This wikiHow teaches you how to use Pinterest, a visual discovery app to find inspirational recipes, decorations, hairstyles, crafts, and creative ideas. When you browse a site and find Pins, a kind of visual bookmark, you can save them to a collections board or a board to manage them. Once you've learned these basic skills, you're ready to dive deeper into the world of Pinterest.
Step
Method 1 of 4: Searching Pinterest
Step 1. Open Pinterest
You can tap the Pinterest app icon on your phone or tablet, or visit
- If you are not logged into your account, click or tap “ Log in "at this stage.
- If you don't have a Pinterest account yet, click or tap “ Sign up ” to make it first.
Step 2. Browse the Pinterest main page
The main page is the first content you see when you open Pinterest. On this page, you can find recommended content or Pins based on activity on Pinterest, as well as a variety of content from topics, users, and boards you follow.
- You can access the main page at any time by clicking on the Pinterest logo (a red circle with a white “p”) on the webpage, or tapping the home icon in the lower-left corner of the Pinterest mobile app window.
- On the main page, you can also find several navigation tabs-“ Today " and " Following " Click or tap " Today ” to see daily inspirational content from Pinterest, or “ Following ” to view only the content shared by users you follow.
Step 3. Click or touch pin
Think of Pins as visual bookmarks. Pinterest users create pins for things that inspire them from the internet. You can find pins for recipes, current events, DIY projects, art and graphics, study aids, fashion, and many other topics. When selecting a Pin, a large version of the image is displayed along with a brief summary and some additional options.
- If the pin is connected to a website, click the web link (or touch “ Visit ” on the mobile app) to view its full content.
- When you find a Pin you like, click or tap “' Save ” to save it to your own collection board. Learn more about using collection boards or boards in the method of adding pins to collection boards.
- Each Pin also has a link to the user who created it. If you want to see more Pins or content from the user in question, tap the “ Follow ' next to his name. Read methods for following collection boards and users to learn more about how to follow other users.
Step 4. Go to the personal profile page
If you're using a phone or tablet, tap the human icon in the lower-right corner of the page. If you're using a web browser on a computer, click the human icon (or personal avatar if you've already uploaded one) in the top-right corner of the page. After you create a board and save your Pins, you can view them on your profile page.
- Click or tap " Boards ” to view the collection boards that have been created.
- Click or tap " Pins ” to see a list of your saved content/pins.
Step 5. Edit profile and preferences
You can set up a Pinterest profile and adjust account settings by clicking the pencil icon (on a computer) or tapping the gear icon.
- Choose " Edit Profile ” to add personal information, including photos.
- Choose " Account settings ” to manage common tasks, such as changing how to log in, updating your email address and location, or deactivating an account.
- Choose " Notifications ” to define a method for notification of new activity on Pinterest.
- Choose " Privacy & data ” to manage your data usage on Pinterest, as well as manage how your profile appears on search engines.
- Choose " Security ” to manage passwords and enable two-factor authentication.
Step 6. Search for other users, topics, or ideas on Pinterest
If you are using a phone or tablet, touch the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of the screen to display the search bar. If you're on a computer, the search bar is at the top of the main page. A search page with some suggested categories and recent search entries will load afterwards.
- To search for something specific, type what you're looking for into the search field. As you type an entry, you can see search suggestions at the bottom of the bar. Touch the entry or content you are looking for, or press the “ Enter " or " Return ” to run a verbatim search.
- Below the suggestions section, there are accounts that match the search entry you typed. You can touch any of these accounts to view the profile, collection boards, and the corresponding user's Pins or content.
Step 7. Check account notifications
In this segment, you can see notification messages regarding new posts or uploads from users you follow, your new followers, and friends' activity on Pinterest. The notification checking process is slightly different, depending on the platform you're using to access Pinterest:
- On a computer: From the main page, click the bell icon in the top-right corner of the page.
- On a phone or tablet: Touch the speech bubble icon that contains the three dots at the bottom of the screen. Tabs " Updates ” in inbox will open and load all notifications.
Step 8. Send, review and manage messages on the account
Click or tap the speech bubble icon with the three dots in it (in the upper right corner of the web page on a desktop site, or the bottom of the screen on a mobile app). If you're using the Pinterest mobile app, tap the “ Inbox ” to access messages sent to your profile.
- To send a message, click the pencil icon and select “ New Message ”, then click up to 10 recipients of the message. If you want to submit a Pin or content, click or tap the pin icon to search for the post/content you want to submit. Type in a message and select the paper airplane icon or “ Send ” to send it.
- When you receive a message, just touch the message in your inbox to open it.
Method 2 of 4: Saving Pins or Content to a Collection Board
Step 1. Search for Pins or content
Type the content you want to search for into the toolbar and browse through the search results.
If you are using a phone or tablet, touch the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of the screen to display the bar
Step 2. Click or touch pin
More information about the Pin or content will be displayed.
Step 3. Click or tap Save on the pin
If you've previously created a collection board, you'll see a list of boards. If this is your first time saving a Pin (or want to create another board for content such as a Pin that you want to save), you can create a new collection board.
