How to Delete a Pinterest Account 2021
by Clare Ivatt
27th January 2021
Table of Contents
Should I Deactivate or Delete My Pinterest Account?
There are two ways to stop your account being shown on Pinterest – you can deactivate your account (the temporary solution) or you can delete your Pinterest account permanently.
If you deactivate your Pinterest account and later change your mind at any time, you simply have to sign back into Pinterest with the same logon and password, and your account will be reactivated with all your pins and boards intact.
If you decide to permanently delete your Pinterest account, you get a 14 day grace period in which you can change your mind. On the 15th day after deletion you will not be able to sign back in or reinstate your account and all of your pins will be removed.
What Happens to my Pins?
If you deactivate your account on Pinterest, your pins and boards will not be deleted, they just won’t be visible to anyone using Pinterest. If you reactivate your account, the pins and boards will be visible again.
If you delete your account, your pins and boards will be deleted (after the 14 days grace period), and no longer visible on Pinterest.
N.B. Pins which have been saved (or repinned) to boards on other peoples’ accounts will still be visible as they are copies of the original pin.
Step-by-Step Guide on How to Delete a Pinterest Account
There are slight differences between the desktop and mobile versions of Pinterest, so I’ll show you how to delete and deactivate your Pinterest account on a desktop or laptop first, and then I’ll show how to delete and deactivate your Pinterest account on mobile devices (iOS or Android).
How To Delete Your Pinterest Account on Desktop
1. Log in to Pinterest in your browser.
2. Go to the Settings screen – you’ll find it in the drop-down menu on the top right of the screen.
3. On the settings screen, choose the Account Settings on the left-hand menu (you will be shown the Edit Profile when you first enter Settings).
4. Scroll down the Account Settings Screen until you reach the Account Changes section which is at the bottom of the page.
5. Click on the Close account button
6. On the Close your account screen, you’ll be warned that all your pins and boards will be deleted. If you want to continue with the deletion, click on the Continue button.
7. On the next page select the reason that you are leaving Pinterest, and click the Send email button. Pinterest will send you an email and you will be logged out.
8. When you receive the email from Pinterest (check in your spam folder if it doesn’t arrive promptly), you need to click on the red button saying “Yes, close account” in the email to complete the closure.
9. When you click the button, you are taken to Pinterest in your browser, and the message “Your account is closed. We’re sad to see you go” appears briefly on the login screen. Your account is now closed.
10. If you are deleting a business Pinterest account and have been buying ads, you will need to contact Pinterest.
If you change your mind within 14 days you can log back in with your normal email address and password to reactivate your account.
On the 15th day your account, pins and boards will be deleted and you will not be able to log in anymore.
How To Deactivate Your Pinterest Account on Desktop
Follow steps 1-4 in the delete section above, then:
5. Click on the Deactivate account button
6. The next screen tells you how you can reactivate your account if you change your mind. Click continue if you want to go ahead with the deactivation.
7. You will be asked to tell Pinterest why you are leaving – they have helpful pages for you to read depending on which reason you choose. Then click on the Deactivate account button.
8. You will be logged out of Pinterest and your pins and boards will no longer be visible on Pinterest.
If you later decide that you want your deactivated account back, simply log in to Pinterest using the same email and password. I tried deactivating an account and then signing back in to reactivate it, and it worked fine.
How To Delete Your Pinterest Account on Mobile
1. Log in to the Pinterest app.
2. Go to your Saved page by clicking on the person icon at the bottom of the page. Go to the Settings page by clicking on the hexagon at the top right of the screen
3. Choose Account Settings
5. On the Account settings page, scroll down to the bottom of the page and choose the Close Account option.
6. You’ll be shown a warning page saying that you will be sent an email – press Continue.
7. You will be asked to tell Pinterest why you are leaving – they have helpful pages for you to read depending on which reason you choose.
8. If you still want to go ahead and close your account, choose a reason and press the red Send email button.
9. You will be logged out of Pinterest and a message saying that an email has been sent with final steps to close your account.
10. When you receive the email, press the red Close Account button in the email.
11. When you click the button, you are taken to Pinterest and the message “Your account is closed. We’re sad to see you go” appears briefly on the login screen. Your account is now closed.
12. If you are deleting a business Pinterest account and have been buying ads, you will need to contact Pinterest.
How To Deactivate Your Pinterest Account on Mobile
Follow the steps 1-4 in the Delete Pinterest Account on Mobile section above, then:
5. On the Account settings page, scroll down to the bottom of the page and choose the Deactivate Account option.
6. The next screen explains that you can reactivate your account by logging in again. Press Continue.
7. You will be asked to tell Pinterest why you are leaving – they have helpful pages for you to read depending on which reason you choose.
8. If you still want to go ahead and deactivate your account, choose a reason and press the deactivate account button (it will turn red when you select a reason).
9. Your account will be deactivated, and you will be logged out. Your pins and boards will no longer be visible on Pinterest.
How to Deactivate a Deceased Person’s Pinterest Account
If you need to deactivate a deceased person’s account, you can contact Pinterest and they will help you. Use this form:
If you find that you can’t delete or deactivate your account after following my instructions, you can contact Pinterest using their contact form for more help:
https://help.pinterest.com/en/contact
I hope you found this information helpful – please let me know if I’ve missed anything out!
