Pinterest is a vertical surface by design, its whole layout is built around tall pins in a scrolling grid. Post a square or horizontal image and it just takes up less space on screen than everyone else’s pins, competing for attention it was never sized to get.
Here are the dimensions Pinterest actually uses.
| Type | Size | Aspect ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Profile Photo | 165 x 165 | 1:1 |
| Standard Pin | 1000 x 1500 | 2:3 |
| Square Pin | 1000 x 1000 | 1:1 |
| Long Pin | 1000 x 2100 | 1:2.1 |
| Board Cover | 222 x 150 | 3:2 |
| Pin Video | 1000 x 1500 | 2:3 |
| Idea Pin | 1080 x 1920 | 9:16 |
| Carousel Pin | 1000 x 1500 | 2:3 |
Which size to actually use
2:3, at 1000 x 1500, is the working ratio for standard pins and it’s the one worth defaulting to. It’s tall enough to stand out in the grid without being so extreme that Pinterest truncates it in some placements. Square pins at 1000 x 1000 are fine for a quick post, but they read as noticeably smaller next to standard pins in the same feed.
Long pins at 1000 x 2100 can work for a single infographic or a step-by-step image, but treat them as the exception, not the default, they get visually truncated in a lot of grid views and only show their full height once someone clicks in.
Idea Pins use the same 1080 x 1920 vertical frame as Instagram and TikTok. Keep text and key visuals away from the top and bottom edges, Pinterest’s own interface overlays that space.
Format and common mistakes
Design at the actual target size rather than cropping a landscape photo down to 2:3 after the fact, you lose control over what stays in frame. A social media image resizer is the faster way to get a source image to the right proportions before you build the pin.
The most common mistake on Pinterest specifically is putting your call-to-action text right at the bottom edge of a standard pin. Pinterest’s own overlay (save button, profile info) sits there, and it’ll cover text placed too close to it. Leave a real margin. If you’re formatting pins alongside other platforms, the social media image size guide keeps the numbers straight in one place.
Keep an eye on file size too, tall pins with lots of detail can get large fast, and an image compressor brings that down without a visible hit to quality.