The real replacement for Pincodes
Pinterest used to have its own QR system called Pincodes — branded, colorful, in-app scannable. Pinterest retired it in 2021. A regular URL QR is now the only way to get Pinterest on print collateral. This generator builds a brand-accurate one.
Enter your Pinterest username (the part after pinterest.com/) or paste a full URL — profile, /board/, /pin/, or /{user}/_created/.
Encoding: https://www.pinterest.com/socialcal/
Error correction is automatically raised to High so the code stays scannable with a logo overlay.
Pinterest is a search-and-save engine more than a social feed — which is exactly why printed QR codes work uniquely well for it. A customer scanning a tag on your packaging does not just land on a profile, they get a whole board of inspiration they can re-open whenever they want. Pinterest retired its proprietary Pincodes in 2021, so since then the only way to put Pinterest on print has been a regular URL QR. This generator builds that QR with Pinterest's red as the default, and handles every URL shape Pinterest uses — profiles, boards, pins, section URLs and the /_created/ / /_saved/ tabs.
Why Pinterest users need a third-party QR generator
Pinterest had a proprietary QR system called Pincodes from 2015 to 2021, but the feature was retired — existing Pincodes stopped scanning, and there is no in-app replacement. A regular URL QR pointed at your pinterest.com profile, board or pin is now the only option for print collateral.
Pinterest URL formats you can encode
Pinterest has a surprisingly detailed URL taxonomy that maps to how people actually use the app — profiles, boards, sections of boards, individual pins, and the "Created" vs "Saved" feed splits. Picking the right one shapes the scanner's experience. Here is the full list:
| Type | URL pattern | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | pinterest.com/{username}/ | The default for business cards and storefront decals. Lands on the full profile with all public boards. |
| Created tab | pinterest.com/{username}/_created/ | Creators, designers and brands who want the scan to show only original pins, not re-saves. Useful for portfolio-style use cases. |
| Saved tab | pinterest.com/{username}/_saved/ | Taste-makers and inspiration curators where the whole value is the saves, not the originals. Opens the full re-pin feed. |
| Board | pinterest.com/{username}/{board-slug}/ | Shoppable catalogs, mood boards, recipe collections. Lands on a specific themed board — the strongest Pinterest QR format for commercial use. |
| Board section | pinterest.com/{username}/{board-slug}/{section-slug}/ | Sub-categories within a board — e.g. a Recipes board with a "Desserts" section. Lets you print a more specific QR than a whole-board link. |
| Specific pin | pinterest.com/pin/{pin_id}/ | Driving traffic to one high-value pin (a tutorial, a recipe, a product page) rather than a board or profile. |
| Short link (pin.it) | pin.it/{short_code} | Copied directly from Pinterest's share sheet. Shorter payload → less dense QR → easier to print at small sizes. |
Tip — For commercial use, a board-level QR is almost always stronger than a profile-level one — the scanner lands on a focused, curated collection rather than having to navigate into a board themselves.
How it works
Paste your Pinterest URL
Type your vanity ID or paste any pinterest URL. The full URL is built for you.
Customize colors and logo
Pick brand colors, choose a dot style, and drop the Pinterest mark — or your own logo — in the center.
Download PNG, SVG, or JPG
Export at print resolution for flyers, slides, badges, or packaging. No signup, no watermark, no limit.
What people actually do with a Pinterest QR
Pinterest-specific scenarios from the teams and creators using this tool.
Shoppable product tags on packaging
DTC brands print a QR on product tags and inserts that links to a curated Pinterest board of styling ideas, user-generated content or related products — driving engagement far beyond the first unboxing.
Interior design and wedding planning mood boards
Designers and planners print a QR that drops clients onto a shared or secret Pinterest board, so the full visual brief can be browsed offline-to-online without emailing a login or sharing a link manually.
Recipe QRs for food and drink brands
Cookbook authors, meal kits and beverage brands print a QR on packaging or menus that links to a Pinterest board of recipes using the product — turning one purchase into a repeated-use content loop.
Print catalog to digital pin flows
Catalog publishers and home retailers print a QR on each page or section of a physical catalog that links to the matching Pinterest board, so shoppers can save and re-discover items long after the catalog has been recycled.
Pinterest QR codes — FAQ
What happened to Pincodes?+
Pinterest launched Pincodes in 2015 as its own proprietary QR format — colorful, round, scannable only from inside the Pinterest app. The feature was deprecated in 2021 and existing Pincodes stopped scanning. Since then, a regular URL QR pointing at your pinterest.com profile, board or pin is the only supported way to put Pinterest on print collateral.
What URL should my Pinterest QR point at?+
For general brand awareness, use your profile URL: https://www.pinterest.com/yourusername/. For a shop, catalog or curated inspiration context, point the QR at a specific board — this gives the scanner a focused collection rather than a homepage. For recipe or tutorial use cases, a specific pin URL is often the strongest choice.
Can I make a QR for a private or secret board?+
The URL format is the same (pinterest.com/username/board-slug/), but Pinterest enforces privacy on the destination — scanners who are not invited to the secret board will see a "board not found" error. Use secret-board QRs for sharing with specific clients or collaborators, not for public-facing print.
Does the QR open the Pinterest app?+
On iOS and Android, pinterest.com URLs deep-link into the Pinterest app if installed, and fall back to the mobile web version otherwise. The mobile web lets the user save or follow even without signing in, and prompts them to install the app for a richer browsing experience.
Will my QR work worldwide, including on Pinterest Shop regions?+
Yes. The URL encoded in the QR is a standard pinterest.com link, which resolves globally. If you are operating in a region with a specific Pinterest Shop surface (US, UK, Canada, Germany, France, Australia), the destination experience will localize automatically based on the scanner's location and account.
Can I match the QR to my brand colors instead of Pinterest red?+
Yes — use the color pickers to replace the default red with any color that meets contrast requirements against the background. Many teams use the Pinterest wordmark as the center logo but color the dots in their own brand color, so the QR reads as "their" code rather than a generic Pinterest one.
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