Pinterest Ads Remove User Access | OpsBlu Docs

Pinterest Ads Remove User Access

How to revoke user access and offboard team members from Pinterest Ads. Covers account deletion, API key revocation, partial access removal, and security.

Remove User Access

Use this runbook to completely revoke access for users who no longer need Pinterest Business Hub or ad account permissions. This includes employee offboarding, contractor project completion, and agency relationship termination.

When to Remove Access

  • Employee termination or resignation
  • Contractor or freelancer project completion
  • Agency contract termination
  • Role change where user no longer needs Pinterest access
  • Security incident or suspicious activity
  • User request to be removed from the account
  • Compliance audit findings requiring access removal

Prerequisites

  • Business Admin rights on the Pinterest Business Hub account.
  • Confirmation that the user should be completely removed (not just role-adjusted).
  • Approval from manager or business owner for the access removal.
  • Documentation of the reason for removal.
  • Knowledge of any active campaigns or work the user was managing.

Removal Workflow

Step 1: Document Current Access

Before removing the user, document their current permissions:

  1. Go to Pinterest Business Hub (business.pinterest.com) and sign in.
  2. Click the Settings icon (gear) in the left sidebar.
  3. Select People under the Business settings section.
  4. Find the user to be removed.
  5. Take a screenshot showing their current ad accounts, roles, and assets.
  6. Document all assigned permissions for audit trail and potential restoration needs.

Step 2: Transfer Ownership (If Necessary)

If the user is an Owner on any ad accounts or assets, ownership must be transferred before removal:

  1. Identify all assets where the user has an Owner role.
  2. For each asset:
    • Navigate to the asset settings (ad account, catalog, etc.).
    • Add a new Owner or promote an existing Admin to Owner.
    • Verify the new Owner has accepted and can access the asset.
  3. Only after ownership transfer is complete, proceed to remove the user.

Critical: Pinterest requires at least one Owner per asset. You cannot remove the last Owner without transferring ownership first.

Step 3: Transition Active Work

Before removing access, ensure continuity of active campaigns and projects:

  1. Review active campaigns: Identify campaigns the user is managing or recently edited.
  2. Reassign responsibilities: Notify team members taking over the user's work.
  3. Download reports: If the user created custom reports or audiences, document or transfer them.
  4. Update documentation: Remove the user from internal documentation, runbooks, and contact lists.

Step 4: Remove User from Business Hub

  1. In Business Hub → Settings → People, locate the user.
  2. Click the Edit icon or the user's name.
  3. Click Edit details and select Remove employee from the dropdown.
  4. Confirm the removal when prompted.
  5. Verify the user is no longer listed in the People section.

For partner access removal:

  1. Go to the Partners tab instead of Employees.
  2. Click the partner name.
  3. Click the minus icon (-) next to the ad account to revoke access.

Step 5: Verify Removal

  1. Refresh the People list to confirm the user is gone.
  2. Check ad accounts to ensure the user no longer appears in the user list.
  3. Verify tags, catalogs, and other assets no longer show the user.
  4. If possible, ask the removed user to attempt login and confirm they cannot access assets.

Post-Removal Follow-Up

Security Verification

  1. Confirm removal: The user should no longer see your business account when they log in to Pinterest.
  2. Monitor for activity: Watch for any unexpected changes in ad accounts or campaigns.
  3. Review API access: If the user had API credentials, revoke or rotate access tokens.
  4. Check integrations: Verify the user didn't have personal integrations or automations that still have access.

Documentation Update

  1. Update access log with:
    • Date of removal.
    • User name and email.
    • Reason for removal.
    • Who approved the removal.
    • Assets they previously had access to.
  2. Capture final screenshot from Business Hub showing the user is removed.
  3. Update org chart or internal documentation to reflect the removal.
  4. Store removal documentation for compliance and audit purposes.

Communication

  1. Notify the user (if appropriate) that their access has been removed.
  2. Inform the team if the user was managing campaigns or assets.
  3. Update stakeholders on ownership transfers or campaign reassignments.

Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: Employee Termination

Steps:

  1. Document all current permissions and take screenshots.
  2. Transfer ownership of any assets where the user is an Owner.
  3. Reassign active campaigns to other team members.
  4. Remove user from Business Hub immediately upon termination.
  5. Verify removal and monitor for any unauthorized activity.
  6. Update access log and notify relevant team members.

Urgency: Immediate removal required, ideally within 24 hours of termination.

