How to Get Rid of Ads on Pinterest — The 2026 Complete Guide

If you've noticed Pinterest's ad density steadily increasing over the past few years, you're not imagining it. Promoted pins now appear roughly every 4-6 pins in your feed, and the targeting is aggressive — Pinterest tracks your activity both on and off the platform to fill your feed with shopping content that often misses the mark. Many users have started asking the obvious question: how do I get rid of all these ads?

The honest answer first: Pinterest doesn't offer a way to fully remove ads through your account settings. Pinterest is a free platform funded almost entirely by advertising; eliminating ads entirely would break their business model. But you can dramatically reduce them — both through Pinterest's own settings and through third-party tools. This guide covers every method that actually works in 2026.

Quick Reference: 5 Methods Ranked by Effectiveness

Combining methods gets the best results. Desktop users with a browser ad blocker plus Pinterest's reduced personalization settings can have a near-ad-free experience. Mobile is harder but workable.

Why Pinterest Has So Many Ads

Pinterest, like most "free" social platforms, makes money entirely from advertisers. With 619 million monthly active users worldwide and roughly $3+ billion in annual revenue, ads are the platform's lifeblood. Pinterest doesn't have a "Pinterest Premium" or paid tier that removes ads — there's no checkbox you can pay to flip.

What Pinterest sells to advertisers:

• Promoted Pins: Ads designed to look like regular pins (with a small "Promoted" label)
• Shopping Ads: Product-specific pins with prices and direct links
• Video Ads: Auto-playing video pins
• Carousel/Idea Pin Ads: Multi-frame sponsored content
• Audience Targeting: Pinterest tracks both your on-platform activity and (with default settings) your off-platform browsing

The ads themselves blend in with regular content. Pinterest's design philosophy is "native ads" — they shouldn't disrupt your browsing visually. The downside: you can't easily tell ads from organic pins, and ads can fill 15-25% of your feed on busy days.

For more on Pinterest's business model, see our Who Owns Pinterest guide.

Method 1: Browser Ad Blockers (Most Effective)

For desktop users, a quality ad blocker eliminates 80-95% of Pinterest's promoted content. The best options:

Recommended Ad Blockers

Recommendation: uBlock Origin is widely considered the most effective free ad blocker. It's lightweight, doesn't sell user data, and blocks the vast majority of Pinterest promoted content with default settings.

Installation

1. Open your browser's extension store (Chrome Web Store, Firefox Add-ons, Edge Add-ons)
2. Search for "uBlock Origin" (note: there's also "uBlock Origin Lite" — both work, original Origin is more effective in Chrome)
3. Click Install or Add to Browser
4. Confirm the permissions prompt
5. Reload Pinterest

After enabling, you should immediately see fewer promoted pins. Pinterest may serve a few that slip through; this is normal as Pinterest's ad delivery occasionally circumvents blocking patterns. The blocker's filter lists update regularly.

Custom Filters for Pinterest (Advanced)

For users who want to block even subtle promotional content, you can add custom filters. In uBlock Origin:

1. Open the extension dashboard (right-click the uBlock icon → Open the dashboard)
2. Go to My filters tab
3. Add these lines and save:

pinterest.com##[data-grid-item]:has-text(/Promoted by/i)
pinterest.com##[data-test-id="closeup-pin-promoted-by"]
pinterest.com##div[data-test-id*="promoted"]

These rules hide pins explicitly labeled as promoted. Your mileage may vary as Pinterest occasionally changes its HTML structure.

Method 2: Mobile Browser Workaround

Pinterest's mobile app has no way to install ad blockers — Pinterest controls what loads within the app. The workaround:

Use Pinterest in a privacy-focused browser instead of the app.

