TL;DR: To make Pinterest private, open Settings, then Profile visibility, and turn on Private profile. Your profile, boards and Pins then stay out of Pinterest search and outside search engines, and you invite the people you want to follow you. You need to be at least 16, and business accounts must switch to personal first. For just one collection, make that board secret instead.
How to make your Pinterest profile private
From Pinterest Help:
On the web:
- Log in and click the more-options icon at the bottom left.
- Select Settings, then Profile visibility.
- Turn on Private profile.
In the app:
- Tap your profile picture at the bottom right, then tap it again at the top left.
- Select Profile visibility and turn on Private profile.
Before you start: you must be at least 16 to change profile visibility, and business accounts have to switch to a personal account before they can go private.
What a private profile does
- Your profile, boards and Pins won't appear in Pinterest search results.
- They won't appear in search engines like Google.
- You can still invite people you know to follow you.
If anyone you don't want is already following you, remove them or block them after switching.
Make a single board secret
If you only want to hide one collection, such as wedding plans, home renovation ideas or a surprise gift list, make that board secret instead of the whole profile. Open the board, choose edit, and turn on Keep this board secret. Only you and anyone you invite to collaborate can see it.
What Pinterest boards can reveal
Pinterest feels low-risk, but boards often give away a lot: a new house, a pregnancy, a wedding date, health interests, home layout photos and even your neighbourhood. Combined with your name and profile photo, that's useful to scammers building a convincing story. Our explainer on what a public Instagram profile reveals shows how the same piecing-together works across platforms.
Other Pinterest settings to check
- Personalisation and data: review options for using info from other sites and partners to personalise ads.
- Linked accounts: disconnect Facebook or Google if you don't need them; see which apps can access your Google account.
- Messages: limit who can message you.
- Security: turn on two-factor authentication.
Doing the same on other apps? See how to make Instagram private, how to make TikTok private and how to make Facebook private.
The email you signed up with may already be out there in breaches. A free email exposure check shows where it has leaked.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I make my Pinterest account private?
Open Settings, then Profile visibility, and turn on Private profile. In the app, tap your profile picture twice, then Profile visibility.
Can a business Pinterest account be private?
Not as a business account. Pinterest says you must switch to a personal account before making the profile private.
Does a private Pinterest profile show up on Google?
No. Pinterest says private profiles do not appear in Pinterest search results or in search engines.
How do I make one Pinterest board private?
Edit the board and turn on Keep this board secret. Only you and invited collaborators can see it.
Is there an age limit for a private Pinterest profile?
Pinterest says you must be at least 16 to change profile visibility.