How to Merge a Section into a Board on Pinterest

Ready to clean up your Pinterest profile by merging a section back into its main board? You’ve come to the right place. This guide walks you through the exact steps for merging a section on both desktop and mobile, explains why it's a great organizational tactic, and answers common questions you might have along the way. Let's get your Pinterest boards looking neat and tidy.

So, What Does "Merging a Section" Actually Do?

Merging a section on Pinterest is a straightforward but powerful organizational tool. Think of it less like blending two things together and more like emptying a container. When you "merge" a section, you are essentially moving all of the Pins from that section into the main, parent board. Once all the Pins have been moved, Pinterest automatically and permanently deletes the now-empty section.

For example, if you have a board called "Marketing Strategies" with a section named "Email Campaigns," merging the "Email Campaigns" section would move all of its Pins directly into the "Marketing Strategies" board. The "Email Campaigns" section would then disappear, leaving a more consolidated and streamlined main board.

It's a one-way action designed to simplify your board structure when a niche section is no longer needed or has grown to become the main focus of the entire board.

Top Reasons to Merge a Section into a Board

At first glance, deleting a section might feel counterintuitive when you spent time setting it up. However, there are several strategic reasons why merging sections is one of the best ways to keep your Pinterest profile organized, relevant, and easy for your followers to navigate. Here are a few common scenarios where it makes perfect sense.

1. To Refine and Simplify Your Content Strategy

Social media strategies evolve. A topic that seemed important six months ago might not be a core part of your brand today. Merging subsections is a perfect way to refocus your account on what's currently working.

• Example: A food blogger might have a board called "Healthy Recipes" with sections for "Smoothies," "Salads," and "Soups." If they decide to pivot entirely to quick liquid meals, they could merge the "Salads" and "Soups" sections into the main board, rename the board "Quick Smoothies & Blended Soups," and get rid of the now-unnecessary sections.

2. To Clean Up Seasonal or Event-Based Content

Sections are fantastic for organizing temporary or time-sensitive topics like holidays, marketing campaigns, or a specific launch. Once the event has passed, merging the section helps clear out the clutter while preserving the valuable Pins you’ve collected.

• Example: A home decor brand might create a "Holiday Decor 2024" section within their "Home Inspiration" board. After the season ends, they can merge that section into the main board. All the great holiday content is still saved for future reference, but the profile looks clean and ready for the next seasonal push.

3. To Reduce Clutter and Improve User Experience

While sections are great for organization, having too many can become overwhelming for visitors. If a user has to click through multiple levels to find what they're looking for, they might just give up. Merging less popular or overly niche sections creates a cleaner, more accessible experience for your audience.

• Example: A business coach’s board on "Entrepreneurship" might have sections for "Productivity Hacks," "Mindset," "Finance," and "Leadership." If the "Finance" section only has a handful of Pins, they could merge it into the main board so users don't have to click into a nearly-empty section.

4. When a Niche Topic Outgrows its Section

Sometimes, a subsection becomes so popular it deserves to be the star. If you find that one particular section is getting massive engagement and you're adding dozens of pins to it, it might have outgrown its place as a mere subsection. By merging it back into the main board, you can give that popular topic the full attention of the parent board.

• Example: A fashion creator has a "Casual Outfits" board with a section on "Denim Looks." If denim becomes the main focus of their content and drives the most traffic, they could merge the denim section, archive or delete other unrelated Pins, and rename the entire board to be "Denim & Casualwear."

A Quick Checklist Before You Merge

The merge action is simple, but it is permanent. Before you start rearranging your boards, run through this quick mental checklist to make sure you're ready.

• Confirm you want all Pins moved. Are you 100% sure that every single Pin in the section belongs on the main board? If not, move the unwanted Pins to a different board before you initiate the merge.
• Recognize that the section is deleted forever. You cannot "un-merge" a section. Once you confirm the action, the section is gone for good. You can always recreate it manually later, but it won't be as simple as an undo button.
• Don’t worry about your Pin stats. The individual Pins themselves are simply being reorganized, not deleted. Their saves, engagement data, and URLs remain intact - they just live inside the parent board now instead of the section.

How to Merge a Section Into a Board: A Step-by-Step Guide

The process is slightly different depending on whether you're using Pinterest on a desktop computer or the mobile app. Here are detailed walkthroughs for both.

Merging a Section on Desktop

The desktop interface gives you a clear view of your boards and makes organizational tasks like this quick and easy.

1. Navigate to your Pinterest profile and click the "Saved" tab to see all of your boards.
2. Open the board that contains the section you want to merge. You'll see your sections listed just below the board's title.
3. Click on the name of the section you want to merge. This will take you inside that specific section's page.
4. Find the three-dot menu icon (...) to the right of the section title. Click on it.
5. From the dropdown menu that appears, select "Merge."
6. A confirmation window will pop up. It clearly states: "All the Pins in this section will be moved to [Board Name] and this section will be deleted."
7. Click the final red "Merge" button to complete the action. The section's Pins will instantly move, and the section itself will vanish.

Merging a Section on the Mobile App (iOS & Android)

Organizing on the go is simple with the Pinterest app. The process uses the built-in "Organize" tool.

1. Open the Pinterest app on your phone and tap on your profile picture in the bottom-right corner to go to your profile.
2. Navigate to the board that contains the section you wish to merge and tap to open it.
3. At the top of your board, among the Pins, tap the "Organize" button. This shifts the interface into an editing mode.
4. Your sections will be displayed at the top. Tap on the section you'd like to merge. A small checkmark will appear on its thumbnail to show it's selected.
5. With the section selected, a new menu will appear at the bottom of the screen. Tap on the "Merge" option.
6. A final confirmation screen will appear to make sure you want to proceed. Tap "Merge" one last time to confirm.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Merging is usually a seamless process, but if you hit a snag, one of these solutions will likely fix it.

• "I can't find the 'Merge' option!"
  On desktop, make sure you have already clicked into the section itself. The merge option won't appear from the parent board's view. On mobile, ensure you have first tapped the "Organize" button and then tapped on the section you want to act on. The bottom menu with the merge option only appears after a section is selected.
• "I accidentally merged the wrong section. Can I undo it?"
  Unfortunately, there is no "undo" button for merging. However, you haven't lost your Pins. The easiest fix is to create a new section with the old name, then use the "Organize" tool on the main board to select the Pins you just merged and move them in bulk back into your newly created section. It’s a bit of manual work, but completely fixable.

Final Thoughts

Merging sections into boards is a fast and effective way to streamline your Pinterest profile, clean up outdated content, and adapt your pinning strategy over time. Once you know where the button is, it's a simple, two-click process for keeping your content organized and easy for your audience to find.

Maintaining a clean content calendar is just as important as keeping your profile organized. At Postbase, we designed our visual planner to give you a clear, bird's-eye view of your entire social media strategy across all platforms, including Pinterest. With reliable scheduling and a focus on video, our tool helps ensure your content goes live when it's supposed to, so you can spend your time creatively, not just organizationally.