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How to use Opera's new Pinboard feature (and why you should)
Sometimes, it feels like web browsers just toss new features at the wall to see what sticks. This has led many a browser to feel like it's filled with so much bloat, it can barely function as an actual web browser.
More how-tos
Opera has somehow managed to throw a large number of features into its browser without bogging the app down at all. Recently the developers have added a media player to the sidebar, which allows you to control such services as Spotify without having to use up a new tab or open yet another app.
Opera also added a new beta feature, called Pinboards. Opera Pinboards are exactly what you think they are -- a place to pin items, so you can keep track of ideas, things of interest, or content you might want to view later on.
With Pinboards, you can collect things such as websites, images, links, emoji, and notes. You can share your boards and create multiple themed boards. Within individual items on a board, you can add a title, description, image, and links. You can add multiple lines to an item title, select from three different layouts (Default, Spacious, or Dense), and even add background images.
So, how do you use the Pinboards feature? Let's find out.
Also: How to use the Opera VPN (and why you should)
How to use Opera Pinboards
1. Access Pinboards
Open Opera and you should see a small thumbtack icon in the left sidebar. Click that icon and a new tab will open to the Pinboards feature.
2. Create a new Pinboard
In the resulting window, click New Pinboard in the top left corner of the window.
You can check out the Introducing Pinboards Pinboard to learn more.
3. Name your new Pinboard
At the top of the new Pinboard, click the default name and type a new name for the Pinboard.
4. Add items to your Pinboard
At this point, everything should become quite obvious. Click the + to add an item to your new pinboard. This creates a blank item to which you can then add a title and other content.
Continue adding new items to fill up your Pinboard.
Adding new items to a new Pinboard.
How to change the appearance of your Pinboard
If you click the Appearance button at the top right of the window, a new popup will appear where you can set the layout of your Pinboard and even upload an image that will serve as the background for the Pinboard.
Changing the layout and background for a Pinboard.
From my experience, the Default layout is, by far, the easiest to use, but your mileage may vary.
How to share a Pinboard
Opera Pinboard sharing is limited to the board itself. You cannot share individual items. Because of that, you should make certain there are no items in your Pinboard that contain sensitive information.
To share a Pinboard, click the Share button in the top right of the window and, in the popup, click the ON/OFF slider for Share pinboard with a link. Once the Pinboard has been uploaded, you will be presented with a shareable link that you can then send via email, messaging, or however you prefer to share information.
Sharing a Pinboard is as simple as clicking an ON/OFF slider.
And that's pretty much the gist of using Opera's new Pinboard feature. Even though Pinboards is still in beta, I've found it to be very stable and useable. Give the feature a try and see if it doesn't become your go-to tool for keeping track of things that have nowhere else to live in your browser or your desktop.