Turn Off Ads on Pinterest

Quick answer: You can’t turn off ads on Pinterest. Its own help says so: While you can't turn off ads completely, you can limit the kinds of information we use to pick which ads you see. What it lets you do is hide an ad (See fewer like this, from the ad’s ellipsis icon), block an advertiser’s profile (up to 1,000 of them), and uncheck the ads settings in Privacy and data, which change which ads you see, not how many. Pinterest has no ad blocker of its own. The tool above gives Pinterest’s steps for each, on your device.

Can you turn off ads on Pinterest?

No. Pinterest’s Ads article explains what an ad is, Ads are Pins that businesses pay to promote. They appear in your home feed and search results. and then says there is no switch. Its help names no ad-free version either. Everything Pinterest offers changes which ads reach you: one you hide, an advertiser you block, or the information it uses to pick them.

How to get rid of ads on Pinterest

As far as Pinterest allows, it takes three steps, in this order. First, hide the ads you don’t want: If you see an ad that doesn't interest you, you can hide it. Pinterest uses your feedback to make sure you see more relevant ads in the future. Second, block an advertiser you never want to see again: If you don't want to see ads from a specific advertiser, you can block the advertiser's Pinterest profile. You can block up to 1,000 advertisers. Third, open Settings › Privacy and data and uncheck Use info from sites you visit and Use of partner info, so ads are picked less from what you do off Pinterest. Pick “All ads” above for all three sets of steps.

How to block or stop ads on Pinterest

Pinterest’s own “block” is for advertisers, not ads. You block the advertiser’s Pinterest profile the same way you block anyone (the Block or unblock someone steps, also in the Block Someone on Pinterest tool), and If you block someone, their Pins will no longer show up in your home feed, but you might still see them in search results and group boards. The advertiser is not told: No one will ever receive a notification that you've blocked or unblocked them.

Is there a Pinterest ad blocker?

Not from Pinterest. Browser extensions that say they hide Promoted Pins are other companies’ software. Pinterest’s help does not mention them, and this page does not name, test or recommend any. Inside the Pinterest app on a phone, the settings above are what Pinterest gives you.

Hide one ad

Pinterest’s Ads article sends “you can hide it” to See more or fewer recommended Pins, whose option is See fewer like this (See less in the Android app) from the ellipsis icon at the bottom right of the Pin in your home feed. It explains what that feed is: Your home feed is a blend of Pins picked for you and Pins from the people, topics and boards you follow. The same icon tells you why a Pin is there: To learn more about why you’re seeing a Pin in your home feed, click the ellipsis icon at the bottom-right corner of the Pin. You’ll be given a reason for why you’re seeing the Pin.

Make ads less targeted: the six ads settings in Privacy and data

These are the settings in Manage your privacy and data settings. Some depend on where you live, in Pinterest’s words depending on your location. The use case for each is Pinterest’s own wording:

Why the first two matter: To help you see ads you’re more likely to be interested in, Pinterest or a company advertising on Pinterest may use information about your off-Pinterest activity to personalize the ads you see. A company advertising on Pinterest might share a list of customer email addresses with us. And if their customers are on Pinterest, we can show them more relevant ads. For instance, this way you might get an ad for a pair of shoes you checked out, but didn’t buy. None of these settings changes how many ads you see, and Please note that this setting does not apply to information about purchases you initiate on Pinterest.

Two of Pinterest’s pages start the web steps in different places. Personalized ads on Pinterest begins at the chevron-down icon at the top right, while Manage your privacy and data settings begins at the more-options icon at the bottom left. The tool uses the second; follow whichever your screen shows.

Your phone’s and browser’s own ad tracking

Pinterest’s Personalization and data article names the controls outside Pinterest, and warns: Keep in mind each control only applies to data from the browser or device you implement it on. On Android: Android devices have a resettable advertising identifier that Pinterest and other companies use to target ads based on the apps you use. Android devices allow you to opt out of the use of this identifier for purposes of showing you targeted ads. To review this setting, in your Android device settings, select Privacy, then Ads. On an iPhone or iPad: If you select “Ask App Not to Track”, your ads will be less personalized. Advertisers may still send us this activity information. We will only use this information for advertising after we’ve removed or combined it with other information so it’s no longer connected to you. You can adjust your choice at any time in your Apple device settings by selecting Privacy and then Tracking, and remember that your choice only applies to that device. In a browser: Pinterest adheres to the Digital Advertising Alliance’s Self-Regulatory Principles for Online Behavioral Advertising and provides an opt out on the DAA’s consumer choice tool at optout.aboutads.info.

Ads on a teen’s account

A teen still sees ads; what changes is how they are picked. Note: Minors in the EU, Switzerland, and the UK will automatically be opted out of all ads personalization settings. You’ll be opted in when you turn 18, but you can adjust this in your settings at any time. If you are under the age of 16 or are in the EEA, United Kingdom, or Switzerland, your data will not be shared with these partners. Pinterest’s other rules for teens are in the Pinterest for Teens tool.

Too many ads, or a scam ad

Pinterest has a feedback form for ads, Tell us about the ads you see on Pinterest. You can choose “I'm seeing too many ads”, “I see too many ads from the same advertiser” or “Ads are misleading or scams”, add a screenshot, and send it, and it may not get a reply. An ad that breaks Pinterest’s rules can also be reported like any Pin: If you find a Pin that violates our Community guidelines, you can report the Pin.

Does resetting your home feed change the ads?

No. Pinterest says so in Refine your recommendations: Turning on or off recommendations won’t affect the ads you see on your home feed. You can limit the information Pinterest uses to pick which ads you see. The Reset Your Pinterest Home Feed tool covers the rest of the feed, and Turn Off AI on Pinterest covers AI-made Pins.

If you advertise on Pinterest

The people you pay to reach can hide your ad and block your profile, and Pinterest says it learns from it. The Pinterest tag is one of the ways your site’s visits reach its ads (the Pinterest Tag Code Builder writes it), and Use of partner info is how a person opts out of that.

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