Pinterest boards are not permanent. Pins get deleted by the people who posted them, source sites go offline, and accounts occasionally vanish without much warning. If you have spent a few years building boards you actually rely on, it is worth having your own copy.
This guide covers what PinSuite can save, what you get back, and the cases that work differently.
What you can save
Pinterest. A single pin, a board, one section of a board, or the public boards on a profile. Paste a profile link and PinSuite lists its boards so you can pick which ones to save.
Instagram. Single posts and reels, by pasting the link on your dashboard. Whole profiles need the browser extension, explained below.
Any image on the web. With the browser extension installed, right-click an image on any site and choose Save to PinSuite.
Whole web pages. Paste any public page link on the dashboard and PinSuite keeps an offline snapshot of a recipe, tutorial or article that stays readable after the original page disappears.
Your own images. Upload JPG, PNG, GIF or WebP files straight into a board.
It all lands in the same library, so a Pinterest board, an archived recipe and your own photos sit side by side rather than in separate tools.
How it works
Copy the link
Open the board on Pinterest and copy the address from your browser. It looks like pinterest.com/yourname/board-name.
Paste it into PinSuite
Drop it into the box on your dashboard and start the import.
Wait a moment
PinSuite reads the board page by page and pulls in every pin Pinterest serves, along with descriptions and source links. The board shows as Importing on your dashboard until it is done.
Export when you want it
Your library keeps everything. When you need files on your computer, export as a ZIP, PDF, HTML, CSV or JSON.
You do not have to sit and watch. Large imports keep running in the background, and you can leave the page.
What you actually get
The best copy Pinterest serves, not a thumbnail. PinSuite fetches the largest version of each image and video that Pinterest makes available and stores a copy in your library. That is the difference between a copy you can zoom into two years later and a screenshot you cannot use.
Your folder structure, kept. If your board has sections (kitchen, bathroom, living room), each one becomes its own section in your library and its own folder in a ZIP export, named the same way. Pins that are not in a section sit at the top level.
The details behind every pin. Each pin keeps its title, description, source link, the Pinterest pin ID, who pinned it, the board and section names, repin and favourite counts and Pinterest's alt text. The CSV and JSON exports carry all of it, which is what turns a folder of images into something you can search months later. The export formats guide lists every field.
All the media types. Images, videos and GIFs are handled together. You do not need a separate tool for each.
Private and secret boards work differently
This is the one thing worth knowing before you start.
PinSuite reaches Pinterest over the internet, the same as any visitor would. Pinterest does not show private or secret boards to anyone who is not signed in as you, so pasting the link on its own will not work.
Use the browser extension. Install it for Chrome or Firefox, open your private board on Pinterest while you are signed in, and click the extension. It reads the board through your own session, so the board never changes visibility and your Pinterest password never leaves your browser. The extension is free on every plan.
There is also the manual route: make the board public, import it, then make it secret again once the import has finished. The first board guide walks through that if you would rather not install anything.
Instagram profiles need the extension too
Pasting an Instagram profile link on the dashboard does not import it. The dashboard points you to the extension instead. With the extension installed and your browser signed in to Instagram, open the profile and press Start stashing. An import stops after 96 posts, so a large account will not come across whole. Single posts and reels do not have this limit and work from the dashboard without an Instagram login.
The five export formats
Once something is in your library, you can take it out in whichever shape you need. Exports need a paid plan.
ZIP. Every image and video as separate files, organised into folders by section, with a spreadsheet and a JSON file of the details alongside. The one you want for a proper offline backup.
PDF catalogue. The board laid out as a document, one card per pin, for showing a client without sending them to Pinterest.
HTML gallery. A single web page with a card per pin and a link back to each source. The images load from the web, so it needs an internet connection. For an offline copy, use the ZIP.
CSV spreadsheet. All the details in a filterable table. Open it in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets.
JSON. The same details in a structured file, for moving your library into another tool or working with it in code.
You can export a single board or your entire account. Boards with more than 20,000 pins export as CSV or JSON only, because a single ZIP, HTML or PDF file would be too large to build. The export formats guide has the details.
How long it takes
That depends on the board and on how quickly Pinterest serves it. Small boards usually finish while you watch. Boards with thousands of pins keep importing in the background, and you can carry on with something else. You do not need to keep the page open.
If the finished board holds fewer pins than Pinterest lists, that is usually Pinterest's count running ahead of what it will actually serve. Why your board has fewer pins than Pinterest explains it, and what you can do about it.
What's free and what isn't
The free plan includes 25 saves in total. Accounts created before 20 July 2026 keep the earlier allowance of 50. Every pin, uploaded image, note and archived page counts as one save, so a board import uses one save per pin. Previewing a board, which shows you its pin count, sections and titles before you commit, costs nothing.
Pro is $6.99 a month or $49 a year. It unlocks exports in all five formats and saving beyond the free 25.
One thing that does not change between plans: nothing you save is ever deleted. Not when you run out of free saves, not if you cancel a paid plan later. What is in your library stays in your library.
Common questions
Can I download a whole Pinterest board at once?
Yes. Paste the board link into PinSuite and it imports every pin Pinterest serves in one go, including images, videos, GIFs and all the details. You can then export the lot as an organised ZIP file.
Does it keep the original image quality?
PinSuite fetches the largest version Pinterest serves for each pin, not the compressed preview your browser displays. Right-clicking and saving in Pinterest gets you the small version; this gets you the full-size file.
Will my board sections be kept?
Yes. Each section becomes its own section in your library and its own folder in a ZIP export, with the same name you gave it.
How do I download a private or secret board?
Use the PinSuite browser extension for Chrome or Firefox. Open the board on Pinterest while signed in and click the extension icon. It imports through your own browser session, so the board stays private the whole time.
How many pins can one board have?
There is no cap on the board itself. Boards with tens of thousands of pins import, they just take longer. Two limits are worth knowing: a very large single section can come across incomplete when it is fetched from a link, and the extension, which reads the board through your own session, gets further; and boards over 20,000 pins export as CSV or JSON only.
Can I download more than one board at a time?
Yes. Paste a profile link and tick the boards you want, or see bulk board downloads and backing up an entire profile.
Do I need a Pinterest account?
No. PinSuite works with publicly available Pinterest content by pasting a link, with no Pinterest login and no account connection needed. You only need to be signed in to Pinterest for private boards, and that happens in your own browser via the extension.
What happens to my saves if I stop paying?
Nothing. Everything already in your library stays there permanently, on every plan. You lose access to exports and to saving new items beyond the free cap, but not to anything you have already saved.