How to delete or deactivate your Pinterest account

Pinterest offers two options, and they're not the same. Pick the one that matches what you want to happen to your profile, Pins and username.

• Deactivating keeps your email address and username tied to the account. To free them, change your email or edit your username in settings first
• If you live in California and closed your account, Pinterest says you must contact it to reactivate

Sources: Pinterest Help: Deactivate or close your account, checked 15 October 2026; Pinterest Help: Reactivate your account, checked 15 October 2026

Deleting is permanent after 7 days, so do the housekeeping first. Pinterest says business accounts should remove payment information to clear any outstanding bills; any unsettled balance is charged to the card on file when the spend happened.

1. Download a copy of your data: on a computer, click the more-options icon at the bottom left, select Settings, then Privacy and data, and click Start request under Request your data.
2. Wait for the email. Pinterest says the download link can take up to 48 hours and is sent to your account email through a third-party provider, SendSafely.
3. Settle any ad spend and remove your payment information if you've run ads.
4. Remove your Pinterest link from your website, email signature and other social bios.
5. If you've added the Pinterest tag or Save button to your site, take those off too.

• In the app, a personal account finds Request your data by tapping the profile picture at the bottom right, then the profile photo at the top left, then Privacy and data
• A business account taps the ellipsis icon at the top right, selects Settings, then Privacy and data

Sources: Pinterest Help: Deactivate or close your account, checked 15 October 2026; Pinterest Help: Download your Pinterest data, checked 15 October 2026

On a computer:

1. Log in to your Pinterest account.
2. Click the more-options icon, then select Settings.
3. Click Account management in the left-hand menu.
4. Click Delete account and follow the prompts.
5. Open the email Pinterest sends to the address on your account and confirm that you want to close it.

• In the app: tap your profile picture at the bottom right. On a personal account, tap your profile photo at the top left; on a business account, tap the ellipsis icon at the top right
• Then tap Account management, scroll to the bottom, tap Delete your data and account and follow the prompts. You still confirm by email

Source: Pinterest Help: Deactivate or close your account, checked 15 October 2026

The steps are the same as deleting, except you choose Deactivate account. Your profile and boards are hidden until you come back.

1. Click the more-options icon, then Settings.
2. Click Account management.
3. Choose Deactivate account and follow the prompts.
4. To check it worked, visit www.pinterest.com/ followed by your username in a browser. Don't log in to check: logging in reactivates the account.

Source: Pinterest Help: Deactivate or close your account, checked 15 October 2026

In most cases, logging in is all it takes. Pinterest lists these situations:

1. You deactivated it yourself: log in. If you've forgotten the password, reset it first.
2. You closed it in the last 7 days: log in to reactivate. After 7 days the account and its data are deleted and can't be recovered.
3. Pinterest deactivated it for breaking its Community Guidelines: contact Pinterest to ask for recovery; staff review the request and reply.

• You need access to the email address on the account. If you've lost it, Pinterest suggests creating a new account
• To close the account of someone who has died, contact Pinterest with verification such as an obituary or death certificate. Pinterest won't share their login details

Sources: Pinterest Help: Reactivate your account, checked 15 October 2026; Pinterest Help: Deactivate or close your account, checked 15 October 2026

Disclosure: this is our product. Some owners close Pinterest because keeping it fed takes too long. Zolyp plans, writes and designs Pins against your Brand Brain and schedules them, and nothing publishes until you approve it. There's a 3-day free trial, no card required.