Update: Pinterest now lets you disable Picked For You pins! Go to your profile, then press the settings button (a hexagonal bolt). Scroll down to "Home feed", then switch 'Show "Picked for you" Pins in your home feed' to 'No'.
Thank you all for your kind comments and bug fixing for this script. I hope it was useful.
It's no secret that I love Pinterest more than is really okay. They've started doing this thing where they show you "Picked for you" pins on your homepage, interspersed with your friends' pins. I quite like the curated pins they choose, but sometimes I like to just see what my friends have been up to.
You have the option to go through and deselect all of your boards, which I assume would prevent you from getting "Picked for you" pins at all. However, I wanted something a little less permanent, so I've made a bookmarklet.
The easiest way to use it is to drag the following link onto your bookmarks toolbar:
Remove Picked For You
Then, if you go to pinterest.com and click on your new bookmark, the "Picked for you" and "Promoted by" pins will have disappeared.
To keep the pins hidden, you have to click on the bookmark every time you load the page. However, there's a browser add-on for Firefox (or Iceweasel) called Greasemonkey, which lets you run little bits of javascript all the time. First, install Greasemonkey. Then, copy the text below:
// ==UserScript==
// @name Remove Picked For You
// @namespace bethmcmillan.com
// @include *
// @version 2
// @grant none
// ==/UserScript==
function hide_picked_for_you() {
divs=document.getElementsByClassName("creditFooter");
for(i=0;i<divs.length;i++)
{if (divs[i].innerHTML.indexOf('Picked for') != -1)
{divs[i].parentNode.parentNode.parentNode.style.visibility='hidden';}
}
divs=document.getElementsByClassName('creditName');
for(i=0;i<divs.length;i++)
{if (divs[i].innerHTML.indexOf('Promoted') != -1)
{divs[i].parentNode.parentNode.parentNode.parentNode.parentNode.parentNode.style.visibility='hidden';}
}
}
window.setInterval(function(){
hide_picked_for_you();
}, (5000));
Next, click on the Greasemonkey icon in your browser (usually in the top right), go to "New User Script", then "Use Script From Clipboard". Now, when you go to Pinterest and click on the Greasemonkey icon again, there should be the option "Remove Picked For You". If you tick it, you'll see that the pins disappear. For Google Chrome, there's an extension called Tampermonkey, which works in the same way.
If the script or bookmark aren't working for you, try reinstalling them from this page, as I might have updated the code. If this doesn't fix it, tell me in the comments. The latest code is always available on Github.
Hiya,
When I clicked "Use Script from Clipboard", it just opened a new window with the script. Is there something I should be doing after that? User scripts are not something I'm familiar with at all so any advice would be useful to this numpty....
Hi Dani,
After that, just click "Save" and then close that window, and it should be installed!
Let me know if that doesn't work.
A thousand thank yous. You're a godsend.
p.s. You probably noticed this, but at least on my Mac Firefox, it's only clearing about two screens of pins. When I scroll down the page, I have to click your link again. Any ideas for a fix?
Hi Daisy,
Yes, that is an outstanding issue. The problem is that Pinterest only loads a few pins at a time, and then loads more when you scroll down. I feel like there must be a way to remove the pins periodically rather than just once, but I'm not quite sure how to implement it. I'll give it some thought!
Thanks!
Thank you x 10.
Thank you so so so much!
Thank you so much. This is quick, easy and effective.
Cool, thanks!
I followed the steps here, but when I go to pinterest and then click on the grease monkey icon, it says "No installed scripts run on this page." There is no option "Remove Picked For You". What did I do wrong? Thanks for this post!
Hi Jennie,
Hmm, it looks like something has changed in either Greasemonkey or Pinterest that means it doesn't pick up that it's supposed to work on that page. I've changed the script so that it now works on every page - try clicking on the Greasemonkey menu, going to "Manage User Scripts", then pressing "Remove" next to "Remove Picked For You", then install the script again and it should work. Let me know if that fixes it, and thank you so much for pointing out a bug, I would have never noticed otherwise! :)
What I object to, is that they are so bad at guessing what I would like! Just because it's labelled "pottery" or "ceramics" does not mean I will be interested in it. And the "picked-for-you" pins are extremely redundant, as well.
