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 have on the platform.
Here’s how to save your favorite videos or videos you’ve posted yourself. And just in case you start to panic, we’ve put together some TikTok alternatives.
How to download individual TikTok content
If you want to save some of your favorite TikTok videos and photos to your device, it’s very easy.
To download a video to your 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”. Photos can be downloaded as well.
However, please note that creators can control whether others can download their content. This means that download options may not be available for some videos in the Likes, Reposts, or Bookmarks tabs.
If you have a large number of videos to download, this process may take some time as you will have to repeat these steps for each video. A variety of third-party apps are available that allow bulk downloads, but their reliability varies, so proceed with caution.
How to get TikTok data
You can also request a copy of your TikTok data. This may include your username, viewing history, comment log, and privacy settings. However, TikTok warns that not all data may be available for download, “especially if it impacts the privacy of others,” the company writes on its support page.
To request your TikTok information, go to your profile, tap the menu button at the top to access your settings, and go to your account. (Download data), select the data you want to include in the downloadable file, and select the file format (TXT or JSON). Finally, tap “Request Data”.
When you submit a request, TikTok compiles a data file that you can download from the app. Note that it may take a few days for the file to be ready, but TikTok will notify you when it’s ready for download. We recommend doing this as soon as possible, considering that the ban may take place this Sunday.
When the file is ready, tap Download in the app. Available for up to 4 days.