Private, Secret and Group Boards: What Can You Save?

Safety & rights · 2 min read · Updated 31 October 2026

Last updated 31 October 2026 · Reviewed by the PinSaveHD team · How we check facts

TL;DR

Downloaders only see what a logged-out visitor sees, so secret boards and private content cannot be saved. Public boards and group boards that are public can. To back up your own secret boards, use Pinterest’s official data request.

Published 2026-10-31 · by the PinSaveHD team

Board visibility confuses a lot of people, especially when a board downloader works on one board but not another. The explanation is simple once you know how Pinterest treats each type.

Public boards

Anyone can view a public board, logged in or not. Our board downloader reads the same public listing a logged-out visitor sees. Pinterest shows a limited number of recent pins in that listing, so large boards may not be fully exported.

Secret boards

Secret boards are visible only to their owner and invited collaborators. They do not appear on the profile, and their pins are hidden from public listings. A public tool cannot see them, and that is how it should be.

Group (collaborative) boards

A group board follows its own visibility setting. If it is public, it behaves like any public board. If it is secret, only the members can see it.

Archived boards

Archived boards are hidden from the owner's profile and are not reliably available to the public.

Board sections

Sections have their own URL, such as pinterest.com/user/board/section/. Exporting section by section is a good way to get more of a large board.

Backing up your own private boards

Pinterest's data request: Pinterest lets account holders request a copy of their data from the account settings. This is the official route for your own content, including secret boards.
Temporarily public: you could make your own board public, export it, then switch it back. Only do this if nothing on it is sensitive.
Pin by pin: open each pin you care about and save it individually.

Asking for your Pinterest password would put your account at risk and break Pinterest's rules. Any tool that asks for it should be treated as unsafe.

How to tell what type a board is

Open the board link in a private browser window where you are not logged in. If it loads and shows pins, it is public and the board downloader can read it. If you see a login wall or a not-found page, it is secret, archived or deleted. A lock icon next to the board name in your own profile means secret.

Collaborating safely

If you share a secret board with collaborators and want everyone to have the files, the cleanest route is for the owner to use Pinterest's official data request or to save the important pins individually and share the folder directly. That keeps the board private and avoids passing logins around.

Frequently asked

Can someone download my secret board? Not through public tools; they cannot see it. Anyone you invite can still save pins they view, so invite with care.

Does making a board public for a minute expose it? While it is public anyone with the link can view it, and it may be indexed. Only do it with content you are comfortable sharing.