Making a Padlet takes about two minutes. You sign up for a free account at padlet.com, pick a layout for your board, and start adding content. Padlet is a collaborative digital board where you and others can post text, images, files, links, and videos in a visual format. Here’s how to set one up from scratch.
Create Your Account
Go to padlet.com and click the Sign Up button. You can register with an email address and password or sign up instantly through Google, Microsoft, or Apple ID. If you use email, the password needs at least 8 characters, and you’ll receive a 6-digit verification code to confirm your address before proceeding.
After verifying, Padlet asks you to choose a plan. The free tier (called Padlet Neon) lets you create up to 3 total boards. That’s enough to get started and learn the tool. If you need unlimited boards, paid plans are available for individuals, teams, and classrooms. Select your plan and click “Let’s go” to reach your dashboard.
You can also download the Padlet app for Android or iOS and create your account there. The setup process is the same.
Choose a Layout
When you create a new padlet, the first decision is your layout. This determines how posts are arranged on the board, and it matters more than you might think. Each layout suits a different purpose.
- Wall: Posts appear in a brick-like grid that fills the screen. Good for collecting lots of posts in one place, like digital presentations, posters, or image-based responses.
- Column (Shelf): Posts stack under labeled headings you define. Ideal for organizing ideas by category, running brainstorming sessions, or collecting responses to specific questions.
- Freeform (Canvas): Posts can be placed anywhere and connected with lines. Works well for mind mapping, concept diagrams, and open brainstorming where spatial arrangement matters.
- Grid: Similar to Wall but with fixed, uniform blocks. Clean and orderly, useful for collecting material that should look consistent.
- Map: Posts are pinned to geographic locations on a world map. Great for “pin your location” icebreakers or any project tied to real-world places.
- Timeline: Posts arrange along a horizontal timeline. Useful for historical events, project milestones, or anything with a sequential order.
You can change the layout after creating the board, so don’t overthink this step. If you’re unsure, Wall or Column are the most versatile starting points.
Customize Your Board
After choosing a layout, give your padlet a title and a short description so visitors know its purpose. You can also pick a wallpaper, change the color scheme, and add an icon. These options appear in the settings panel (the gear icon).
Beyond appearance, the settings panel is where you control how people interact with your board. You can enable or disable comments, reactions, and star ratings on posts. If you want visitors to respond to each other’s contributions, turn on comments. If you’re collecting votes or feedback, enable reactions or ratings.
Add Content to Your Board
Click the plus button (usually in the bottom right corner) to create a new post. Each post can include a subject line and body text, but the real flexibility comes from attachments. When composing a post, you’ll see icons for uploading files, taking a photo with your camera, generating an AI image, adding a web link, and searching for stock images. An additional menu reveals even more attachment types.
You can also drag and drop files directly onto the board. Select multiple files at once and they’ll each become their own separate post, which saves time when you’re uploading a batch of images or documents.
Posts on a Padlet aren’t limited to text. You can embed YouTube videos, attach PDFs, share audio recordings, link to websites, and upload photos. This makes Padlet flexible enough for everything from a simple brainstorm wall to a multimedia resource library.
Set Your Privacy Level
Before sharing your padlet, decide who should be able to see it. Padlet offers several privacy levels, and picking the right one matters.
- Secret: Only people with the direct link can access the board. It won’t appear in search engines or on your public profile. This is the default and works well for most uses.
- Secret with Password: Visitors need both the link and a password you set. Useful when you want an extra layer of control over who gets in.
- Secret with Log In: Anyone with the link can view the board, but they must be logged into a Padlet account. This prevents anonymous posts, since every contribution displays the author’s name.
- Public: The board appears in search engine results and on your public Padlet profile. Choose this only if you want anyone on the internet to find it.
- Organization Only: Available on team and school plans. Limits access to members of your organization who are logged into their accounts.
For classroom activities or team projects, “Secret” or “Secret with Log In” strikes the right balance between easy access and reasonable control.
Share Your Padlet
Open the Share menu (the arrow or share icon near the top of your board) to get your padlet’s link. You can copy the URL and send it through email, a messaging app, or your learning management system. The Share menu also lets you invite specific people by email, embed the padlet on a website using an HTML code snippet, or generate a QR code that others can scan with their phone.
When sharing, you also set visitor permissions. You can allow people to just view the board, add new posts, or edit existing posts. For a collaborative brainstorm, let visitors write. For a resource board you’ve curated yourself, set it to view-only.
Working Within the Free Plan
The free Padlet Neon plan caps you at 3 total boards, including both standard boards and Sandboxes (Padlet’s interactive whiteboard format). That limit is on active boards, not lifetime boards. If you hit the cap, you can delete or archive an old padlet to free up a slot.
For occasional use, three boards is workable. If you’re a teacher running weekly activities or a team using Padlet regularly, you’ll likely need a paid plan for unlimited boards. Padlet Platinum covers individual users, while Padlet Classroom and Padlet for Schools are designed for educators and institutions with features like roster management and admin controls.