Pinterest is a wonderful platform to get creative inspiration and ideas for your next project. However, ads can interrupt your Pinterest experience and create a disrupted feel. Pinterest doesn’t have a direct way to “block all ads” but there are several ways to minimize ads on your Pinterest app.
We will go over 3 easy ways to help block or reduce the advertisements on your Pinterest app!
Table of Contents
Why You See Ads on Pinterest
Before we dive into the solutions, it helps to understand why ads are present on Pinterest. Pinterest utilizes ads to make revenue to keep the service free for users. On Pinterest, you will see ads based on:
- Your browsing history on Pinterest
- Websites you visited outside of Pinterest
- Information shared by third-party partners
- Information from a user’s interactions on Pinterest, such as pins and boards.
Now that we have gone through the rationale for ads, this helps explain why the following means in blocking or reducing ads work so well.
Method 1: Hide Ads Manually (Most Effective)
This method is the easiest and most successful way to reduce the number of ads you see. Various users have found that hiding ads manually trains Pinterest’s algorithm to show fewer ads in general, over time.
Here’s how to do it, step-by-step:
- Open the Pinterest app on your mobile device
- Tap “Home” on the bottom of your screen
- Scroll through your feed until you notice some sponsored posts, aka ads
- Tap on the three dots (•••) directly underneath the ad
- Choose “Hide” from the menu
- Repeat these steps with 4-5 different ads
Important note: you want to hide at least 4–5 different ads for this to work well. Many users see a noticeable reduction in ads in a few days, and the reduction can persist for weeks.
Method 2: Adjust Privacy and Data Settings
The ads you see on Pinterest are based on your personal information. If you are interested in seeing fewer, and less relevant ads on Pinterest, simply navigate to the settings menu and turn-off some of the data sharing features. Follow the steps below:
- Open Pinterest and tap on your profile picture at the bottom right of the page
- Tap on the three dots (•••) located in the upper right side of the page
- Tap “Settings“
- Under the Account section, select “Privacy and data”
- Find the section that says “Ads personalization”
Turn OFF the following toggles:
- “Use info from sites you visit”
- “Use partner info”
- “Ads about Pinterest”
- “Activity for ad reporting”
What this does: By disabling these settings, Pinterest will not consider either your browsing activity or partner information in its ad personalization efforts, which will result in less ads, and ads that are less relevant to your interests.
Method 3: Block Third-Party Partner Sharing
Third-party companies often share data with Pinterest so they can show you ads. Blocking this data sharing can reduce ad frequency even more.
Here’s how:
- Open the Pinterest app
- Tap the profile icon to go to your profile
- Tap the three dots (•••) in the top right
- Select “Settings“
- Tap “Privacy and data” under Account settings
- Scroll down to find partner sharing options.
Turn the following toggles OFF:
- “Sharing info with partners”
- “Ads off Pinterest”
Why this works: By turning off partner sharing, Pinterest receives less information about your actions on other websites and apps. Thus, fewer companies can target you with ads on Pinterest.
Additional Tips to Reduce Pinterest Ads
Erasing Your Search History
- Go to Settings > Privacy and data
- Locate “Erasing search history” and tap it
- This erases data Pinterest depending on the ads it serves you
Limit Ad Tracking on Your Device
If you’re an iPhone user:
- Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Apple Advertising
- Switch on “Limit Ad Tracking”
If you’re an Android user:
- Go to Settings > Google > Ads
- Switch on “Opt out of Ads Personalization”
What to Expect After Using These Methods
When you have applied these strategies, you should see:
- Fewer sponsored posts in your home feed
- Less targeted ads
- More organic content from accounts you are following
- Ads that are not as relevant to your interests and easier to ignore
Important note: These strategies substantially reduce and do not eliminate ads. Pinterest has to display some ads in order to keep the platform free.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
If you are still seeing ads frequently:
- Ensure you have hidden a minimum of 5 ads using the previous method
- Ensure all toggles for privacy are toggled OFF
- You’ll want to sign out of Pinterest and sign back in to clear your cache
- Try uninstalling and reinstalling the app
If the settings continue to reset:
- Update to the latest version of the Pinterest app
- Review your device privacy settings as outlined above
Read more: Best Instagram Captions for Your Girlfriend
Final Thoughts
To block ads on Pinterest, you’ll need to take a few manual actions and adjust your privacy settings. The manual hiding option (Option 1) is probably the most effective method, while privacy settings will help reduce targeted advertising.
It’s important to keep in mind that you’ll never fully get rid of ads, as Pinterest relies on ad revenue for its business. However, these methods will definitely improve your experience as you will see ads less often, in addition to making your home feed more dedicated to what you actually want to see.
Use all three options for the best results, be patient as these things take time, and it could take a day or two for the applied changes to take full effect.
