How to Use Pinterest (Beginner’s Guide): Saving, Pinning, and Downloading Explained
If you are wondering how to use Pinterest, the short answer is: create a free account, search for a topic, tap the save icon on anything you like, and organize what you save into boards. Pinterest works like a visual bookmarking tool rather than a social feed – you collect ideas instead of just scrolling past them. This guide walks through account setup, saving Pins, organizing boards, and the one thing most beginners get wrong: saving a Pin on Pinterest is not the same as downloading it to your phone or computer.
What Is Pinterest, Exactly?
Pinterest is a visual discovery platform. Users post images, videos, and links called “Pins,” and other users “save” the Pins they like onto personal collections called “boards.” Unlike Instagram or Facebook, Pinterest is built around searching for ideas – recipes, outfits, home decor, business graphics – rather than following a chronological feed of people you know. Anyone can create a free account, and most content is public and searchable, similar to a search engine for images.
Setting Up a Pinterest Account
- Go to pinterest.com or download the Pinterest app for Android or iPhone.
- Sign up with an email address, or continue with an existing Google, Facebook, or Apple account.
- Pick a few topics you are interested in – Pinterest uses these to personalize your home feed.
- Optionally add a profile photo and a short bio if you plan to use Pinterest for a blog or small business.
Verification is quick and free, and you do not need a business account to save, pin, or browse. A business account only adds analytics and ad tools, which most casual users never need.
How to Save (Pin) Something on Pinterest
Saving is Pinterest’s core action. When you find an image or video you like, hover over it (on desktop) or tap it (on mobile) and select the red “Save” button. You will be asked to choose or create a board to save it to. That Pin now lives permanently in your account and in that board, so you can find it again later.
You can also save content from other websites directly to Pinterest using the Pinterest browser extension, which adds a save button when you hover over images on other sites while you browse.
How Boards Work
Boards are folders for your saved Pins. You might have a board called “Weeknight Dinners” and another called “Living Room Ideas.” Boards can be public (visible to anyone who visits your profile) or marked secret, which hides them from everyone except you and anyone you invite as a collaborator. Organizing Pins into clearly named boards is what makes Pinterest useful months later, instead of becoming a pile of random saves.
Saving a Pin vs. Downloading It: The Difference That Confuses Beginners
This is the part most new users misunderstand. Saving a Pin only bookmarks it inside your Pinterest account – the actual image or video file still lives on Pinterest’s servers, not on your phone or computer. If you uninstall the app, lose internet access, or want to use that photo or video somewhere else (like a WhatsApp status, a presentation, or your own device gallery), a saved Pin will not help you. You need to separately download the file itself.
| Action | What It Does | Where the File Ends Up | Works Offline? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saving (Pinning) | Bookmarks the Pin inside your Pinterest account | Stays on Pinterest’s servers | No – needs the app or site |
| Downloading | Copies the actual image or video file to your device | Your phone gallery or computer folder | Yes – fully offline |
Pinterest’s mobile apps do have a “Download image” option in the three-dot menu on some Pins, and a similar download button sometimes appears for video Pins – but Pinterest’s own help pages note that not all Pins support it, and a video only downloads if the original uploader has allowed it, which most have not. The desktop website has no download button at all. That gap is why dedicated tools exist for video specifically. Our Pinterest video downloader lets you paste a Pin link and save the actual video file to your device in a few seconds – see our full step-by-step download guide for the walkthrough, or check how to save videos straight to your phone gallery.
Is Downloading Pinterest Content Allowed?
Downloading a Pin for personal use – like keeping a recipe or outfit idea offline – is generally treated the same way as saving any image from a public website for yourself. Reposting someone else’s video or photo publicly without credit is a different matter and can raise copyright issues. We cover this in detail in our guide on whether downloading Pinterest videos is safe and legal.
Quick Tips for New Pinterest Users
- Use specific board names (“Budget Kitchen Remodel Ideas”) instead of vague ones (“Home”) so search works better later.
- Follow a few accounts in your niche to fill your home feed with relevant Pins faster.
- Use the search bar with detailed phrases – Pinterest’s search behaves more like a search engine than a social feed.
- If your data plan is limited, Pinterest Lite is a lighter Android app built for slower connections and smaller phones.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Pinterest free to use?
Yes. Creating an account, saving Pins, making boards, and browsing are all completely free on both the website and the mobile apps.
Does saving a Pin download it to my phone?
No. Saving only bookmarks the Pin inside your Pinterest account. To get the actual file on your device, you need a separate download step – see our Pinterest video download guide.
Do I need a business account to save and download Pins?
No. A personal account can save, pin, organize boards, and download content just like a business account. Business accounts only add analytics and advertising tools.
Can I make my boards private?
Yes. Pinterest lets you mark any board as secret, which hides it from your profile and search results until you choose to make it public again.
What is the difference between Pinterest and Pinterest Lite?
Pinterest Lite is a smaller Android app built for slower internet connections and limited storage. It offers the core save and browse features with a much smaller download size than the full app.
