What a secret board is and how it works
A secret board on Pinterest is a board that does not appear on your public profile, in search results, or in your followers' feeds. Only people you invite by sending them a direct link can find it and see what you pin there. Pinterest does not notify your followers that the board exists, and it will not show up when someone visits your profile page.
Secret boards are useful if you want to collect ideas privately — for a surprise gift, a home renovation you are not ready to share, or pins you want to keep separate from your main profile. The board itself is hidden, but anyone with the link can view and add pins to it if you give them permission to collaborate.
It is important to understand that "secret" means hidden from public view, not encrypted or protected by a password. Pinterest employees can still see the board's contents if they access your account for support or safety reasons. If someone has the direct link, they can view it. If you share the link with someone and later remove them, they may still be able to access it if they saved the URL.
Key Takeaways
- Secret boards are hidden from your public profile and do not appear in search results or your followers' feeds.
- You create a secret board by selecting the privacy option during board creation or by editing an existing board's settings.
- Only people you send the direct link to can view a secret board, but anyone with that link can access it unless you remove their permission.
- Secret boards are not encrypted — Pinterest staff can view them, and the link itself is the only barrier to access.
- You can invite collaborators to add pins to a secret board, but you control who gets the link and can revoke access at any time.
How to create a secret board from scratch
Open Pinterest on your phone or computer and tap or click the plus icon to create a new board. Enter a name for the board and write a description if you want one. When you reach the privacy settings, select Secret instead of Public. Public boards appear on your profile and in search; Secret boards do not.
After you choose Secret, you will see an option to add collaborators. You can skip this step and add people later, or you can paste in their Pinterest usernames or email addresses right away. Anyone you add will receive a notification that they have been invited to collaborate on a board, and they will see the board in their own account once they accept.
Finish creating the board by tapping or clicking Create. The board will now exist only in your account and will not be visible to anyone unless you send them the direct link or add them as a collaborator.
How to convert an existing board to secret
If you already have a public board and want to hide it, open the board and tap or click the three dots or settings icon in the top right corner. Select Edit Board or Board Settings. Look for the privacy option — it may say Public, and you need to change it to Secret.
Once you change the setting to Secret, the board will disappear from your public profile when ready. Anyone who had the old link can still access it if they saved it, but the board will no longer show up in your follower feed or in search results. If you want to remove access entirely, you will need to delete the board and create a new one.
Sharing a secret board and managing who sees it
To let someone view your secret board, you must send them the direct link. Open the board, tap or click the three dots, and select Share Board or Get Link. Copy the URL and send it through email, text, or direct message — however you choose. Pinterest does not send an automatic notification when you share a secret board link, so the person will not know they have access until you tell them.
If you want someone to be able to add pins to the board as well, add them as a collaborator instead of just sharing the link. Go to the board settings, find the Collaborators section, and enter their Pinterest username or email. They will receive an invitation and can accept or decline. Collaborators can pin, unpin, and edit descriptions on the board.
To remove someone's access, go back to the Collaborators section and delete their name. They will no longer be able to add or edit pins. However, if they saved the direct link before you removed them, they may still be able to view the board by using that saved URL. There is no way to revoke a link once it has been shared — you can only remove people from the collaborators list.
What Pinterest knows about your secret boards
Pinterest's privacy policy states that the company can view the contents of your account, including secret boards, for purposes of enforcing their terms of service, preventing fraud, or responding to legal requests. This means that while your secret board is hidden from other users, it is not hidden from Pinterest itself.
If you pin content that violates Pinterest's rules — such as hate speech, harassment, or illegal items — the company can see it even on a secret board and may take action against your account. Pinterest also uses automated systems to scan pins for spam and policy violations, and these systems can see secret boards.
Your secret board data is also subject to Pinterest's data retention practices. If you delete your account, Pinterest may keep copies of your data for a period of time before permanently removing it. If you want to may support content is truly gone, delete the pins or the board before closing your account.
The difference between secret boards and private messages
A secret board is not the same as a private message. When you send someone a secret board link, you are sharing a collection of pins, but that person can see everything on the board — all the pins, the descriptions, and any comments. If you want to share something with only one person and keep it completely separate from your main account, a direct message is more private.
Direct messages on Pinterest are encrypted in transit, meaning the content is scrambled while it travels between your device and Pinterest's servers. However, both you and the recipient can see the message history, and Pinterest can still access the content if needed for legal or safety reasons. Secret boards offer no additional privacy compared to messages — they are just a way to organize and share collections.
When a secret board might not stay secret
If you add someone as a collaborator, they can see the board name and all its contents. If they screenshot the pins or share the link with someone else, your secret board is no longer private. There is no way to prevent collaborators from sharing what they see.
If someone guesses or finds your secret board link, they can access it. Pinterest links are not random enough to be truly guessable, but if you share the link in a place where it could be found — a public comment, a forum, or a website — it could be discovered by people you did not intend to invite.
If your Pinterest account is hacked, someone with access to your account can see all your secret boards. Using a strong, unique password and enabling two-factor authentication reduces this risk. If you suspect your account has been compromised, change your password when ready and review your board list for any boards you did not create.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make a secret board public later?
Yes. Open the board settings, find the privacy option, and change it from Secret to Public. The board will then appear on your profile and in search results. Anyone who had the secret link before will still be able to access it, but it will now also be visible to everyone.
What happens if I delete a secret board?
The board and all the pins on it are removed from your account. Anyone with the link will see an error message saying the board no longer exists. Deleted boards cannot be recovered, so make sure you want to remove it before you confirm the deletion.
Can I see who viewed my secret board?
No. Pinterest does not provide view counts or viewer lists for secret boards. You can see who you added as a collaborator, but you cannot see if they actually looked at the board or how many times they visited it.
If I remove someone as a collaborator, can they still see the board?
If they only had access because you added them as a collaborator, removing them will prevent them from seeing the board in their account. However, if you also sent them the direct link separately, they can still access it by using that saved URL. You cannot revoke a link once it has been shared.
Are secret boards truly private from other users?
Secret boards are hidden from other Pinterest users and do not appear in search or on your profile. However, they are not private from Pinterest itself — the company can view the contents if needed. They are also not private from anyone you share the link with or add as a collaborator.