To unpin a pin on Pinterest, go to the board where the pin is saved, hover over it (on desktop) or long-press it (on mobile), click or tap the three-dot menu, and select “Delete Pin.” On desktop you can also click the pencil edit icon on a pin and delete it from there. Unpinning removes the pin from your board permanently, though the original pin still exists on Pinterest if someone else saved it.
You saved a pin months ago that no longer fits your board’s theme. Or maybe you pinned something by accident and want it gone. Or you are doing a full board cleanup and need to remove dozens of pins that do not match your current direction. Whatever the reason, unpinning on Pinterest is simple once you know where to find the option.
The interface is slightly different on desktop versus mobile, and there are a few important differences between unpinning, deleting, and hiding a pin that are worth understanding before you start removing content from your boards. This guide covers everything you need to know.
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What unpinning actually does
When you unpin a pin on Pinterest, you are removing it from your board. The pin disappears from your profile, your board view, and your followers’ feeds going forward. However, it does not disappear from Pinterest entirely. If other people have saved that same pin to their boards, it still exists on the platform through those saves.
If you created the original pin yourself and want it completely removed from Pinterest, you need to delete it from your original board or from the Pins section of your profile. Removing a repin (a pin you saved from someone else) only affects your own board. The original creator’s pin stays active.
This distinction matters if you are concerned about content that represents you publicly. A pin saved to your board is visible to anyone who visits your profile. Unpinning it removes that visibility from your account immediately. If you want to clean up your overall profile appearance without deleting content, this guide on how to archive Pinterest boards shows an alternative that hides entire boards without removing pins one by one.
How to unpin a pin on Pinterest from desktop
Desktop gives you the fastest workflow for unpinning, especially if you are cleaning up multiple pins across a board.
Log in to Pinterest and navigate to the board that contains the pin you want to remove. Hover your mouse over the pin. A set of icons will appear in the top corners. Click the pencil icon (edit) in the top left corner of the pin. This opens the pin editing screen. Scroll to the bottom of the editing panel and click “Delete Pin.” A confirmation dialog will appear asking you to confirm. Click “Delete” to confirm, and the pin is permanently removed from that board.
There is also a faster method. Hover over the pin, then click the three-dot icon in the top right corner of the pin instead of the pencil. Select “Delete Pin” from the dropdown menu and confirm. Both methods produce the same result. The three-dot approach is slightly faster when you are removing pins one by one during a board cleanup.
One thing to be aware of: Pinterest does not have a batch delete function for multiple pins on desktop. You remove them one at a time. If you have a large board to clean up, work through it systematically by section rather than trying to do the whole thing at once.
How to unpin a pin on Pinterest from your phone
The mobile process is just as simple, though the interface elements are in slightly different positions compared to desktop.
Open the Pinterest app and go to your profile by tapping the person icon at the bottom right of the screen. Tap the board that contains the pin you want to remove. Find the pin in the board view, then tap and hold it. This triggers the selection mode. Once the pin is selected, tap the three-dot icon that appears in the bottom right corner of the selected pin. Select “Delete Pin” from the menu and confirm.
Alternatively, you can tap a pin to open it in full view, then tap the three-dot icon at the top right corner of the full-screen view. Select “Edit Pin,” scroll to the bottom, and tap “Delete Pin.” This method works well when you want to read the pin details before deciding whether to remove it.
Mobile also lets you select multiple pins at once in some board views. In your board, look for the three-dot icon at the top right of the board view. Tap it and look for an “Organize Board” option. This mode lets you select several pins simultaneously by tapping them, and then delete or move them in bulk. Not all accounts have this feature yet since Pinterest rolls it out gradually, but it is worth checking if you have a lot of pins to remove.
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Unpin vs. delete vs. archive: which should you use?
Pinterest gives you a few different ways to manage content you no longer want visible, and the right choice depends on what you are trying to accomplish.
Unpinning (deleting a pin from a board) permanently removes that pin from the board. If you created the pin and delete it from your last remaining board, it disappears from Pinterest entirely. If you saved it from another account, deleting it from your board just removes your save. The original pin lives on. Use this option when you are certain you no longer want a pin in your profile at all.
