, others say 800. We went to the most precise public source Pinterest publishes, its API specification, and checked every field.

The Pinterest character limit for each field

These are the limits set in Pinterest's REST API specification, version 5.28.0, which Pinterest publishes on GitHub. We read it on November 13, 2026.

If you only remember one line: 100 for the title, 800 for the description, 500 for alt text. You can test your own text against these numbers with our free Pinterest character counter.

Why many guides say 500 for descriptions

The 500 figure is everywhere. Scheduling tools, ad spec sheets and older blog posts list it, and some of them were correct when they were written. The API specification that Pinterest maintains today sets the description field to a maximum of 800 characters for pins created and updated through the API.

We have not found a current page in Pinterest's Help Center that states the description limit in words. That is why we rely on the API specification: it is the exact rule Pinterest's own servers apply to pin text sent by apps. If the box you type in ever stops you earlier, the limit of that app or tool applies, and we would like to hear about it on our contact page.

Pinterest title character limit: 100

The title is the most visible text on a pin, so it does the most work. Pinterest allows 100 characters, but long titles are cut short in many feed layouts, so the first few words carry the message.

• Start with the phrase people search for, such as "Easy chicken fajitas" rather than "You will love these".
• Add the detail that makes someone tap: time, size, result or audience.
• Write it for a person first. A clear title is also clear to Pinterest.

A weak title: "My favorite thing to make this week!!" A clear one: "Sheet pan chicken fajitas in 25 minutes". The second one names the subject, so it can match a search.

Pinterest description character limit: 800

The description gives Pinterest more words to understand your pin. According to Pinterest's engineering team, the pin's title and description are two of the text sources Pinterest uses to build annotations, the short labels it uses to match pins with searches.

Good pin description length is the length you need to describe the pin well, not the maximum. For most pins that means one to three natural sentences:

1. Say what the pin shows and who it is for.
2. Mention one or two related phrases people search, if they truly fit.
3. Tell people what they get when they tap through.

Hashtags count toward the limit, because they are text in the description. In our view, a clear sentence tells Pinterest more about a pin than a long row of hashtags.

Pinterest alt text limit: 500

Alt text describes the image for people who use screen readers, and appears when an image cannot load. Pinterest's API gives it its own field with a 500-character limit.

Describe what is actually in the image: "Sliced chicken fajitas with red and green peppers on a sheet pan." Include your keyword only when it truly describes the picture. Alt text is for accessibility first.

Links and other limits

A pin's destination link can be up to 2,048 characters, and a board section name up to 180. The API specification we checked does not set a maximum for board names or board descriptions, so we do not quote one here.

How to check your pin text before you publish

1. Open the free Pinterest character counter.
2. Type your main keyword, then paste the title, description and alt text.
3. Fix anything over the limit, and move the keyword forward if the counter says it appears late in the title.

Length is only one part of Pinterest SEO. Pinterest also reads your image, your board and the page your pin links to. PinRankr, the tool we are building, is designed to show which keywords and labels the top pins use for a search. You can join early access to try it first.