What is Pinterest?
Pinterest is a popular image sharing and social media service designed to enable the saving and discovery of information (specifical ideas) on the internet using images, animated GIFs, and videos. Pinterest is a visual discovery engine for finding ideas like recipes, home and style inspiration, and much more. People share their ideas and inspirations as visual information with other users on the platform.
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Pinterest Dashboard
A post on Pinterest is known as a “Pin”. With billions of Pins on Pinterest, you can bound to find ideas to spark some inspiration. When you see Pins you like, you can save them to boards to keep your ideas and inspirations organized and easy to find. You’ll find Pins on your home feed from people and businesses based on your recent activity. Pinterest has dedicated apps for Android, iOS, and Windows devices and you can use it normally on the web browser as well.
Pinterest is a popular social media service for sharing images. However, if you are fed up with Pinterest and want to close your account, we’ve got you covered. In this article, we will guide you to delete your Pinterest account permanently.
Why you should think about deleting Pinterest?
Pinterest like other big corporations also has negative sides to it. Some of these are quite disrespectful to its users while some of them are outright illegal and condemnable. Let us take a look at some of the controversies surrounding it.
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Pinterest has been criticized for its copyright claim system for a long time. When users post unsolicited content like images and videos on their site, the rightful owners can file a DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) takedown request to remove it from the site. And sometimes the owners can take legal action against the users who are guilty of doing so. But Pinterest actively urges its users to copy content to Pinterest for their perpetual use. This is quite an unethical thing to do to its users because it could get them into legal trouble. In May of 2012, Pinterest added automatic attribution of authors on images and videos originating from sites like YouTube, Vimeo, Flickr, and Behance to combat the issue. But many other sites haven’t received this attribution feature yet.
Pinterest was also criticized for its legal status because it had conflicting policies regarded copyrighted content. This news made it to the founder of the company Ben Silbermann who claimed that they would work to make their website more compliant with the law.
At a point in time, Pinterest’s terms of service stated that all personal, creative, and intellectual property posted to the website belonged to the company for eternity and could be sold without anything going towards the creator. After the backlash from the public over this ownership claim, they were forced to reiterate their terms of services, but Pinterest back-peddled and claimed it was never their intention to sell user-generated content in the first place.
In 2012, scammers used social engineering tactics to trick users to participate in surveys promising free products and gift cards as incentives. But they were scammed and phished for user data and no such incentive was delivered.
In August of 2020, hundreds of Pinterest staff participated in a virtual walkout in support of two former colleagues who publicly accused the company of racism and gender discrimination. Pinterest was accused of unethical practices by the workers and ultimately sued for the rampant discrimination of its staff, hostile work environment, and misogynistic beliefs.
Users have also grown cautious about the amount of data collected by Pinterest, and how the website may store or distribute their private information for their economic benefit.
As you can see, there are quite a few controversies surrounding Pinterest that dirty its public image. If these facts convinced you enough that you don’t want to be associated with the company, you can always delete or deactivate your account and ditch it for good.
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Ask Tech Support Live NowHow to delete your Pinterest account via the web browser?
- Visit pinterest.com and log in to your account.
- Click on the dropdown menu icon at the top right corner.
- Select Settings from the dropdown menu.
- Click Account Settings from the left pane.
- Scroll down to the bottom and click on Close account.
- Now, click on Continue.
- Select a reason for leaving Pinterest and click on Send email. Now, you’ll receive a confirmation email from Pinterest.
- Open the confirmation email and click on the Yes, close account button to confirm.
Note: Your account gets permanently deleted after 14 days of your account closure.
How to delete a Pinterest account using the Android or iOS app?
If you want to delete your account permanently using the official app on your Android or iOS device, follow the steps below:
- Step 1: Open up the Pinterest app on your device and sign in to your account using your credentials
- Step 2: Tap on the Profile icon on the bottom right of your screen to open your Profile page
- Step 3: Now tap on the Gear icon on the top right corner of the screen to open Settings
- Step 4: From the list of options, select Account Settings
- Step 5: Now scroll down and click on Close Account
- Step 6: You will see a pop-up screen. Tap on the Close Account button to confirm your action
- Step 7: An email will be sent to your associated email address. Open up the email and click on Confirm to delete your account permanently
How to deactivate your Pinterest account?
You can deactivate your account to take a break from Pinterest. When you deactivate your Pinterest account, your profile and boards won’t be visible on Pinterest anymore. But if you change your mind, you can just log in again to reactivate your account.
