The Supreme Court upheld the ban on TikTok. Before the app goes dark on Sunday, you’re probably wondering how to back up the dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of videos you might have on the platform.
Whether you want to save your favorite videos or videos you’ve posted yourself, here’s how to do it. And we’ve rounded up some TikTok alternatives in case you’re starting to panic.
How to download individual TikTok content
If you want to save some of your favorite TikTok videos or photos on your device, it’s very simple.
To download a video to an iOS or Android device, go to your TikTok profile page, select the video you want, and tap the Share button on the right side of the screen. Then select “Save Video”. You can download photos in the same way.
However, you should be aware that creators can control whether others can download their content. This means that some videos from your Like, Repost or Bookmarks tabs may not have a download option available.
If you have multiple videos to download, this process can be time consuming as you will need to repeat these steps for each one. There are various third-party apps available that allow bulk downloads, but their reliability can vary, so proceed with caution.
How to get TikTok data
You can also request a copy of your TikTok data, which may consist of your username, view history, comment logs, and privacy configurations. However, TikTok warns that not all data may be available for download, “especially if it affects the privacy of others,” the company writes in support page.
To request your information on TikTok, go to your profile, tap the Menu button at the top to access Settings, and go to Account. Select “Download your data” to select what data you want to include in the downloadable file and select a file format: TXT or JSON. Finally, tap “Request Data”.
Once you submit your request, TikTok collects a data file that you can download from the app. Note that it may take a few days to prepare the file, but TikTok will notify you once it’s ready for download. Given the potential ban coming this Sunday, we advise you to do so as soon as possible.
When your file is ready, tap download in the app. It will be available for up to four days.