Scenario 2: Contractor Project Completion

Steps:

  1. Verify the project is complete and no active work is pending.
  2. Download any reports or data the contractor created.
  3. Transfer ownership if the contractor was made an Owner.
  4. Remove user from Business Hub.
  5. Document completion date and final deliverables.

Urgency: Remove within 1-2 weeks of project completion or contract end date.

Scenario 3: Agency Relationship Termination

Steps:

  1. Review contract for offboarding requirements or transition periods.
  2. Coordinate with agency on transition timeline.
  3. Transfer ownership of campaigns, catalogs, and assets to internal team.
  4. Download historical data and reports before removal.
  5. Remove agency user(s) from Business Hub after transition complete.
  6. Revoke any API access or integrations the agency set up.
  7. Document final billing period and campaign performance at handoff.

Urgency: Remove after transition period (typically 1-4 weeks, per contract).

Scenario 4: Role Change (No Longer Needs Pinterest Access)

Steps:

  1. Confirm the user's new role truly doesn't require Pinterest access.
  2. Document their current permissions for potential future restoration.
  3. Transfer any active responsibilities to other team members.
  4. Remove user from Business Hub.
  5. Update internal role documentation.

Urgency: Remove within 2-4 weeks of role change, after transition complete.

Scenario 5: Security Incident or Suspicious Activity

Steps:

  1. Immediately remove user access without delay.
  2. Document the incident with date, time, and observed activity.
  3. Review recent campaign changes and ad account activity.
  4. Check for unauthorized spending or campaign modifications.
  5. Rotate API credentials and access tokens if compromised.
  6. Notify security team and management.
  7. Preserve logs and screenshots for investigation.

Urgency: Immediate removal, within minutes of detection.

Troubleshooting

Cannot Remove User (Owner Requirement)

Issue: Pinterest prevents removal because the user is the only Owner on an asset.

Solution:

  1. Identify which assets the user owns (ad accounts, catalogs, tags).
  2. Add or promote another user to Owner on each asset.
  3. Wait for the new Owner to accept and confirm access.
  4. Retry user removal after ownership transfer is complete.

User Still Sees Assets After Removal

Issue: User reports they can still access ad accounts or assets.

Solution:

  1. Verify the user was actually removed (not just role-changed) in Business Hub.
  2. Confirm the user is logged in to the correct Pinterest account.
  3. Ask the user to log out and log back in to refresh their session.
  4. Wait 24-48 hours for permissions to fully propagate.
  5. If issue persists, contact Pinterest Business Support.

Need to Restore Removed User

Issue: User was removed by mistake or needs access again.

Solution:

  1. Re-invite the user using the Add User Access workflow.
  2. Refer to your pre-removal documentation to restore the same permissions.
  3. Reassign ad accounts, tags, catalogs, and other assets.
  4. Verify the user can access all previously assigned assets.
  5. Document the restoration with date, reason, and approver.

Active Campaigns Stop Delivering After Removal

Issue: Campaigns pause or underperform after user removal.

Solution:

  1. Check if the user was the only Owner on the ad account.
  2. Verify that campaign ownership wasn't tied to the removed user.
  3. Ensure remaining team members have Admin or Limited Advertiser access.
  4. Review campaign settings for any user-specific configurations.
  5. Re-enable or re-launch campaigns as needed.

Guardrails & Best Practices

  • Never remove the last Owner: Always ensure at least one Owner remains on each asset.
  • Document before removing: Capture screenshots and permission lists before removal.
  • Transfer work first: Ensure active campaigns and projects are reassigned before removing access.
  • Immediate removal for security: Don't delay removal in security incidents or employee terminations.
  • Communicate removals: Inform relevant team members when removing users, especially if they managed shared campaigns.
  • Keep audit trail: Maintain detailed logs of all access removals for compliance and audits.
  • Use Update Access for partial removal: If the user only needs some permissions removed, use the Update Access workflow instead of complete removal.
  • Verify removal: Always confirm the user can no longer access assets after removal.

Checklist

  • Business Admin access confirmed.
  • Reason for removal documented and approved.
  • Current permissions documented and screenshots captured.
  • Ownership transferred for all assets where user is Owner.
  • Active campaigns and work reassigned to other team members.
  • User removed from Business Hub → People.
  • Removal verified (user no longer appears in People list).
  • API credentials revoked or rotated (if applicable).
  • User confirmed unable to access assets (if possible).
  • Access log updated with removal details.
  • Final screenshot captured showing removal.
  • Relevant team members notified of the removal.
  • Internal documentation updated (org chart, runbooks, contact lists).
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