If you want to deactivate your account, there are quite a few ways to do it. Follow the guide below depending upon what device you are using:
Deactivate Pinterest account using the official website
You can use any web browser of your choice to deactivate your Pinterest account. Follow the steps below to deactivate your account using a web browser:
- Step 1: Log in to Pinterest using your account credentials
- Step 2: Navigate to the top right corner of your screen and click on the down arrow next to the profile icon
- Step 3: From the drop-down menu select Settings
- Step 4: Now on the left navigation pane, click on Account Settings
- Step 5: Now under Account Settings, click on Deactivate Account
- Step 6: You will see a pop-up explaining what deactivating your account does. Click on Next to continue
- Step 7: Now Pinterest will ask you why you want to deactivate your account and show you a bunch of reasons. Select a reason and click on Deactivate Account
Deactivate Pinterest account using the Android or iOS app
If you want to deactivate your account using the official app on your Android or iOS device follow the steps below on your device of choice:
- Step 1: Open up the Pinterest app and use your login details to sign in to your account
- Step 2: Tap on the Profile icon on the bottom right of your screen to open your Profile page
- Step 3: Now tap on the Gear icon on the top right corner of the screen to open Settings
- Step 4: From the list of options, select Account Settings
- Step 5: Scroll down and tap on Deactivate account
- Step 6: You will see a pop-up screen. Tap on Deactivate Account button to confirm your action
How to delete a pin/ post on Pinterest?
If you want to delete a post on pin/ post on Pinterest, follow the guide below depending on the platform you are using:
Delete a pin /post on the web
- Step 1: Log into your Pinterest account using your account credentials
- Step 2: Click your profile icon on the top-right corner of your screen
- Step 3: Select a board, then click into a section if that’s where you have saved the Pin
- Step 4: Now, click on a Pin to open it
- Step 5: Click the three-dot menu (ellipsis icon)
- Step 6: Now click on the Delete button in the bottom-left corner
- Step 7: Click Delete Pin to confirm your action
Delete a pin /post using the Android or iOS app
- Step 1: Open the Pinterest app on your device and log into your account using your credentials
- Step 2: Tap on the profile icon in the bottom-right of the screen
- Step 3: Now tap on a board, then into the section if that’s where you have created the Pin
- Step 4: Tap on the Pin and open it
- Step 5: Tap the three-dot menu (ellipsis icon) in the top-right corner of the screen
- Step 6: Now tap on the Edit Pin button
- Step 7: Tap on the Delete button at the bottom of the screen
- Step 8: Now tap on Delete again to confirm your action
How to delete a board on Pinterest?
If you want to delete a board on Pinterest, follow the guide below depending on the platform you are using:
Delete a board on the web
- Step 1: Log into your Pinterest account using your credentials
- Step 2: Navigate to the top-right corner of your screen and click on the profile icon to open your profile
- Step 3: Now click on the board you want to delete
- Step 4: Click on the three-dot (ellipsis icon) right next to the board name,
- Step 5: Now select the Edit board option
- Step 6: Click on Delete at the bottom-left corner of the screen
- Step 7: Finally click on Delete forever to confirm your action
Delete a board using the Android or iOS app
- Step 1: Open the Pinterest app on your device
- Step 2: Log into your account using your account credentials
- Step 3: Now tap on the profile icon at the bottom-right corner of your screen to open your Profile
- Step 4: Tap on the board you want to delete
- Step 5: Now tap on the three-dot menu (ellipsis icon) on the top-right corner of your screen
- Step 6: Now select Edit board
- Step 7: Finally scroll down and tap on Delete
- Step 8: Now tap on Delete again to confirm your action
How do I delete a comment on Pinterest?
If you want to delete a comment on a Pin, follow the steps below depending on the platform you are using:
Delete a comment on the web
- Step 1: Click on the Pin you want to delete.
- Step 2: Right under the Pin, click on the Comments section.
- Step 3: Click on the three-dot menu (ellipsis icon) below the comment you want to delete.
- Step 4: Click on the Delete button.
- Step 5: Now click on Delete to confirm.
Delete a comment using the app on Android or iOS
- Step 1: Tap on the Pin you want to delete.
- Step 2: Scroll down to the comments section below the Pin.
- Step 3: Find and tap on the comment you want to delete.
- Step 4: Now tap the three-dot menu (ellipsis icon)
- Step 5: Tap on Delete and confirm your action
What happens when you delete or deactivate your Pinterest account?
When you deactivate your Pinterest account, your profile, pins, and boards won’t be visible on Pinterest to other users anymore. It is like taking a break from Pinterest but you will still be able to reactivate your account when you wish to, in the near future.
When you close or delete your account, your public profile will be deactivated promptly, but it will take 14 days for your account to be deleted permanently from Pinterest’s servers. And if you change your mind before the 14 days period, you can log in with your email and password, and Pinterest will send you a link to reactivate your account. You will get your account back with all your data intact.