I hope this works, because Pinterest is no fun anymore! I was just about to give up on it when I found this.
Thank you! It works very well!
Thank you SO much. I really appreciate this! I was about ready to quit Pinterest because of those.
Ditto! Thank you so much. This was driving me crazy!
This is utterly brilliant. I won't use pinterest if I have to see their picks! At least with the "related pin" I could make them go away myself. :P
Thank you so much. Pinterest and their pushy pins are utterly annoying. Clicking the link on my toolbar works brilliantly. Thanks for your effort.
That worked, Beth! Great job. Thank you so much.
Thank you!
Would be even nicer if we could opt out of it in Pinterest itself...
Thank you!
I just started getting "Promoted by" pins (on top of the Picked for you)...double trouble. I used your script and added a second line in the function and it gets rid of both. Let me sing your praises again!
$("div.creditName:contains(Promoted by)").parent().parent().parent().parent().parent().remove();
Hi twelve,
That's awesome! I'm going to update the post to add these things in (and credit you) if that's okay? So cool!!
-Beth
Thank you so much. I love Pinterest but hate the "picked for you".
Thanks for thinking of this, it's a really annoying feature and I'm glad someone smart thought of something!
One thing just as an FYI when you say:
"You have the option to go through and deselect all of your boards, which I assume would prevent you from getting "Picked for you" pins at all."
I assumed so as well, but we're both wrong! I tried just that and removing the boards associated with the "pick for you" pins from the boards you follow will not stop the PFU pins from showing up. Seems really counterintuitive but there you go haha.
Thank you! This works really well for me and is allowing me to use Pinterest without cursing :-)
I'm happy to report that this page turned up as the fourth result of my Google search "eliminate Pinterest 'picked for you.'" It's incredibly satisfying to scroll down through my Pinterest feed and see blank space instead of those ham-handed ads. (But I'm shocked at just how much real estate they would inhabit if it hadn't been for your script!) I'll be sharing this page with all of my Pinterest-addled friends, but I hope to heck Pinterest listens to our collective howling and takes this completely irritating "feature" away. Far, far, away.
Thanks for this! I'm not sure how I'm going to deal when I use my pinterest app, but this will be a wonderful tool for my laptop.
Lending my voice to the chorus of thanks! The "picked for you" pins are trash, and the antithesis of what I thought "curating" was supposed to be all about.
I had quit using pinterest because of all of the clutter I was getting from those unwanted picked for you pins. Thank you so, so much! This is wonderful! Genius!
THANK YOU. You are my new BFF.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for this help! It worked and I was amazed at how much space the "picked for you" junk was taking up on my home feed page. The irritation it was bringing me every time I opened up my pinterest acct. was mounting everyday. This wasn't why I joined Pinterest only to be hounded by pins that the powers-that-be deem I must certainly see or be interested in (many of which I had already previously seen while searching on my own and DID NOT pin because I WAS NOT interested or DID NOT want them!) Really appreciate this help.
Thank you so much! I started to get an avalanche of Picked For You. They were annoying and irritating. I followed your instructions and it worked.
So glad I am not the only one being driven mad by 'picked for you' pins. I am more into Instagram but Pinterest has its benefits so thought I'll give it another go.
I'm guessing there's no way out if browsing in app?
Why would they not let people turn off this 'picked for you' feature?
Let's see how long I can put up with it.
Picked For You isn't even anything new. It's basically just those Related Pins everyone complained about renamed, only now it's not only as annoying as Related Pins, but it has this paternal implication assigned to it now, too. I'm grown. I don't need Pinterest to "pick for me," and it's doubly offensive that they think I will somehow find related pins more palatable just because they renamed them. Thanks for your guide. I'm just using Pinterest as glorified bookmarks myself. I go straight to my own page and don't bother trying to see what my friends pin anymore.
