How to Delete a Pinterest Account (2026): Desktop and App Steps

Pinterest may seem like a low-stakes platform compared to Facebook or Google, but it collects more data than most users realize. Pinterest tracks your search behavior, the pins you view and save, your browsing activity on websites with Pinterest tracking pixels, and builds detailed interest profiles used for advertising. If you have decided that the privacy trade-off is no longer worth the inspiration boards, this guide walks you through deleting your Pinterest account as part of your broader Digital Privacy & Online Safety guide.

Pinterest is notable for offering both deactivation and deletion as distinct options, and for having a shorter grace period than most platforms – just 7 days compared to the 30-day window most social networks provide. Make sure you have saved everything you want before initiating the process.

Quick answer: On desktop, log in at pinterest.com, click the options icon (bottom left) and open Settings, click Account management, click Delete account, and follow the prompts – Pinterest emails you to confirm. Your profile disappears immediately and the account is permanently deleted after 7 days. Logging back in during those 7 days reactivates the account and cancels the deletion, so do not log in just to check on it. If you only want a break, choose Deactivate account instead – that option is reversible at any time.

Before You Delete: Back Up Your Data

Pinterest boards can represent years of curated inspiration, project planning, and saved ideas. Take time to preserve what matters.

Download Your Pinterest Data

1. Log in to pinterest.com on a desktop browser
2. Click the options icon (bottom left)
3. Click Settings
4. Click Privacy and data
5. Find Request your data
6. Click Start request
7. Pinterest emails you a download link when the archive is ready

Pinterest says the request can take up to 48 hours, and it delivers the file through its transfer provider, SendSafely. Pinterest does not publish a field-by-field list of what the archive contains, so open it and check that everything you care about is there before you delete anything.

Save Your Boards and Pins

The data export may not include full-resolution images for all your pins. To save your boards more thoroughly:

Individual pins:

1. Open each pin you want to save
2. Click the pin image to view it at full size
3. Right-click and save the image to your computer
4. Note the source URL if you want to revisit the original content

Board organization:

• Take screenshots of your board layouts if the visual organization matters to you
• Copy the source URLs for pins that link to recipes, tutorials, or articles you want to revisit later
• Consider using a bookmarking service like Raindrop.io or browser bookmarks as an alternative to Pinterest’s organizational system

What to Check Before Deleting

• Boards with collaborators – If you have group boards, removing your account will remove you as a contributor. Pins you added to group boards may be removed as well. Notify collaborators before deleting.
• Business account features – If you have a Pinterest Business account with ads, promoted pins, or analytics data, export your analytics and resolve any pending billing before deletion.
• Connected website – If you verified your website with Pinterest and use Rich Pins, those features will stop working after deletion.
• Third-party logins – If you use “Sign in with Pinterest” on any services, create standalone accounts for those services.
• Pinterest API integrations – If you built or use apps that integrate with the Pinterest API through your account, those integrations will stop functioning.
• Shopping lists – If you use Pinterest’s shopping features, save any product lists or wish lists separately.

Step-by-Step: Delete Pinterest on Desktop

1. Go to pinterest.com and log in
2. Click the options icon (bottom left)
3. Click Settings
4. Click Account management in the left-hand navigation
5. Click Delete account
6. Follow the prompts – Pinterest asks why you are leaving before it continues
7. Confirm the deletion through the email Pinterest sends to the address on your account

Your profile is deactivated as soon as you confirm, and the 7-day countdown starts from that point.

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Get the app

Step-by-Step: Delete Pinterest on Mobile

iPhone or Android

1. Open the Pinterest app and log in
2. Tap your profile picture (bottom right) to open your profile
3. Open your settings – tap your profile photo at the top left, or on a business account tap the ellipsis icon at the top right
4. Tap Account management
5. Scroll to the bottom and tap Delete your data and account
6. Follow the prompts and confirm through the email Pinterest sends you

Permanent deletion is fully supported in the app, and it starts the same 7-day countdown as the desktop process.

What Happens to Your Data After Deletion

Pinterest uses a shorter timeline than most platforms:

• Immediately: Your profile, boards, and pins become hidden from other Pinterest users. Your account does not appear in search results.
• Days 1-7 (Deactivation Period): Your account is deactivated but recoverable. Log in at any point during this window and your account is reactivated, which cancels the deletion. The flip side is that you cannot log in simply to check on the account without undoing the deletion.
• After 7 days: Pinterest begins permanent deletion. Your account, boards, pins, and associated data are removed permanently and cannot be recovered.

Pinterest notes one regional exception: users in California have to contact Pinterest support to reactivate a closed account rather than just logging back in.

What is permanently deleted:

• Your profile, boards, and all pins you created or saved
• Secret boards and their contents
• Direct messages
• Search history and activity data
• Advertising preferences and interest profiles
• Shopping activity and product pins

Data that may persist:

• Pins of your original content that other users have saved to their own boards remain on those users’ accounts
• Comments you left on other users’ pins may remain visible
• Pinterest may retain some data for legal compliance, fraud prevention, and platform safety
• Search engine caches may show your Pinterest profile until they refresh

Deactivation vs. Deletion

Pinterest offers both options as distinct choices:

How to Deactivate Instead of Delete

If you want a break without permanent consequences:

1. Go to Settings > Account management
2. Click Deactivate account (instead of Delete account)
3. Follow the prompts to confirm

Deactivation hides your profile and content but preserves everything. You can reactivate at any time simply by logging in. There is no time limit on deactivation – your account can remain deactivated indefinitely.

Alternatives to Deletion

If you are not ready for permanent departure, consider these approaches:

• Deactivate instead – Hide your profile and content without losing them. Reactivate whenever you choose.
• Make boards secret – Convert your boards to secret boards so only you can see them. This keeps your content accessible to you but invisible to others.
• Limit data collection – In Settings > Privacy and data, disable personalized ads and adjust what data Pinterest collects about your activity.
• Remove the app – Delete the Pinterest app from your phone to reduce casual browsing time while keeping your account intact.
• Disable browser extension – If you have the Pinterest browser extension installed, remove it to stop Pinterest from tracking your browsing activity on other websites.
• Unlink social accounts – Disconnect any linked Facebook, Google, or other social accounts under Settings > Social Permissions.
• Opt out of search engine indexing – In Settings > Privacy, disable the option that allows search engines to index your Pinterest profile.

Securing Your Remaining Accounts

After deleting Pinterest, use the opportunity to strengthen the security of accounts you continue to use. If your Pinterest password was the same as passwords for other services, change those immediately. The risks of password reuse are real – attackers routinely test leaked credentials from one service against others.

A password manager like PanicVault takes the burden out of maintaining unique passwords. PanicVault generates strong, random passwords for every account, stores them in a KeePass-compatible encrypted vault, and autofills them on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac through system-wide AutoFill. You only need to remember one master password.

Take these steps to shore up your security:

1. Replace any passwords that matched your Pinterest password
2. Check your email address against known data breaches
3. Enable two-factor authentication on every account that supports it
4. Run a personal security audit to identify any remaining gaps in your digital security

Related Articles

• The Complete Guide to Digital Privacy
• How to Secure Your Social Media Accounts
• How to Remove Your Personal Information From Data Brokers
• The Dangers of Password Reuse
• How to Check if Your Email Has Been Compromised