Best Mobile Browsers for Pinterest

The compromise: Pinterest's mobile web version is less smooth than the app. You'll lose features like push notifications and slightly cleaner UI. But ad reduction is meaningful.

iOS users: Open Pinterest in Safari with an installed content blocker like AdGuard for Safari. Add Pinterest to the bookmarks bar for quick access. This is the closest you'll get to ad-free Pinterest on iPhone without jailbreaking (which we don't recommend).

Method 3: Pinterest's Own Ad Personalization Settings

Pinterest gives you limited control through its settings. These won't eliminate ads, but they reduce personalization (making ads less invasive) and the amount of tracking Pinterest does.

On Desktop

1. Click your profile picture (top right) → Settings
2. Click Privacy and data in the left sidebar
3. Find the Personalization section
4. Toggle OFF these options:

On Mobile App

1. Tap your profile (bottom right)
2. Tap the gear icon (⚙) at the top
3. Tap Privacy and data
4. Toggle off the same personalization options

Note: If you use Pinterest on multiple browsers or devices, you need to adjust these settings on each one. Pinterest doesn't sync this preference across surfaces.

Method 4: Block Individual Advertisers (Up to 1,000)

Pinterest lets you block specific advertisers from showing you their ads. This is most useful for recurring annoying ads you keep seeing.

How to Block an Advertiser

1. When you see a promoted pin you don't want, tap or click the three-dot menu (⋯) on the pin
2. Select Hide Pin or Hide ad
3. Pinterest asks why — select I don't want to see ads from this advertiser
4. Confirm

That advertiser is now blocked. You can block up to 1,000 advertisers total.

The Limitation

This method has diminishing returns. New advertisers appear constantly, so blocking specific ones is like playing whack-a-mole. It's worth doing for repeat offenders (advertisers showing you the same ad many times) but won't significantly reduce overall ad volume.

Bonus: Training the Algorithm

Each time you click "Hide Pin" + "Not relevant," Pinterest's algorithm learns what you don't want. Doing this 4-5 times when you open Pinterest each day, for a few days, can meaningfully reduce irrelevant ads. The ads don't disappear, but they become less annoying.

Method 5: The Ad-Free Approach — Browse Downloaded Pins

Here's a method most articles don't mention: if you primarily use Pinterest as a reference library (saving pins you want to look at later), you can largely skip Pinterest's ad-filled feed altogether.

The workflow:

1. Search Pinterest for what you need
2. Open the specific pins that look useful
3. Download them locally using PinLoad — no Pinterest account needed
4. Browse, reference, and use your downloaded collection without opening Pinterest

This gives you:

• Zero ads in your local collection
• Faster browsing (your phone/computer is faster than Pinterest's servers)
• Works offline — when Pinterest is down or you don't have internet
• Permanent access — the content doesn't disappear if the creator deletes their pin

PinLoad has no ads itself, by design. It's a single-purpose tool: paste a pin URL, get the file. Nothing else. No "sponsored downloads," no popup ads, no banner ads. The contrast with Pinterest's increasingly ad-saturated feed is intentional.

For different content types:

• Videos: How to download Pinterest videos
• Images: How to download Pinterest images in HD
• GIFs: How to download Pinterest GIFs

This isn't a replacement for Pinterest itself (you still need Pinterest for discovery), but it dramatically reduces the time you spend in an ad-filled environment.

Things You Can't Block (Even With Effort)

A few categories of Pinterest "ads" can't be removed even with aggressive blocking:

• "Popular on Pinterest" sections — Editorially curated content (technically not ads, but algorithmic distribution)
• "Ideas for you" recommendations — Pinterest's content discovery, mixed in with your feed
• Shopping suggestions in search results — Built into Pinterest's search algorithm
• Affiliate links in pins from creators — These look like regular pins (because they are), but they're commercial. Creators are required to disclose; Pinterest doesn't filter them.

For the most comprehensive removal, the "Pinterest Ads & Promo Remover" Chrome extension also hides "Popular on Pinterest" and "Ideas for you" sections, giving you a cleaner discovery-focused feed.

