How to Use Pinterest

This guide will walk you through the basics of Pinterest, an image discovery app where you can search for recipes, home decorating ideas, hairstyles, crafts, and other creative inspirations to spark your imagination. As you browse and explore Pins—visual bookmarks—you can save these Pins to boards and organize them however you like. Once you master these basic skills, you'll be ready to dive deeper into Pinterest's world.

Open Pinterest. You can open the app by tapping on the Pinterest icon on your phone or tablet, or visit the website at https://www.pinterest.com.

• If you're not logged in, click or tap the Log in button to sign in.
• If you don't have a Pinterest account, click or tap the Sign up button to create an account.

Browse the Home Page. When you open Pinterest, you'll land on the homepage. This is where you'll find Pins (visual bookmarks) recommended based on your activity, as well as Pins from topics, people, and boards you follow.

• You can return to the homepage anytime by clicking the Pinterest icon (a red circle with a white 'p' inside) on the website, or tapping the home icon at the bottom left corner of the mobile app.
• On the homepage, you'll also see other navigation tabs like Today and Following. Tap or click Today to see fresh daily inspiration from Pinterest, or Following to view content shared by people you're following.

Click or tap a Pin. Think of Pins as visual bookmarks. People create Pins for things that inspire them online—you'll find Pins about recipes, events, crafts, art and design, teaching tools, fashion, and any topic you can imagine. When you select a Pin, you'll see a larger version along with a brief description and other options.

• If the Pin is linked to a website, click the link (or tap the Visit option on mobile) to view the full content.
• If you find a Pin you like, you can click or tap Save to save it to one of your boards. You can learn more about boards in the section Saving Pins to a Board.
• Each Pin also contains a link to its author. If you'd like to see more Pins from that person, tap Follow next to their name. Check out Following Boards and People to learn more about how to follow others on Pinterest.

Go to your profile page. If you're on a phone or tablet, tap the person icon near the bottom-right of the page. On a computer browser, click the person icon (or your profile picture, if you have one) at the top-right. Here, you'll see your saved Pins and created boards.

• Click or tap Boards to view the boards you've created.
• Click or tap Pins to see the list of Pins you've saved.

Edit your profile and preferences. You can update your Pinterest profile and adjust settings by clicking the pencil icon (on desktop) or tapping the gear icon.

• Select Edit Profile to add personal information and a photo.
• Select Account settings to set up general features like login methods, update your email or location, or deactivate your account.
• Select Notifications to manage alerts about new activity.
• Select Privacy & data to control how Pinterest uses your data and configure what content shows up in search results.
• Select Security to manage your password and enable two-factor authentication.

Search for people, topics, or ideas on Pinterest. On a phone or tablet, tap the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of the screen to open the search bar. On a computer, the search bar is located at the top of the homepage. This feature opens a search page with suggested topics and your recent searches.

• To search for something specific, just type a keyword in the search box. As you type, you'll see some suggestions appear beneath the search bar. You can tap or click on the relevant suggestion or press Enter or Return.
• Below the suggestions, you'll find accounts that match your search term—you can tap on one to visit their profile, boards, and Pins.

Check notifications. You can view messages about new posts from people you follow, new followers, and activities from friends. These notifications vary depending on the device you're using to view Pinterest:

• On desktop: From the homepage, click the bell icon at the top-right corner.
• On mobile or tablet: Tap and hold the chat bubble with three dots at the bottom of the screen—this opens the Updates tab in your inbox, where notifications are displayed.

Send, view, and manage messages. Click or tap on the chat bubble with three dots inside (this icon is located at the top-right of the website and the bottom of the screen on the mobile app). If you're using the mobile app, tap the Inbox tab to view messages.

• To send a message, click the pencil icon or select New Message, then choose up to 10 recipients. To send a Pin, click or tap the share icon to search for the person to send it to. Enter your message and click the paper plane icon or press Send to send the message.
• When you have a new message, simply tap the inbox to open it.

Search for a Pin. Enter a keyword into the search bar to view the displayed results.

• If you're on a phone or tablet, tap the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of the screen to open the search bar.

Click or tap a Pin. This action will display more information about the Pin you selected.

Click or tap the Save button on that Pin. If you've already created boards, you'll see a list of them here. If this is your first time saving a Pin (or you want to create a new board for the Pin you're saving), you can create a new board.

