# Why a Pinterest Board Link Won't Import | PinSuite Guide

> Pinterest would not hand that board over. What the message means, why our servers cannot reach some boards, what Still Fetching means, and how the extension gets in.

Canonical: https://pinsuite.app/guides/board-wont-import

---

[← All guides](/guides)

# Why a board link won't import

TROUBLESHOOTING · 3 MIN READ

You pasted a board link, and instead of importing it we told you Pinterest would not
hand it over. Here is what that means, and the route that works instead.

## What the message means

"Pinterest would not hand that board over just now. It is in your queue below and we
will keep asking for the next day, then email you when it lands. Nothing for you to do.
If it is one of your secret boards we cannot reach it this way at all, and the PinSuite
extension in Chrome or Firefox on a desktop is the way in."

Shown on the dashboard after you paste the link

## Why our servers can't reach the board

When you paste a board link into the dashboard, the import runs on our servers, and our
servers are not signed in to Pinterest. They can only fetch a board that Pinterest will
show to a signed-out visitor. If Pinterest refuses them, the import fails.

This is about our servers, not your account. A board that looks perfectly normal while
you are logged in can be invisible to anyone who is not.

## Why we can't tell you the exact reason

Pinterest gives the same empty response for a board that is private, an account whose
visibility is limited, and a board that does not exist. Nothing in that response
separates the three. We would rather say we cannot tell than send you hunting for a
problem that may not be there.

## Use the browser extension instead

The extension takes a different path. It runs inside your own browser, signed in as you,
and reads the board the way you would if you were scrolling it yourself. Anything you can
see, it can save.

**Your Pinterest login stays on your machine.**
The extension does the fetching locally in your browser and sends only the board contents
back. Your Pinterest credentials never reach our servers.

1

### Install the extension

Available for Chrome and Firefox on a desktop computer.

2

### Open the board on Pinterest

Sign in to Pinterest as you normally would, then open the board.

3

### Save it from the extension

The board goes into your library, sections and all.

## What "Still fetching" means

A board Pinterest refuses now is often readable again a few hours later, so rather than
leave you to remember, we keep asking. A refused board is retried after about fifteen
minutes, then at roughly thirty minutes, two hours, six hours and fifteen hours, covering
a full day.

While those attempts are queued, the board sits in a strip on your dashboard:

"Pinterest would not hand these over yet. We keep asking in the background and email you
the moment they land. Nothing for you to do."

The Still Fetching strip

If an attempt succeeds, the board appears in your library and we email you. If the day
runs out, the queue clears itself and leaves nothing behind.

**You do not have to wait for the queue.**
If you have the extension, saving the board through it works straight away.

## Links that won't work

Some Pinterest links look like boards but are not, and will be turned away:

- **A single pin.** Open the board it belongs to and copy that link instead.
- **A profile's Created or Saved tab.** That is a feed, not a board. Use the main profile link, or open one board and copy its own link.
- **An expired share link.** Open the board on Pinterest and copy the link from the address bar.
- **A board invitation.** Accept it on Pinterest first, then copy the board's own link.

Imported the board but the pin count looks wrong? That is covered in
[why your board has fewer pins than Pinterest](/guides/missing-pins).

Still stuck? Send us the board link and roughly when you tried, and we will tell you what
happened to it.

## Still need help?

Email
[support@pinsuite.app](mailto:support@pinsuite.app?subject=Board%20will%20not%20import)
and tell us what you were doing and which board or link was involved. We read every
message and usually reply within a few hours.