About Pastebin.com
Pastebin.com is a website for storing and sharing plain text and source code. It launched on 3 September 2002 and was created by Paul Dixon. The name has since become a generic term for this whole category of service, and Pastebin.com remains one of the most widely used sites of its kind.
You paste text into a box, optionally choose a syntax highlighting language, an expiry time and a visibility setting, and receive a short link to share. Guests can post without registering. A free account lets you manage your pastes, create private pastes and use folders.
A paid PRO account raises the maximum paste size from the standard limit to 10 MB, increases the number of pastes you can create each day, removes ads and captchas, and adds features such as direct file uploads, Markdown pastes and a scraping API. When checked in October 2026 the PRO page said the plan was sold out and did not list a price.
How to create a paste
- Go to pastebin.com and paste your text into the main box.
- Optionally pick a syntax highlighting language, an expiry time and the exposure (public, unlisted or private, the last needing an account).
- Give the paste a title if you like, then select Create New Paste.
- Copy the URL from your browser to share it. The raw text of a public or unlisted paste is available at
https://pastebin.com/raw/followed by the paste key.
Developers can create pastes programmatically through the API, which needs a developer key from a registered account.
Things to know
- Visibility: public pastes can appear in public listings, unlisted pastes are hidden from lists but readable by anyone with the link, and private pastes are visible only to the logged-in owner. Pastes are not end-to-end encrypted, so avoid posting passwords or personal data.
- Limits: the FAQ gives a standard paste size limit of 512 KB and 10 MB for PRO. Guests can create 10 new pastes in 24 hours, and free accounts are limited to 10 private and 10 unlisted pastes.
- Expiry: the API offers expiry periods from 10 minutes to 1 year, or never. Expired pastes are removed automatically.
- Ads: the free site shows advertising and may ask for a captcha when pasting. PRO removes both, although certain keywords can still trigger a captcha.
- Inactivity: the PRO page says PRO pastes are never deleted for inactivity, which implies pastes on other accounts may be.
Frequently asked questions
Is Pastebin free?
Yes. You can paste as a guest without an account, and a free account adds features such as private pastes. A paid PRO account raises the size and daily limits and removes ads, although the PRO page described it as sold out when checked in October 2026.
Can guests make private pastes on Pastebin?
No. Guests can create public and unlisted pastes only. Private pastes, which only the owner can view while logged in, need an account.
What is the difference between unlisted and private?
An unlisted paste is not shown in public lists but anyone with the link can read it. A private paste can only be viewed by its owner when signed in.