How to Download Pinterest Boards: Step-by-Step + Tools for Every Use Case

Are you looking to save your favorite Pinterest inspiration offline?

Perhaps you’re working on a design project and need access to your carefully curated boards without an internet connection?

Or maybe you want to ensure your collections are safely backed up before they potentially disappear.

Whatever your reason, downloading Pinterest boards is a valuable skill for anyone who regularly uses this popular visual discovery platform.

Unfortunately, Pinterest doesn’t offer a simple “download board” button, which leaves many users wondering how to save their collections.

The good news is that there are multiple ways to download Pinterest boards, depending on your technical skills and specific needs.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk through all available methods to download Pinterest boards—from beginner-friendly manual approaches to advanced API techniques and creative export solutions.

Why Download a Pinterest Board?

Before diving into the methods, here are a few reasons why you might want to download a board:

Inspiration on demand: Design professionals, fashion enthusiasts, recipe collectors, and travel planners often need offline access to their visual inspiration.

Content preservation: Pinterest content isn’t permanent. Boards might be made private, pins could be deleted by their creators, or websites hosting the original images might shut down.

Project presentations: If you work in a creative field, downloading pins allows you to incorporate them into client presentations, mood boards, or creative briefs without depending on an active internet connection.

Data backup: For power users with hundreds or thousands of pins, having a backup provides peace of mind that your curatorial work won’t disappear.

Quick Comparison: Best Ways to Download Pinterest Boards

Here’s a quick comparison of the main methods to help you choose the right approach for your needs:

Method	Ease of Use	Bulk Download	What You Get	Best For	Privacy Risk
Manual Saving	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	No	Images only	Small collections (10-20 pins)	None
Screenshots	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	No	Visual only	Quick visual reference	None
Browser Extensions	⭐⭐⭐⭐	Yes	Images + sometimes links	Medium to large collections	Low-Medium
API Methods	⭐⭐	Yes	Complete data (images, links, descriptions)	Developers, data analysis	None
Third-Party Tools	⭐⭐⭐	Yes	Varies by tool	Bulk downloads	Medium

Method 1: Manual Download

The most straightforward approach requires no additional tools but is time-consuming for more extensive collections.

Desktop Instructions:

Open your Pinterest board in a web browser
Click on the first pin to open it in full view
Click on the three dots on the top
Click download image option

TIP: You can also download images saved by other users, not just your own. Make sure you respect their copyright, though.

Mobile Instructions (iOS & Android):

Open the Pinterest app and navigate to your board
Tap on the pin to open it
Press and hold on the image until the menu appears
Select “Save Image” or “Download Image”
The image will be saved to your device’s photo gallery or downloads folder

Best for: Small collections of 10-20 pins where you only need the visual reference and don’t mind spending a few minutes on the task.

Limitations: Very time-consuming for larger boards; doesn’t preserve pin descriptions or links unless manually copied; no organization system.

Method 2: Use a Browser Extension or Pinterest Downloader

For larger collections, browser extensions dramatically speed up the download process by allowing batch operations.

Recommended Browser Extensions:

Image Downloader (Chrome/Firefox):

Install the “Image Downloader” extension from the Chrome Web Store or Firefox Add-ons
Navigate to your Pinterest board
Click the extension icon in your toolbar
The extension will display all images from the current page
Select which pins you want to download (or click “Select All”)
Click “Download” and choose a destination folder

PinDown (Chrome):

Install the “PinDown” extension
Open your Pinterest board
Click the extension icon
Select download options (images only, with descriptions, etc.)
Click “Start Download”
Images will be saved to your Downloads folder, often organized by board name

DownAlbum (Chrome):

Install “DownAlbum” extension
Navigate to your Pinterest board
Click the extension icon
The extension will load all pins (scroll to load more if needed)
A new tab will open showing all detected images
Click “Download” to save all as a ZIP file

Security & Privacy Considerations:

Before installing any browser extension:

Check the reviews and number of users
Review what permissions the extension requests (be wary of extensions that ask for access to all websites or your browsing history)
Stick to extensions from reputable developers with clear privacy policies
Consider creating a dedicated download folder to avoid accidentally sharing personal content

Best for: Medium to large collections where manual downloading would be impractical, and you primarily need the images.

Method 3: Download Board via Pinterest API

For the most complete export including all metadata, the Pinterest API offers the most comprehensive solution, though it requires some technical knowledge.

Setting Up Pinterest API Access:

Go to developers.pinterest.com and create a developer account
Create a new app in the developer dashboard
Request access to the required endpoints (boards and pins)
Generate an access token with appropriate permissions

Best for: Developers, analysts, and archivists who need complete data (images, descriptions, URLs, and other metadata) and have some technical knowledge.