Step 4. Click or tap Create board
It's at the bottom of the list. The “Create board” form will appear and you can type in the basic information for the created collection board.
Step 5. Fill in the basic information of the board
Type a title that reflects the content saved or added to the board. For example, if you want to save content about haircut tips/ideas, you could use a title like “Curly Haircuts” or “Hair Ideas”. If you're using a phone or tablet, there are a few optional steps you can take at this stage:
- If you don't want others to see your created collection board, toggle the " Secret " switch to off or " Off ".
- If you want to collaborate with other users to create/manage a board, tap the button under " Collaborators " to select the desired user.
Step 6. Click Create or touch Next.
If you are using a mobile app, you may need to touch “ Next " Several topics related to the collection board will be displayed and can be added if you wish. If you are not interested, touch " Skip ” to make a board. Once created, the board will appear as an option the next time you want to add or save a Pin.
Step 7. Modify your collection board (optional)
To add a description and other information to a board:
- Touch or click the profile icon and select “ Boards ”.
- Click or tap the board.
- If you're using a computer, click the pencil icon on the left side of the page. If you are using a phone or tablet, touch the menu button in the upper right corner of the screen and select “ Edit ”.
- At this stage, you can edit the name of the board, add a description, define a topic/category, and control the visibility of the board to other users. You can also invite collaborators if you want.
- Other times, you can return to this page to merge one board with another, archive a board, or delete it permanently.
- Click or tap " Done ” to save changes.
Method 3 of 4: Creating a Pin
Step 1. Click or tap the profile icon
Your profile page will open and you'll find all your saved collection boards and Pins. Use this method to create your own Pin by uploading a photo or adding a link to another website.
Step 2. Click or touch the + button
It's on the right side of the page, above the list of boards.
Step 3. Select Pins
If you are using a phone or tablet, you will also need to allow the app to access the device gallery at this stage.
Step 4. Create a pin from the photo
If you want to create a Pin by adding a link to a website directly, skip this step and move on to the next. To create a Pin or photo content:
- If you are using a phone or tablet, select a photo and tap “Next”.
- If you are using a computer, click the big box with an arrow in it, select an image, and click “ Open ”.
- Enter a title and description. If you want other users to find your Pin in search, make sure you add descriptive information and relevant keywords.
- If you want to link the Pin to a website, click or tap the option “ Destination ” and paste the desired URL.
- Select the collection board to which you want to add a pin. If you are using a phone or tablet, touch “ Next ” and select a board. If you are using a computer, select a board from the drop-down menu and click “ Save ”.
Step 5. Create a pin from the website
If you don't want to upload your own photos and don't mind using photos from the site you're linking to, follow these steps:
- Click " Save from site ” or touch the globe icon.
- Enter a direct link to the site you want to add to your Pin. If you're using a phone or tablet, you can also search for the site you want.
- Press " Enter " or " Return ” to open a list of images from the site that can be used or linked to by Pin.
- Click or tap on the image you want to use and select “ Next ” (phone/tablet) or “ Add to Pin " (computer).
- If you're using a computer, enter a pin title and description, then select a collection board from the drop-down menu. If you're using a phone or tablet, just select the board. You can edit the name and description of the Pin at a later time.
Step 6. Edit pins
After you create a Pin, you can edit its name, description, or other details. To make edits:
- Go to profile page and select “ Pins ”.
- If you're using a computer, hover over the pin that needs to be edited, then click the pencil icon that appears. If you're using a phone or tablet, touch and hold the pin, then select the pencil icon.
- Editable information differs based on the selected Pin. If you link content from a website, you can only add notes and update boards. If you upload the photo yourself from your computer/device, you can type a description and add or edit the website URL.
- Click " Save ” or touch “ Done ”.
Method 4 of 4: Following Collections Boards and Other Users
Step 1. Open the search bar
If you're using a phone or tablet, tap the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of the screen. If you are using a computer, click the search bar at the top of the main page.
Step 2. Use search keywords related to the content you want
For example, if you want to follow a collection board with photos of kittens, type "kittens" into the search bar. If you're looking for a specific user, type in their username (or their real name if you suspect they're using it on Pinterest).
Step 3. Press Enter or Return to run the search.
If you are using a phone or tablet, use the “Enter” key or search on the device. A list of pins that match your search keyword will be displayed.
Step 4. Filter the search results
You can filter the search results to show “ People ” (user) or “ Boards ” (collection board) only matches the typed entry. If you are using a computer, click the menu on the right side of the search bar labeled “ All Pins ” and select a filter option. If you're using a phone or tablet, tap the filter icon that looks like a row of sliders in the top right corner to select a filter.
Step 5. Click or touch a user or board to view it
If you don't want to follow the selected user or board, just touch the back button to try another search result.
Step 6. Touch or click Follow
The selected user or collection board will be added to the “Following” list. To see all followed users or boards, return to the main page and select “ Following ” at the top of the page.
Tips
- Please review Pinterest's terms of use before you upload anything so you understand what content can (and may not) be uploaded.
- Uploading copyrighted content and acknowledging it as your own risks having your account suspended.
