How to Pin From a Website (Desktop, Mobile & Fixes)
There are three reliable ways to save a Pin from a website: the Pinterest browser extension on desktop, the Share menu on mobile, and manual upload with the page URL pasted in as the destination link. The third one always works, even when a site tries to block the first two.
Below is each method, then the fixes for when pinning fails — and, if the website is yours, how to make it properly pinnable so other people do this work for you.
Method 1: the browser extension (desktop)
This is the fastest route and the one Pinterest intends you to use. Install the Pinterest Save button from your browser’s extension store — it is available for Chrome, Edge, and Firefox.
- Open the page containing the image you want.
- Click the Pinterest icon in your browser toolbar, or hover the image and click the Save badge that appears.
- Pinterest shows every pinnable image on the page — pick one.
- Choose a board, edit the title and description, and save.
The extension fills the destination link automatically, so the Pin points back at the source page. Do edit the description: the text the extension pulls is usually the page’s meta description, not something written to be searched on Pinterest.
Method 2: the share sheet (mobile)
No extension exists on mobile, so you go through the browser’s share menu instead.
- Open the page in Safari, Chrome, or your default browser.
- Tap Share — the box-with-an-arrow icon on iOS, the three-dot menu on Android.
- Choose Pinterest. On iOS, tap More and enable Pinterest the first time.
- Pick the image, choose a board, and save.
If Pinterest is not in the share sheet, copy the page URL, open the Pinterest app, tap + → Pin, and paste the URL — the app will pull images from the page.
Method 3: manual upload (always works)
When a site blocks the extension, this is the fallback — and it is also how you should pin your own content, because you control the image and the copy.
- Save the image to your device (right-click → Save image, or long-press on mobile).
- In Pinterest, click Create → Create Pin.
- Upload the image.
- Paste the page URL into the destination link field. Skip this and your Pin sends nobody anywhere — the single most common mistake.
- Write a keyword-led title and description, choose a board, and publish.
Only pin images you have the right to use. Pinning from a source page is normal and credited. Re-uploading someone else’s photo as your own, with your link on it, is not — and it is a common way to get Pins removed.
When pinning does not work
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| “No pinnable images” | Site uses a nopin attribute, or images load via script | Manual upload |
| Only the logo appears | Content images are CSS backgrounds, not real images | Manual upload |
| Blurry Pin | A thumbnail was pinned instead of the full image | Open the full-size image first, then pin |
| Nothing loads | Page requires a login | Not pinnable — screenshot and link manually |
Pinning your own pages? Skip all of this.
Paste any blog post or product URL and get multiple ready-to-publish Pins — correct dimensions, titles, and descriptions, with the destination link already set.
Making your own website pinnable
If the site is yours, the goal is for readers to pin it without friction — every save is a free distribution event. Four things cover most of it:
- Add a Save button. Pinterest’s widget builder generates a hover button for your images; most WordPress social plugins include one.
- Include a vertical image. Horizontal blog headers pin badly. Add at least one 2:3 image per post — 1000×1500 px is the standard.
- Set open graph tags.
og:image,og:title, andog:descriptioncontrol what Pinterest pulls when someone pins your page. - Write real alt text. Pinterest uses it as the default description, and it is what screen readers announce. “IMG_4821” helps nobody.
Some bloggers also add a hidden vertical Pin image for readers using the Save button. Keep it visible or near-visible — hiding images purely for search engines is a pattern worth avoiding.
After the Pin is saved
Saving is the easy half. Whether the Pin earns anything depends on the title, the image, and how many distinct angles you publish for the same page. One Pin per post is the most common reason a good article gets no Pinterest traffic — see the multiple pins strategy, and what impressions actually mean for reading the results.
Ready to try it?