How to Delete Your Pinterest Account (or Deactivate It)

To delete your Pinterest account, request a copy of your data, then open your settings, go to the account management section and choose the option to delete your data and account. Pinterest asks for a reason and sends a confirmation email; once you confirm, the account is deactivated right away and permanently deleted after a short waiting period, unless you log back in. If you only want a break, Pinterest also lets you deactivate the account, which hides your profile and boards until you return.

Pinterest is easy to forget about, but public boards and profiles often show up in Google and Google Images for your name. This guide explains how to delete a Pinterest account cleanly, the difference between deactivating and deleting, and how to deal with anything that lingers in search.

Why delete, and whether you need to

People close Pinterest accounts for all kinds of reasons: an old account from years ago with a profile photo they don’t like, boards that reveal more than intended (wedding plans, a new home, a health condition), a business that has closed, or simply not using it anymore. Before deleting, consider whether a smaller change solves the problem:

The problem	Smaller fix
One or two revealing boards	Make those boards secret, or delete them
Your name on the profile	Change your display name and profile photo
Profile showing in Google	Turn off search engine visibility in your privacy settings
You want a break	Deactivate the account
You’re done with Pinterest	Delete the account

Secret boards are visible only to you and anyone you invite, which makes them a good option for content you want to keep but not share.

Before you delete your Pinterest account

Request your data

Pinterest lets you request a copy of your data from the privacy and data section of its settings. It emails you when the file is ready. The export records your boards, Pins and account details. If you want the images themselves, save those you uploaded from your own device, since Pins saved from other websites point to images you may not have copies of. Keep a list of links to any recipes, guides or products you want to find again.

Check for a business account

If you run a Pinterest business account, check how it’s set up. A business account may be linked to a personal account or stand on its own, and ad accounts, billing and claimed websites are managed separately. Pause or close any active ad campaigns and settle billing before you delete. Pinterest’s help center explains how linked personal and business accounts are affected when one of them is deleted.

Leave group boards properly

If you own group boards that others add to, think about the collaborators. Transfer the board, or tell them before you go so they can save what they need.

Disconnect linked logins

If you created your Pinterest account with Google, Facebook or Apple, or you use Pinterest to sign in elsewhere, note those connections. After deletion, sign-in through Pinterest will stop working for those services.

How to delete your Pinterest account

Pinterest keeps the delete and deactivate options in the account management part of its settings, on the website and in the app. Labels can change, so use these steps as a general route and check Pinterest’s help center if something looks different.

1. Sign in and open Settings from your profile menu.
2. Go to account management.
3. Choose the option to delete your data and account.
4. Pick a reason and continue.
5. Check your email for Pinterest’s confirmation message, and follow the link to confirm.

Once confirmed, your profile is deactivated right away, and Pinterest permanently deletes the account after a waiting period. Logging back in during that period reactivates it. Pinterest’s help center gives the current length of the window. After it passes, your boards, Pins and profile can’t be restored. As with other platforms, Pinterest may keep some information for legal, safety or business reasons, as its privacy policy describes.

Deactivate vs delete

	Deactivate	Delete
Profile and boards visible	No	No
Boards and Pins kept	Yes	No, after the waiting period
Return	Log in and reactivate at any time	Only during the waiting period
Best for	A break, or hiding the account while you decide	Leaving Pinterest for good

Deactivating is found in the same account management section. It’s a good choice if you’re not sure, because it takes the profile out of public view immediately and you can make the final decision later.

What deleting your Pinterest account removes, and what it doesn’t

Deleting your account removes your profile, boards and Pins from Pinterest. What it can’t reach:

• Pins other people saved. If someone saved one of your Pins to their own board, how that copy behaves depends on Pinterest’s current rules and where the image came from. Check Pinterest’s help center if a particular image matters to you.
• Images on the original websites. Most Pins link to images hosted elsewhere, such as a blog or shop. Deleting the Pin doesn’t touch the source.
• Your photos reposted elsewhere. If you uploaded personal photos and others copied them, those copies need to be handled separately. A reverse image search is the quickest way to find them.
• Search results. Old boards and profile pages can appear in Google and Google Images for a while after the account is gone.

Old Pinterest results in Google

Pinterest pages, especially boards and image Pins, are often indexed by Google, so it’s common to see them for a while after deletion. A few weeks after deleting, search your name and old username in a private browser window, and check Google Images too. If a result points to a page that’s gone, Google usually drops it on its next crawl. If it lingers, use Google’s Refresh Outdated Content tool. Our guides to removing outdated content from Google and removing images from Google explain each route.

If you can’t log in

You need account access to delete or deactivate. If you’ve forgotten your password, reset it through Pinterest’s login page using the email on the account. If you signed up with Google, Facebook or Apple, sign in through that same service. If the email address is no longer yours or someone has changed it, contact Pinterest through its official help center and explain that you’ve lost access; it may ask you to confirm details about the account.

If you think your account was hacked, secure the email account connected to it first, then contact Pinterest’s help center. Ignore anyone in messages or comments offering to recover or delete accounts for a fee; only use Pinterest’s own channels.

A worked example

This scenario is illustrative, not a real client. Elena opened a Pinterest account when planning her wedding ten years ago, using her full maiden name. The public boards, including her old address from a “new home” board and pictures from a relative’s baby shower, now appear in Google Images when her name is searched.

1. She requests her data and saves the handful of photos she uploaded herself.
2. She deactivates the account straight away so the boards stop being public while she decides.
3. A week later, she reactivates long enough to delete the account through account management and confirms by email.
4. After the waiting period, two board images still appear in Google Images. She uses Google’s outdated content tool on both, and they drop out.
5. A reverse image search shows one of her photos reposted on a wedding blog. She emails the blog owner, who removes it.

Common mistakes

• Not confirming the email. Deletion doesn’t start until you follow the link in Pinterest’s confirmation message.
• Logging back in by habit. Opening the app during the waiting period can reactivate the account.
• Forgetting the business account. Ad campaigns and billing may continue until you deal with them.
• Deleting when a board is the problem. Making one board secret is faster and keeps everything else.
• Stopping at Pinterest. Old boards are often one part of a wider footprint. Our guide to cleaning up your digital footprint helps you find the rest.

If images or personal details keep appearing for your name after you’ve deleted the account, our content removal service can review what can be taken down and what’s better pushed down.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to delete a Pinterest account?

Your profile is deactivated as soon as you confirm by email, and Pinterest permanently deletes the account after a waiting period. Pinterest’s help center gives the current length of that window.

Can I recover a deleted Pinterest account?

Only during the waiting period, by logging back in. Once the account is permanently deleted, your boards and Pins can’t be restored.

What's the difference between deactivating and deleting Pinterest?

Deactivating hides your profile and boards but keeps everything, and you can return at any time. Deleting removes the account and its content permanently after the waiting period.

Will my Pinterest boards disappear from Google?

Usually, after Google recrawls the pages. If an old board or image lingers, use Google’s Refresh Outdated Content tool to request an update.