What Is an Idea Pin and Can You Save One?
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An Idea Pin was a Pinterest format that combined several pages of video, images and text in one Pin. It is no longer a separate format. In May 2023 Pinterest merged Idea Pins and standard Pins into a single kind of Pin.
Old Idea Pins still exist, and they now behave like video Pins. This article explains what the format was, what Pinterest changed, and what you can save today.
What an Idea Pin Was
Pinterest introduced Idea Pins in May 2021 as the successor to Story Pins. Coverage from the launch describes a Pin of up to 20 pages, where each page held a video clip or an image with text, stickers or music on top.
Unlike stories on other platforms, an Idea Pin did not disappear after 24 hours. It stayed on the creator's profile and could be saved to boards.
What Happened to Idea Pins
On May 11, 2023, Pinterest announced one unified Pin format for all users. The announcement in its business community states three things that matter here:
- Pages were retired. Creators can no longer build a Pin out of separate pages.
- Old Idea Pins were kept. Pinterest said existing paged Pins would be preserved and distributed as videos.
- Video length is capped. A Pin can hold a video of up to five minutes.
Many guides still describe Idea Pins as a current feature. They were written before the change.
How Multi-Part Pins Work Now
You can still combine several clips. Pinterest's Help Center explains that when you select multiple images and videos while creating a Pin, they are stitched together into a single video Pin.
The result is one video, not a set of pages. A viewer watches it from start to finish and cannot tap from page to page.
Can You Save an Idea Pin?
Yes, in three ways, and each one gives you something different.
- Save it to a board. The Save button keeps a bookmark inside Pinterest. It does not put a file on your device.
- Use Pinterest's own download. It works only when the creator turned on Video Pin downloads, only for full-screen 9:16 video, and the copy carries a watermark of the creator's username.
- Download it from the link. A former Idea Pin has an ordinary pin link. A Pinterest downloader reads that link and saves the video as an MP4 file without a watermark.
What Cannot Be Saved as a Video
A Pin that contains only images has no video file. For a picture, use the Download image option in the three-dot menu of the Pin.
A Pin on a private board cannot be reached by anyone except the owner and the people they invite, so no tool can read it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Idea Pins gone?
Yes, as a separate format. Since May 2023 Pinterest has one Pin format, and old Idea Pins are shown as videos.
Did Idea Pins disappear after 24 hours?
No. They stayed on the creator's profile, which was the main difference from stories on other platforms.
How do I save one to my phone?
Follow the steps in the guide on how to save Pinterest video files to the camera roll.
What size is the saved video?
The article on Pinterest video size covers the upload specs and the size of a downloaded file.