Creating Your Pinterest Account in Four Steps

To create a Pinterest account, go to pinterest.com on your computer or open the Pinterest app on your phone, then choose whether to sign up with your email address, Google account, or Facebook account. Pinterest will ask for your name, age, and what you're interested in — this information becomes part of your account profile. After you confirm your email (if you used email to sign up), your account is active and you can start saving pins when ready.

The entire process takes about five minutes. You do not need a credit card, and you do not need to add a profile photo or bio to start using Pinterest — those can be filled in later or skipped entirely.

Key Takeaways

  • You can sign up using an email address, Google account, or Facebook account — all three routes create the same type of account.
  • Pinterest asks for your name, age, and interests during signup, and this information is stored in your account profile.
  • If you sign up with email, you must click a confirmation link in your inbox before your account becomes active.
  • Your profile photo, bio, and other details are optional and can be added or changed at any time after signup.

Signing Up With Your Email Address

Open pinterest.com in your browser or the Pinterest app on your phone. On the homepage, look for a button that says "Sign up" or "Create account" — the exact wording depends on whether you're on mobile or desktop, but the button is always visible before you log in. Click or tap it.

You will see three options: "Continue with Google," "Continue with Facebook," or "Sign up with email." Choose "Sign up with email." Enter your email address in the field that appears, then create a password. Pinterest requires passwords to be at least six characters long and will tell you if your password is too weak.

After you enter your email and password, click "Continue." Pinterest will ask for your first and last name and your age. You must enter a real age — Pinterest uses this to enforce its terms of service, which require users to be at least 13 years old. After you enter your name and age, click "Create account."

Pinterest will send a confirmation email to the address you provided. Open your email inbox, find the message from Pinterest (check your spam folder if you don't see it), and click the confirmation link inside. Your account is now active.

Signing Up With Google or Facebook

If you already have a Google or Facebook account, you can use it to create a Pinterest account without entering a separate password. On the Pinterest signup page, click "Continue with Google" or "Continue with Facebook." You will be taken to Google's or Facebook's login page, where you sign in with your existing credentials.

After you log in, you will return to Pinterest and be asked to confirm your name and age. Enter the information and click "Create account." Your Pinterest account is now active — there is no confirmation email to check because you signed in through an existing account.

Using Google or Facebook to sign up does not automatically post to those platforms or share your Pinterest activity with them. Pinterest and those companies are separate, and you control what information is shared between them through your privacy settings in each platform.

What Pinterest Asks During Signup and Why

Name: Pinterest uses your name to create your public profile. This is the name that appears when other people visit your profile or see your pins. You can change it later in your account settings.

Age: Pinterest requires all users to be at least 13 years old. The platform uses your age to comply with laws that protect children's privacy online. You cannot change your age after signup, so enter it accurately.

Email address (if signing up with email): Pinterest uses your email to send you password reset links if you forget your password, and to send notifications about activity on your account — such as when someone saves one of your pins or follows you. You can turn off most notifications in your settings, but you cannot change the email address associated with your account without contacting Pinterest support.

Interests: After you create your account, Pinterest may ask what topics interest you — home decor, recipes, fitness, travel, and so on. This helps Pinterest suggest pins you might like when you first open the app. You can skip this step or change your interests later.

Completing Your Profile After Signup

Your account is fully functional when ready after signup, but you can add more information to your profile if you want. To do this, tap or click your profile icon (usually in the top right corner of the screen), then select "Edit profile" or "Profile settings."

From here, you can add a profile photo, write a bio, add a website link, and change your username — the short name that appears in your Pinterest URL. Your username cannot contain spaces and must be between 3 and 30 characters. If the username you want is already taken, Pinterest will suggest alternatives.

None of this information is required. Many people use Pinterest with no profile photo or bio, and their accounts work exactly the same way. Add details only if you plan to share your profile with others or want a more complete public presence.

What Happens to Your Information After You Sign Up

The information you provide during signup — your name, age, email address, and interests — is stored in your Pinterest account. Pinterest uses this data to personalize your experience, show you relevant pins, and send you notifications. Because you came from an article about what happens to your information on social media platforms, you should know that Pinterest also tracks what pins you save, what you search for, and what you click on, and uses this behavior to refine what it shows you.

You can review what information Pinterest has collected about you by going to your account settings and looking for "Your data" or "read your data." You can also delete your account entirely, which removes your profile and all your saved pins from Pinterest's servers — though this cannot be undone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to use my real name on Pinterest?

Pinterest asks for your real name during signup, but you can change it to a nickname or any other name in your profile settings after your account is created. The name you use does not have to match your email address or the name on your Google or Facebook account.

Can I delete my Pinterest account if I change my mind?

Yes. Go to your account settings, scroll to the bottom, and look for "Deactivate account" or "Delete account." Pinterest will ask you to confirm, and your account will be permanently deleted. This removes your profile and all your pins, and the action cannot be reversed.

What if I forget my password?

Go to the Pinterest login page and click "Forgot password?" Enter the email address associated with your account. Pinterest will send you a link to reset your password. Click the link in your email and create a new password. If you signed up with Google or Facebook, you can also just click "Continue with Google" or "Continue with Facebook" instead of entering a password.

Can I have more than one Pinterest account?

Yes, but each account needs its own email address or its own Google/Facebook account. You can switch between accounts by tapping your profile icon and selecting "Switch account," or by logging out and logging in with different credentials.

Is Pinterest free to use?

Yes, creating an account and using Pinterest to save and view pins costs nothing. Pinterest also offers a paid version called Pinterest Premium, which removes ads and adds features like scheduling pins, but the free version is fully functional.