Click or tap the Create board button. This button is located at the bottom of the list. Tapping or clicking will open a form to create a new board where you'll enter some basic information.

Fill in basic details for your board. Enter a name for the board that represents the content of the Pins you'll save in it. For example, if you're saving a beautiful hairstyle, you might name the board "Curly Hairstyles" or "Beautiful Hair Ideas." If you're using a mobile phone or tablet, you can also select additional options:

• If you don't want others to see your board, you can toggle the "Secret" switch.
• If you want to share the board with others, tap the button under the "Collaborators" section to choose collaborators.

Click the Create button or tap the Next button. On mobile devices, you may need to tap Next to open a few related topics you can add to your new board if you want. If you're not interested, you can tap Skip and the board will be created. Once the board is created, it will appear as an option when saving Pins in the future.

Edit your board (optional). To add descriptions and other information to the board, follow these steps:

• Tap or click on the profile icon and select Boards.
• Click or tap the board.
• If you're on a computer, click the pencil icon on the left side of the page. If you're on a mobile phone or tablet, tap the menu at the top-right and select Edit.
• Now, you can edit the board name, add a description, choose a category, and manage how it's displayed to others. You can also invite collaborators if you'd like.
• In the future, you can return here to merge boards, archive them, or permanently delete them.
• Click or tap Done to save the changes.

Click or tap the profile icon. This will open your profile page, where you can view the boards and Pins you've saved. You can also create your own Pin by uploading an image or linking to a website.

Click or tap the + button. This button is located on the right side of the page in the list of your boards.

Select the Pin button. If you're using a mobile phone or tablet, you will need to grant the app access to your photo library at this step.

Create a Pin from an image. If you want to create a Pin by directly saving a webpage, skip this step and proceed to the next one. To create an image Pin, follow these steps:

• If using a phone or tablet, select an image and tap Next.
• If on a computer, click on a large box with an arrow inside, choose your image, and click Open.
• Enter a title and description. To help others find your Pin, make sure the description is accurate and includes relevant keywords.
• If you want your Pin to link to a website, click or tap the Destination option and paste the desired URL.
• Choose a board for your Pin. On mobile devices, tap Next, select a board from the dropdown menu, and click Save.

Create a Pin from a website. If you prefer not to upload your own image but want to use one from a linked webpage, follow these steps:

• Click on Save from site or tap the globe icon.
• Enter the direct link to the webpage you want to Pin. On mobile devices, you can also search for that page.
• Press Enter or Return to bring up a list of images from that site you can use for your Pin.
• Click or tap on the image you wish to use, then select Next (mobile/tablet) or Add to Pin (computer).
• If on a computer, enter a title and description for your Pin and select a board from the dropdown. On mobile or tablet, simply choose a board. You can always edit the title and description later.

Edit a Pin. After creating a Pin, you can modify its title, description, and other details. Here's how:

• Go to your profile and select Pins.
• If using a computer, hover over the Pin you want to edit and click the pencil icon. On mobile or tablet, tap and hold the Pin, then select the pencil icon.
• The information you can edit will vary depending on the Pin. If it links to a website, you can add notes and update the board. If it’s an image Pin, you can update the description and add or edit the URL.
• Click Save or tap Done to save your changes.

Open the search bar. On mobile or tablet, tap the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of the screen. On a computer, simply click the search bar at the top of the homepage.

Search for a keyword related to something you love. For example, if you want to follow a board that posts pictures of kittens, you could type "Kittens" into the search bar. If you're searching for a specific person, enter their username (or their actual name if you believe they use it on Pinterest).

Press ↵ Enter or ⏎ Return to initiate the search. On mobile or tablet, tap the Enter or Search button. The search results will display a list of Pins that match your keyword.

Filter your search results. You can narrow down your results to only show People or Boards that match your search term. On a computer, click the dropdown menu next to the All Pins filter and choose your desired option. On mobile or tablet, tap the filter icon (a sliding button) in the top-right corner to make your selection.

Click or tap on a person or board to view. If you decide not to follow the selected person or board, simply hit the back button to return to the search results and explore more.

Tap or click the Follow button. This action will add the person or board to your following list. To view everything you're following, return to the homepage and click the Following button at the top of the page.

• Review Pinterest's terms of service before posting any content to ensure you understand what you're allowed (and not allowed) to share.
• Uploading copyrighted material and claiming it as your own may result in your account being locked.