What Pinterest Has Actually Banned

Worth noting: Pinterest has banned certain ad categories permanently:

• Weight loss ads (since 2021) — Pinterest was the first major platform to ban this category, citing user wellbeing
• Get-rich-quick schemes
• Online gambling and lotteries
• Sexual content (adult ads)
• Misleading health claims

So while Pinterest has many ads, the platform does filter out some particularly harmful categories. See Pinterest's Advertising Guidelines for the full list.

Recognizing Scam Ads on Pinterest

While reducing Pinterest ads, be aware that some ads are scams. Red flags:

If you encounter a scam ad, click the three-dot menu → Report ad → select "It's a scam." This helps Pinterest improve their filtering.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I pay Pinterest to remove ads?

No. Pinterest doesn't offer a paid tier that removes ads. The entire business model is ad-supported, so there's no Pinterest Premium option.

Will Pinterest detect that I'm using an ad blocker?

Pinterest doesn't actively block ad-blocker users (unlike some platforms like YouTube). Your account won't be penalized for using ad blockers — you simply see fewer ads.

Does using an ad blocker hurt creators I follow?

Pinterest pays creators primarily based on engagement, not ad views. Your ad blocker mainly reduces revenue to Pinterest itself, not to the creators you follow. (Though Pinterest losing revenue could long-term reduce what they pay creators.)

Why do ads come back even after I block advertisers?

You've blocked specific advertisers, not the entire category of ads. New advertisers join Pinterest constantly. Plus, your activity-based personalization still triggers new ads from advertisers in your interest categories.

Can I block ads in the Pinterest iOS app?

Not with standard tools. Apple's iOS doesn't allow third-party apps to modify other apps' content. Your options on iPhone: use Pinterest in Safari with an installed content blocker, or use a different mobile browser like Brave.

Will Pinterest become ad-free in the future?

No. Pinterest's investor reports show that ads will remain the primary revenue source for the foreseeable future. They're investing more in shopping integration and personalized ads, not less.

Are Pinterest ads safer than other platforms' ads?

Mostly yes. Pinterest's ad approval process is stricter than many platforms. Pinterest has banned weight loss ads (rare among major platforms), and they screen for many other harmful categories. But scam ads still occasionally slip through.

Do incognito/private browsing modes block Pinterest ads?

Partially. Incognito browsing prevents Pinterest from using your cookies and browsing history for ad targeting, so ads become less personalized. But you'll still see ads — they'll just be more random.

Can VPNs reduce Pinterest ads?

Indirectly. Pinterest's ad targeting uses location data, among other signals. A VPN can change your apparent location, which sometimes reduces certain region-specific ads. But it's not a primary ad-blocking method.

What's the best combination of methods?

For desktop: uBlock Origin extension + Pinterest's reduced personalization settings + occasional "Hide Pin" training. This combination removes 85-95% of ad annoyance.

For mobile: Brave Browser for Pinterest (instead of the app) + Pinterest's personalization settings. Or use the Pinterest app but rely on downloaded pins from PinLoad for browsing without ads.

Related Reading

• Why Pinterest is the way it is:
  • Who owns Pinterest? Founders and business model
• Save content to browse offline (no ads):
  • How to download Pinterest videos
  • How to download Pinterest images in HD
  • How to download Pinterest GIFs
• Privacy and security:
  • Can people see who views your Pinterest?
  • Is Pinterest video downloader safe?
• Other Pinterest issues:
  • Is Pinterest down? Troubleshooting
  • How to delete pins, boards, accounts

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For an ad-free Pinterest experience, browse downloaded content. PinLoad downloads any public Pinterest pin (videos, images, GIFs) to your device — no Pinterest account needed, no ads in the experience. Build your own reference library without scrolling through promoted pins.

Sources cited in this article:

• Pinterest Advertising Guidelines: policy.pinterest.com/en/advertising-guidelines
• Pinterest Help Center: help.pinterest.com