Archiving works at the board level rather than the individual pin level. When you archive a board, the entire board and all its pins are hidden from your profile but nothing is deleted. The content stays on Pinterest and continues to be indexed for search. This is the smarter move when you have a seasonal or old board that you do not want to feature but might want to restore later. Learn the full process in this guide on how to archive Pinterest boards.
Moving a pin to a different board is a third option that often gets overlooked. If a pin does not fit the board it is currently in but still belongs somewhere on your profile, you can edit the pin and change its board assignment instead of deleting it. This keeps your content working for you without cluttering the wrong board. Learn more about setting up the right board structure in this guide on how to make Pinterest boards.
Tips for cleaning up your Pinterest boards effectively
If you are unpinning as part of a larger board cleanup, a few strategies make the process faster and more effective than just randomly deleting pins that catch your eye.
Start by defining what each board is supposed to be about before you start removing pins. If you do not have a clear topic for a board, anything can feel relevant. Once you decide that a specific board is only for, say, minimal living room ideas, it becomes obvious which pins do not belong and should be moved or deleted. This clarity is also what makes boards perform better in Pinterest’s search algorithm, which is covered in detail in this guide on how to optimize your Pinterest profile.
Work through boards one at a time rather than jumping between them. Trying to clean multiple boards simultaneously tends to result in incomplete work on each one. Set aside thirty minutes, pick one board, and clear it completely before moving to the next. If you need to reference what content is in your boards without losing it, you can always download your Pinterest boards as a backup first.
Finally, do not overthink individual pins during a cleanup. A useful rule: if you hesitate for more than three seconds about whether a pin belongs, it probably does not. Move it to a “maybe” board if you cannot decide, then delete the whole maybe board at the end if you never went back to reference it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does unpinning a pin notify the original creator? No. Pinterest does not send any notification to a pin’s original creator when someone removes it from their board. The action is entirely private.
Can I recover a pin after unpinning it? No. Once you delete a pin from Pinterest, it is gone permanently. If you deleted a pin you created yourself and want it back, you would need to recreate and repost it. If you deleted a repin, you can search for the original content and save it again. This is another reason archiving entire boards is often a better choice than mass-deleting individual pins.
Will unpinning a pin affect my analytics? Pinterest analytics reflect activity that has already happened, so past impressions and saves on a deleted pin will still appear in historical data. However, the pin will stop accumulating new activity once it is deleted. If the pin was driving traffic, that traffic source will disappear after deletion.
How do I unpin a pin from a group board? If you are a member of a group board and want to remove a pin you added, follow the same steps as a regular board. You can only delete pins you personally added to the group board. You cannot remove pins added by other contributors unless you are the board owner.
Key Takeaways
- To unpin on desktop, hover over a pin, click the three-dot icon or pencil icon, and select Delete Pin
- On mobile, long-press the pin or open it and tap the three-dot icon, then choose Delete Pin
- Deleting a repin only removes it from your board; the original pin stays on Pinterest through other saves
- Deleting is permanent with no recovery option, so consider archiving boards instead of mass-deleting when doing a cleanup
- Moving a pin to a different board is often better than deleting it if the content is still relevant elsewhere
- Unpinning does not notify the original creator and does not affect historical analytics already recorded
Final Thoughts
Unpinning is a small action with a permanent result, so it pays to be intentional about it. Before you delete a pin, make sure you are not removing something that is actively driving traffic or that you might want to reference later. Archive the board if you are uncertain, download your board content as a backup, or move the pin somewhere else rather than deleting it outright.
That said, a well-curated Pinterest profile genuinely performs better than a cluttered one. Removing pins that do not belong on a board strengthens that board’s topical focus, which helps Pinterest recommend it more accurately in search. A cleanup done thoughtfully is one of the highest-value maintenance tasks you can do for your Pinterest presence. Once your boards are organized, focus your energy on posting new pins consistently to build on that clean foundation.