Thank you! I have to reclick it every time I scroll down a 'new page', but it's better than it was. I was seeing about 20 picked for you vs 1 friend post. O.o
I think my next step is to deactivate my a/c.
Wonderful, thank you for this. Perhaps, if enough people use this Pinterest may get the message just as they did with related pins!
Many many thanks :-)
Thank you, thank you, thank you. You're an angel. I have been getting so irritated with these things. As someone said above, I'm an adult, I'm capable of deciding what I want to pin and I don't need endless suggestions, most of which are just nonsense anyway. Frustrating! Thanks again. xx
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Thanks! Do you have any fix for the pinterest mobile app? I've just been deleting boards by hand, which is super monotonous
Hi Lara,
I'm afraid I don't have anything for the app - I don't know how to modify that. Maybe someone will come up with something!
Sorry!
Beth
Well that worked for awhile but Pinterest is has found work arounds. Pinterest has added me as a follower to dozens (that I've found so far) of aggregate boards. They also now have new "promoted pins" that are not opt-out. "Picked for you" is no longer showing up in my feed but all this other crap is. So frustrated.
No luck on a Macbook Pro with Google Chrome most recent version. Any ideas? Thanks.
Hi Ramie,
Are you using the bookmarklet or the GreaseMonkey script? What happens when you use it?
Cheers,
Beth
Thank you. That Greasemonkey whatziss works wonderfully. What a relief. BUT... I thought I would mention that it interferes with some other Pinterest functions. I do not care. I can easily disable Greasemonkey when I want to access the aforementioned functions, & then turn it back on for more un-intruded-upon Pinterest enjoyment. I'm just saying. I thought you might want to know, though, just fyi.
Anyway, thank you again for the script.
Hi Diana,
What things does it interfere with? I could look into fixing that.
Cheers,
Beth
Hi Beth:)
I just had to take a moment to thank you for posting this amazing fix for those nasty "Picked For You" pins from Pinterest. I just popped that link in my toolbar headed on over to my Pinterest feed, clicked the "Remove Picked for You" and Wha La, they were gone. Thank you so much. I'll be spreading the word for sure. Thanks again, Beth...
Thank you so much for this!
To stop this nonsense on android :
uninstall Pinterest.
Go to Google Play Store, untick the box "automatic update".
Download a former version of the Pinterest app on http://www.apkreleases.com/2014/11/12/pinterest-362-apk-android-direct-download/# - I chose version 3.6.2.
Go to the download folder, find the apk, click on it to install. You're all set !
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey Beth....just returned to see if you had something for phone apps and I see you asked about using my extra line to remove 'promoted' pins. Yes...of course. And no credit needed....was just working off your lovely script.
I usually use the Apple app on my iPad. I deleted it so that I could use my browser instead and use your work-around. Unfortunately, Pinterest is one of those totally annoying sites that knows when you're visiting via a mobile device and automatically switches you over to the Apple Store to download the Pinterest app. There is literally no way to go to pinterest.com on my iPad. I'm afraid Pinterest might dead to me - I refuse to waste my time wading through their stupid "picked for you" pins!
I don't quite understand how the removed picked for you link in my tool bar works. When I click on it, I automatically come back to this page, but my pinterest page still has "picked for you" pins.
Hi Gail,
Can you take me through exactly what you do to use the link? Are you making sure that you're on Pinterest.com when you click the link? The link works on whatever page you're looking at at the time.
Cheers,
Beth
Thank you! I've just started using Pinterest and those "suggestions" were making me crazy. Reams of crap I have absolutely no interest in. The Greasemokey script works perfectly.
Thank you for the pinterest fix! I really dislike the "picked for you" additions.
about picked for me pinterest removal idea ..not working...any thing else? thax
Hi Debra,
Which thing are you trying to use, and what happens when you try to use it?
Best wishes,
Beth
Thank you so much! I found I had to click the bookmark every time I scrolled down in Chrome, so I started using Firefox for Pinterest. The Greasemonkey icon works perfectly.
My feed is cut in half!!! by removing the picked for you pins. Unbelievable how many were cluttering up my account. Thank you so much!