Pinterest Ad Specs and Sizes: Complete 2026 Guide

Pinterest ad specs cover the image dimensions, video requirements, file sizes, and character limits each Pinterest format expects. Because Pinterest is a visual discovery engine, getting aspect ratios right is what keeps your Pins from getting cropped in the home feed.

Pinterest favors vertical, mobile-first creative. The safe default is a 2:3 aspect ratio at 1000 x 1500 pixels, but video and carousel formats open up square and taller options. This reference lists every current format so your assets render as designed.

Why These Specs Matter

Why Pinterest specs matter: Pinterest is a visual discovery engine, not a social feed, so the platform crops aggressively to protect the clean grid. An image uploaded at the wrong aspect ratio is silently trimmed rather than letterboxed, which means your product or headline can vanish before a user ever saves the Pin. The 2:3 ratio at 1000 x 1500 is the safe default because it fills the mobile screen without triggering the crop. Video follows the same logic in reverse: square and vertical framing survives the two-column grid, while anything wider than 1:1 on max-width video gets squeezed. Treat the spec sheet as the first step in creative strategy, not a final QA pass, and your Pins will look intentional across every placement. When in doubt, export at the higher resolution the platform lists and let it downscale, because a too-small asset is the one error the cropper cannot fix for you.

Standard Image Ad Specs

Standard image ads are the most common Pin format. They appear in the home feed and search. Start from our Pinterest Ads guide for objective and targeting setup before you build creative.

Specification	Requirement
Recommended Size	1000 x 1500 pixels
Aspect Ratio	2:3 (vertical)
File Formats	PNG, JPEG
Max File Size (Desktop)	20 MB per image
Max File Size (In-App)	32 MB per image
Pin Title	Up to 100 characters
Pin Description	Up to 500 characters

Standard and Max Width Video Ad Specs

Video Pins accept square or vertical framing. Max width video spans the two-column grid, so it cannot exceed a 1:1 height ratio. Keep videos short for completion.

Specification	Requirement
File Formats	MP4, MOV, M4V
Video Encoding	H.264 or H.265
Max File Size	2 GB
Video Length	4 seconds to 15 minutes
Recommended Length	6 to 15 seconds
Aspect Ratios	1:1, 2:3, 4:5, 9:16

Carousel Ad Specs

Carousel ads let viewers swipe through 2 to 5 cards. All cards must share one consistent aspect ratio, either 1:1 or 2:3, so the swipe experience stays uniform.

Specification	Requirement
Cards Per Ad	2 to 5 images
File Formats	PNG, JPEG
Max File Size	20 MB per image
Card Aspect Ratios	1:1 or 2:3
Title	Up to 100 characters

Collection and Shopping Ad Specs

Collection ads use a hero creative plus secondary tiles pulled from your catalog or uploaded manually. Shopping objectives support 2 to 10 secondary creatives.

Specification	Requirement
Hero Aspect Ratio	1:1 or 2:3
Secondary Creative Count	2 to 10 (catalog) / 3 to 24 (upload)
Hero File Size	10 MB (upload)
Catalog Creative	Pulled from product feed
File Formats	PNG, JPEG, or video

Idea, Quiz, and Showcase Ad Specs

Idea ads combine multiple creatives in one Pin; quiz ads add multiple-choice questions. Both reward concise overlay text and consistent square or vertical artwork.

Specification	Requirement
Idea Image Formats	BMP, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, WEBP
Idea Video Formats	MP4, M4V, MOV
Quiz Question Limit	96 characters
Quiz Answer Limit	48 characters
Title Pin Ratio	2:3

Quick Format Selection Cheat Sheet

The fastest way to pick a format is to start from your campaign goal, then match it to the envelope above. For pure reach on a phone-first audience, the single image or video format is the safest launch pad. For catalog-driven retail, the collection or shopping format keeps product tiles consistent. For brand storytelling, the longer video and AR or interactive formats earn more dwell time but demand stricter adherence to the encoding rules. In every case, export at the recommended resolution first and downscale only if a placement requires it, because upscaling a smaller asset is what produces the blur and rejection most teams blame on the platform rather than on their export settings. Keep one master template per platform at the native aspect ratio, and new creative becomes a resize rather than a rebuild.

Common Spec Mistakes to Avoid

The Pinterest mistakes that waste the most spend are square images forced into a 2:3 slot, video wider than the 1.91:1 to 1:2 band, and carousels that mix aspect ratios across cards. All three trigger silent cropping that the advertiser rarely notices until save rates dip. Standardize on 1000 x 1500 for images, keep video square or vertical, and lock every carousel card to the same ratio before upload. A quick pre-flight check against the table above catches most issues before the creative ever reaches review.

Pre-Launch Checklist

Export standard image Pins at 1000 x 1500 (2:3) and keep each file under 20 MB desktop or 32 MB in-app.
Build video Pins as MP4 or MOV, H.264 or H.265, up to 2 GB, and aim for 6 to 15 seconds of runtime.
Set every carousel card to the same aspect ratio, either 1:1 or 2:3, so the swipe experience stays uniform.
Write Pin titles under 100 characters and descriptions under 500 characters, keeping the visible title under 40.
Confirm the aspect ratio sits inside the 1.91:1 to 1:2 band for video so the cropper never trims your creative.
Validate the hero of a collection ad at 1:1 or 2:3 and assemble secondary tiles from a clean product feed before launch.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Best Image Size for Pinterest Ads?

Use 1000 x 1500 pixels at a 2:3 aspect ratio for standard image ads. Pins with an aspect ratio greater than 2:3 may be cut off in the home feed. Export as PNG or JPEG up to 20 MB on desktop or 32 MB in-app.

What Video Specs Does Pinterest Require?

Pinterest video ads accept MP4, MOV, or M4V with H.264 or H.265 encoding, up to 2 GB, and 4 seconds to 15 minutes long. Recommended length is 6 to 15 seconds. Use square (1:1) or vertical (2:3, 4:5, 9:16) aspect ratios.

What Are the Character Limits for Pinterest Ad Copy?

The Pin title allows up to 100 characters and the description up to 500 characters. Quiz ads allow up to 96 characters per question and 48 per answer. Keep the title under 40 characters for best feed display.

What Sizes Do Pinterest Carousel and Collection Ads Use?

Carousel cards use 1:1 or 2:3 images, 20 MB per image, with 2 to 5 cards. Collection ads use a 1:1 or 2:3 hero plus 2 to 10 secondary creatives, all sharing one consistent aspect ratio. Shopping catalogs pull creative from your product feed.

Why Do My Pinterest Ads Get Cropped?

Cropping happens when the aspect ratio exceeds 2:3 for images or falls outside the 1.91:1 to 1:2 band for video. Export at 1000 x 1500 (2:3) for images and keep video square or vertical to prevent the platform from trimming your creative.