Can You Use Pinterest Images? Copyright Explained

Usually not, unless you have permission. Images on Pinterest belong to the people who created them, and Pinterest's own help center says permission to use an image you find there "should be sought from its copyright holder." Saving and sharing Pins inside Pinterest is what the platform is built for. Downloading an image and reusing it on your website, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or a product is a different matter. Here is what Pinterest's rules say, how the common uses compare, how to find the original creator, and how to protect your own pins.

This is general information, not legal advice. Copyright law differs by country, so talk to a qualified lawyer about a specific situation.

Are Pinterest images copyright free?

No. Being on Pinterest does not make an image free to use. The US Copyright Office explains that a work "is under copyright protection the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form," and that registration is generally voluntary. A photo does not need a copyright notice or a watermark to be protected. The Copyright Office also notes that, without clear information to the contrary, most works may be assumed to be protected.

Pinterest does not own the images either. Its Terms of Service say users "retain all rights in" the content they post, and that users must only post content they have the rights to post. Many Pins are saved from other websites, so the account that pinned an image often is not its creator. Pinterest states that it "does not have any information about who owns the copyright of a given Pin."

What Pinterest lets you do with other people's Pins

• Save and share Pins on Pinterest. Saving a Pin adds it to one of your boards. This is the normal way to collect images on the platform.
• Download an image. Pinterest has a "Download image" option in the Pin menu, which saves the file to your device. The help article does not say downloaded images are free to reuse. Downloading is a feature; publishing the file somewhere else is where copyright questions start.
• Embed a Pin. Pinterest's Pin add-on builder gives you code that displays a Pin on a web page instead of copying the file. Pinterest presents add-ons as a way to showcase your own Pinterest activity, so it is the clean option for your own Pins. For someone else's Pin, asking first is the safe choice.

Pinterest's Terms give Pinterest and its users a license to content posted on the service, but the creator keeps their rights, and the Terms also forbid copying content from Pinterest in unauthorized ways. Do not read the Terms as permission to take images off Pinterest and publish them elsewhere.

Can you use Pinterest images on your website or blog?

Only if you have the creator's permission, a license that covers your use, or the image is in the public domain. Giving credit or linking back is polite but it is not permission. A credit line under an image you had no right to use does not make the use licensed. For your own blog, the safer options are your own photos, images you have licensed, or embedding Pins you created yourself.

Can you use Pinterest images on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube?

The same rule applies: a repost, slideshow, "aesthetic" edit or thumbnail built from someone else's image needs permission unless an exception applies. Platforms act on copyright complaints. YouTube, for example, explains that a copyright strike means your content was removed after a legal copyright removal request, and that an account with three strikes is subject to termination. Pinterest itself also gives strikes to users whose Pins are removed after copyright reports.

Can you use Pinterest images for commercial use?

This is the riskiest use. Printing a Pinterest image on clothing, packaging, an album cover, an ad or anything you sell needs a license that clearly covers commercial use. Fair use is weighed partly on whether a use is commercial, and Creative Commons licenses with the NC element allow noncommercial use only. If you cannot get written permission, create your own design instead.

What about personal use and fair use?

Fair use is a US legal doctrine that allows some uses without permission. The Copyright Office's Fair Use Index lists the four factors courts weigh:

1. The purpose and character of the use, including whether it is commercial or nonprofit educational.
2. The nature of the work. Using a creative work, such as a photo or artwork, is less likely to be fair use than using a factual one.
3. How much of the work is used, in both quantity and importance.
4. The effect on the market for the original, such as replacing sales or licensing.

The Copyright Office says courts decide fair use "on a case-by-case basis" and that there is "no formula" for how much may be used. Using a whole photo makes fair use less likely under the third factor. Keeping an image privately for a mood board is very different from publishing it, but do not assume any public use is fair use without advice.

How to find the original source of a Pinterest image

1. Open the Pin and check its link. Click through and see whether the page actually hosts the image and looks like its creator's site. A Pin can link to a site that copied the image, so a link is a clue, not proof.
2. Check who posted it. Look at the profile and whether it has a claimed website. Pinterest shows the claimed site owner's profile picture alongside Pins saved from that site.
3. Use Pinterest Lens. On desktop, click the lens icon in the search bar and upload the image. On mobile, tap the magnifying-glass icon, then the camera icon in the search bar, and pick the photo. Visually similar Pins can lead you to earlier copies and the original site.
4. Search by image on Google. On google.com, click Search by image and upload the file or paste the image link. Results can include websites with the image or a similar image.
5. Ask the owner and keep it in writing. The Copyright Office's advice is simple: if you know who the copyright owner is, contact them directly. Note what they allow, where, and for how long.

If the image might be AI generated, see our explainer on Pinterest's AI modified label.

Safer alternatives to Pinterest images

• Your own photos and designs. Pinterest's guidelines also ask for original content that adds unique value. Our pin design tips and the free Pinterest pin maker help you make them quickly.
• Public domain works. These are not protected by copyright, but do not assume an image is public domain because it is old or widely shared. Check its status at the original source.
• Creative Commons images. CC licenses add conditions: BY means you must credit the creator, NC means noncommercial use only, ND means no adaptations, and SA means adaptations must be shared under the same terms. Read the license on the original source, not on a Pin.
• Licensed stock. Paid and free stock libraries each have their own license. Read what it covers, especially for products and ads.

How to protect your pins and report stolen content

If you create pins, a few steps make your work easier to trace and defend.

• Claim your website so Pins saved from it show your profile picture. You can check your setup with the free website claim checker.
• Put your brand on your pin designs, such as your domain or logo, so copies are recognizable.
• Block saving where you need to. Pinterest supports a <meta name="pinterest" content="nopin" /> tag in a page's head to stop saving from that page, or a nopin="nopin" attribute on a single image.

To report a stolen Pin, open it, click the ellipsis icon, choose Report Pin and pick the reason that fits. For copyright, Pinterest's Copyright Policy lets you submit its copyright reporting form or email copyright@pinterest.com. A notice needs:

1. Identification of your copyrighted work.
2. The infringing content on Pinterest, such as the Pin URL.
3. Your mailing address, phone number and email.
4. Two statements: a good-faith belief that the use is not authorized, and that the notice is accurate, under penalty of perjury.
5. Your full legal name and a signature.

You can ask Pinterest to remove all Pins that contain the image, but it can only remove identical copies. The person who saved the Pin can file a counter notification; if you do not tell Pinterest about a court or Copyright Claims Board action, the content is reinstated, a process that can take up to 14 business days. Rights holders with a lot of content can apply for Pinterest's Content Claiming Portal, which removes matching media Pinterest can identify, but access is limited to a number of rights holders.

Where PinBoostr fits

The simplest way to stay clear of image problems is to pin your own content. PinBoostr's Growth Brain scans your own website, picks pages worth pinning and prepares branded pins with keyword-led titles and descriptions, and nothing posts until you approve it. The built-in Pin Lab designer lets you adjust each pin. See how PinBoostr works.

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