How to Make a Pinterest Account Public

Trying to make your Pinterest account visible to everyone? You're in the right place. Switching your profile from private to public is a simple step that unlocks massive potential for growth. This guide will walk you through the exact process on both desktop and mobile, explain the difference between a private profile and secret boards, and show you what to do next to get the most out of your now-public presence.

Why Go Public? The Power of a Visible Pinterest Profile

Before jumping into the "how," it's worth understanding the "why." Keeping your account private is great for personal use, like planning a secret project or saving ideas you don't want the world to see. But if your goal is growth, reach, or building a brand, a public profile is non-negotiable. It's the switch that flips your Pinterest from a personal scrapbook into a powerful discovery engine.

Here’s what you gain by making your profile public:

• Discoverability on Pinterest: When your account is public, your profile, boards, and Pins can appear in search results and home feeds of users across the platform. This is how new followers find you, how potential customers discover your products, and how your content gets seen.
• Google and Search Engine Indexing: Public Pinterest profiles and Pins are indexed by search engines like Google. This means someone searching for "kitchen renovation ideas" on Google could see one of your Pins directly in the image results, driving organic traffic to your profile and website. A private account is completely invisible to search engines.
• Ability to Build a Community: A public presence allows others to Follow you, engage with your Pins, and send you messages. It opens the door for collaboration and building a community around your niche or brand.
• Access to Pinterest for Business Tools: To get access to critical tools like Pinterest Analytics and the ability to run ads, you need a free Business account. Business accounts are, by nature, public entities designed for reach. A private personal account locks you out of these valuable insights.

In short, a private profile walls you off from every growth mechanism Pinterest has to offer. A public profile opens the gates.

First Things First: Is Your Pinterest Account Already Private?

Sometimes users aren't even sure about their account's status. They see low engagement and assume their account is hidden when it might just be new. There’s one specific setting that controls this, and it’s called "Search privacy." If this setting is enabled, your entire profile is hidden from search engines and unregistered users on Pinterest.

It's important to distinguish this from secret boards. You can have a public profile with a mix of public and secret boards. Secret boards are only visible to you (and anyone you invite), but the rest of your profile remains discoverable. Hiding your entire profile is a different, all-or-nothing setting.

How to Check Your Visibility Status

The easiest way to see if your account is hidden is to simply log out of Pinterest and try searching for your username on Google or Pinterest itself. If you can’t find it, it’s likely hidden. A more direct method is to check the setting directly, which we'll cover in the next section.

Making Your Pinterest Account Public: A Step-by-Step Guide

Ready to make the switch? The process takes less than a minute. Here are the steps for both desktop and the mobile app.

How to Make Your Pinterest Profile Public on Desktop

Follow these instructions if you're using Pinterest on a laptop or desktop computer.

1. Log in to your Pinterest account at Pinterest.com.
2. Click the small downward-facing arrow in the top-right corner of your screen to open the menu.
3. Select Settings from the dropdown list.
4. In the left-hand navigation menu, click on Privacy and data.
5. Look for the section titled Search privacy. You’ll see a checkbox labeled "Hide your profile from search engines."
6. If this box is checked, your account is private. Uncheck this box.
7. Pinterest will likely display a confirmation pop-up to make sure you want to proceed. Click the button to confirm.

That's it! Your profile is now public. It can take some time for Google and other search engines to re-index your page and for it to start appearing in external search results, but it will be instantly visible to other users on Pinterest.

How to Make Your Pinterest Profile Public on the Mobile App (iOS & Android)

If you prefer using the mobile app, the steps are just as simple.

1. Open the Pinterest app on your phone and log in.
2. Tap on your profile picture icon at the bottom-right of the screen to go to your profile.
3. Tap the three dots (...) in the top-right corner, then select Settings from the menu that appears.
4. In the Settings menu, tap on Privacy and data.
5. Look for the Search privacy heading.
6. You'll see a toggle switch next to "Hide your profile from search engines." If the toggle is on (usually colored), your profile is private.
7. Tap the toggle to turn it OFF. It should turn gray or become uncolored.

Your account is now public and ready to be discovered. The change takes effect immediately within the Pinterest platform.

Balancing Public and Private: The Smart Way to Use Secret Boards

Making your profile public doesn't mean you have to share every single thought with the world. This is where secret boards become your best friend. They allow you to maintain a public-facing profile for your brand or niche while keeping certain collections of Pins completely private.

Think of it like this: your public profile is the store, and your secret boards are the stockroom. The public sees the curated, polished final product, while you use the private space for planning, inspiration, and personal projects.

When to Use a Secret Board:

• Business & Brand Strategy: A social media manager might use a secret board to gather competitive research or plan a future content calendar for an upcoming product launch. It’s a perfect visual brainstorming tool.
• Personal Planning: Planning a surprise birthday party, curating a holiday gift list for family, or designing your dream home are all perfect uses for secret boards.
• Content Curation: Many creators use secret boards as a staging area. They'll save dozens of potential Pins to a secret board, and from there, select the best ones to move over to a public board weekly. This keeps their public-facing boards clean and highly curated.

How to Create a Secret Board:

1. From your profile page, tap the + icon and select Board.
2. Give your board a name.
3. Before hitting 'Create,' check the box or flip the toggle labeled Keep this board secret.

You can also make an existing public board secret at any time by editing the board and enabling the "Keep this board secret" option. Just remember, once a Pin has been made public, repins of it will still exist out in the wild even if you make the original board secret later.

Okay, You're Public! What's Next?

Flipping the switch to public is just the beginning. To truly capitalize on your new visibility, you need to set up your profile for success. Think of your profile as your digital storefront - you want it to be inviting, clear, and optimized to attract the right people.

1. Convert to a Business Account

If you haven't already, convert your personal account to a free business account. Go to Settings > Account Management and look for the option to 'Convert to a business account'. This gives you immediate access to Pinterest Analytics, where you can see which of your Pins are performing best, who your audience is, and how much traffic you're driving.

2. Optimize Your Profile

Your profile is often the first impression a potential follower has. Make it count.

• Profile Photo: Use a clear, high-quality headshot or brand logo.
• Name &, Username: Make sure your display name and username clearly state who you are or what your business is. Use relevant keywords if you can do so naturally (e.g., "Jane Doe | Interior Designer").
• Bio: You have a small space to tell people what you're all about. Use keywords related to your niche, describe what value you offer, and include a call to action.
• Claim Your Website: Claiming your website links your online properties, adds your logo to any Pins from your site, and unlocks more detailed analytics.

3. Build a Consistent Content Strategy

A public profile that a creator hasn’t updated in months isn’t going to grow. Success on Pinterest is built on consistency. Start creating high-quality, vertically-oriented Pins for your Niche. Plan out your content, pin regularly, and use keyword-optimized descriptions to help your Pins get found in search.

Final Thoughts

Making your Pinterest account public is a simple but powerful action for growing your audience and elevating your brand. By adjusting a single setting in your privacy options, you make your profile, boards, and Pins discoverable across Pinterest and in major search engines, turning your account into a genuine growth tool.

Once you're public, the key is consistency. As you focus on building out your content calendar, managing a daily or weekly pinning schedule can feel like a job in itself. We built Postbase to streamline exactly that. Our visual planner lets you map out your Pinterest strategy with a simple drag-and-drop calendar, and you can schedule your content weeks in advance, knowing that our platform will reliably publish it for you. This frees you up to focus on creating great content instead of constantly managing your queue.