Method 4: Turn Your Board into a PDF, Vision Board, or Notion Page

Sometimes the goal isn’t just downloading raw pins but transforming them into something more useful for your workflow.

Creating a PDF of Your Pinterest Board:

Use a browser extension like “Save as PDF” or your browser’s print function
Navigate to your Pinterest board
Scroll to load all pins you want to include
Use the extension or press Ctrl+P (Cmd+P on Mac)
Select “Save as PDF” in the print dialog
Adjust settings as needed (layout, margins, etc.)
Save to your desired location

Importing Pins to Canva for Mood Boards:

Download images from your Pinterest board using any method above
Create a new design in Canva (choose “Mood Board” template for best results)
Click “Uploads” in the side panel
Upload your saved Pinterest images
Drag and drop images onto your Canva canvas
Arrange as desired for a custom mood board
Download or share your completed design

Creating a Notion Gallery from Pinterest:

Create a new Notion page
Add a Gallery view database (+ Add a view → Gallery)
Create properties for “Image,” “Source,” and “Notes”
For each pin:
- Upload the image to the Gallery
- Copy the original pin URL to the Source property
- Add any notes or descriptions

Exporting to Excel or Airtable:

Create a spreadsheet with columns for Image, Description, URL, and Notes
For API-downloaded data, you can often convert JSON directly to CSV
For manually downloaded pins, you’ll need to input data by hand
Use this for creating organized content calendars or project planning databases

Best for: Creative professionals who need to repurpose Pinterest content into client-ready formats or more versatile organizational systems.

7. How to Download Secret Boards

Secret boards work exactly like regular boards for downloading purposes, with one key difference: you must be the board owner or have been invited to access the board.

To download from secret boards:

Log into your Pinterest account
Navigate to your profile and select “Secret Boards” section
Open the secret board
Use any of the download methods described above

Since secret boards aren’t publicly accessible via URL, API methods will require you to authenticate with the account that has access to the board.

Best for: Preserving private collections like surprise party planning, gift ideas, or personal vision boards that you don’t want publicly shared.

Legal & Ethical Considerations

When downloading Pinterest content, it’s important to understand the legal and ethical boundaries:

Copyright awareness: Most Pinterest images are subject to copyright protection. While downloading for personal inspiration and reference is generally considered fair use, redistributing or using commercially without permission may violate copyright law.

Pinterest’s Terms of Service: Pinterest’s terms allow personal use of content but prohibit “scraping” or mass collection of data without authorization. Using the official API is the compliant way to access data at scale.

Attribution best practices: If you’re using downloaded content in any public-facing work:

Always attribute the original creator when possible
Link back to the original source
Never claim others’ work as your own

Commercial use restrictions: Using downloaded Pinterest images for commercial purposes (like in products for sale, marketing materials, or commercial websites) typically requires permission from the original copyright holder—not from Pinterest.

Educational and personal use: Downloading for personal reference, education, or private inspiration generally falls under fair use in most jurisdictions.

Always consider the creator’s rights and intentions when downloading and using content from Pinterest.

FAQs About Downloading Pinterest Boards

Q: Can I download someone else’s board?

A: Yes, you can download images from any public Pinterest board using the methods described. However, remember that downloading doesn’t give you ownership rights to the content.

Q: What’s the best way to save just the links?

A: The Pinterest API method will give you all source links in a structured format. Alternatively, you can create a spreadsheet and copy each pin’s link manually, or use browser extensions that extract links.

Q: Is there a way to export a whole Pinterest board to Excel or Notion?

A: Yes, the API method allows you to export complete board data that can be imported into Excel. For Notion, you can either manually create entries or use tools like Zapier to automate the transfer of pins to a Notion database.

Q: Can I bulk download Pinterest boards on mobile?

A: The native Pinterest mobile app doesn’t support bulk downloads. For mobile bulk downloading, you’ll need to use your phone’s browser to access Pinterest’s web version and install compatible browser extensions, or use third-party apps designed for this purpose.

Q: Will Pinterest know if I download content from their site?

A: Pinterest can see that you’ve viewed content, but they don’t track whether you’ve downloaded images. Using the API creates a record of your data requests, but manual downloads are not specifically tracked.

Conclusion

Pinterest boards represent countless hours of curation and discovery, containing visual inspiration that’s valuable beyond the platform itself.

While Pinterest doesn’t offer a native “download board” button, the methods I provided in this guide provide solutions for every skill level and use case.

Want to Learn More?

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