Alternatives to Pinterest
If you have been fed up with Pinterest and seek a fresh change or you don’t want to be associated with the company for whatever reason, there are some similar alternatives you could try. Some of the alternatives might even be better than Pinterest in some ways. If you are about to delete your Pinterest account for good, be sure to check out these alternatives. Let us take a look at some of these platforms and give you an idea of what they are all about.
1. Imgur
Imgur is one of the best ways to discover and enjoy the magic of the Internet. You can discover the funniest, most informative, and inspiring images, memes, GIFs, and visual stories served up in an endless stream of bite-sized fun. Imgur uses its algorithm to serve you the most popular content and stuff that is relevant to you. Content is ranked based on the number of upvotes the post receives which discourages low effort content and spam. You can search by tags and keywords to find the content you want to see. There are more than 250 million active monthly users on the platform, so you don’t ever have to worry about finding ideas and inspirations.
2. Instagram
Instagram is one of the most popular platforms for image and video sharing. And because of the sheer number of users on the platform, there is a lot of things to be discovered here. You can use the discover section as the name suggests to discover new and interesting content that is relevant to you. Instagram consists of various kinds of user-generated content ranging from food, entertainment, home, creativity, and almost every genre imaginable. You can follow all kinds of creators and you’ll be able to see their posts on your home screen when they post them. You can also find content by searching for tags. So it is the perfect replacement for Pinterest. In some ways, it might even be better than Pinterest.
3. Dribbble
Dribble is the go-to resource for discovering and connecting with designers and creative talent around the globe. It is very popular with designers like digital artists, illustrators, and graphic designers who use it to showcase their creativity in various genres including art, animation, branding, web and mobile app designs, and a lot more. You can peruse the portfolios of various users and seek inspiration for your next project. As it is popular with industry specialists in design, you will find high-quality content in the form of visual information. Dribbble will also show you content that is relevant to you based on your account activity and the users you have followed. You will be able to search for content using tags to discover desired types of content.
4. Juxtapost
Juxtapost is a site that is very similar to Pinterest in many ways. So new users might find it familiar in terms of the features it provides. Posts can be categorized and tagged in various kinds of ways, making it easy to discover new content that is relevant to you. You can create categories (like boards) and share them with specific people, collaborate on categories with other users and do all the same things just like on Pinterest. You can also discover similar posts you are viewing using the “More like this” section. You can also save all your bookmarked posts in a Pinterest-like manner. So if you want to ditch Pinterest, but still want similar features, you will not go wrong with Juxtapost.
5. Dudepins
Dudepins is another popular Pinterest-like image-sharing platform specifically aimed at the male demographic. It is a platform where users share content that is relevant to guys. It is not some sort of site about stereotypical manly stuff but spanning a wide variety of genres like men’s fashion and style guides, gadgets and merchandise, fitness, sports, and even memes. As Pinterest consists of a largely female demographic, the content may not be desirable if you are a man. If you are a dude who wants to have a similar experience but something more relevant to your taste you will not go wrong with Dudepins. It is the go-to site for all the dudes out there.
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs) about Pinterest account
Q: How long does it take to delete a Pinterest account?
A: It only takes a few minutes to delete your Pinterest account.
Q: Can I get back my closed/ deleted account?
A: Yes, you can reactivate a closed account within 14 days of closing it. After that period your account gets deleted permanently.
Q: How do I regain access to my deactivated account?
A: Just log in to your account using your login credentials and you’ll gain access to your account
Q: How do I regain access to my deleted account?
A: Log in to your account using your account credentials and Pinterest will send you an email to your associated email address with a reactivation link. Click on the reactivation link to gain access to your account.
Q: How do I delete a Pinterest account without logging in?
A: If you don’t have access to your account credentials, you can request the deletion of your account by contacting Customer Support. Go to this link and fill in the necessary details.
Q: How do I delete a Pinterest business account?
A: If you want to permanently delete a business account that you have used to create ads on Pinterest, you will need to contact Customer Support for assistance. And remember that you’ll need to pay all outstanding bills and ensure you don’t have any ongoing spending before you can close your business account.
Q: If I delete my Pinterest account, can I use the same email for another account?
A: Yes, you can. Each email address can only be connected to one Pinterest account at a time. If you want to use the same email address for another account, you will have to permanently close the old account connected with the email address.
Q: How do I gain access to my suspended account?
A: If you think your account shouldn’t have been suspended, get in touch with the support team at this link. Once you send in the request with justified reasons, the support team will take a look at it and get back to you.
Our Final Verdict
I hope this article helped you delete your Pinterest account and other queries related to it. If you are still having problems then visit https://help.pinterest.com/en and search for the problem or contact Customer Support at https://help.pinterest.com/en/contact for further assistance. And if you choose to switch to another platform, I hope you got an idea about some other alternatives you could try. Best of luck finding the platform that suits you best.
Abby
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