How to Download TikTok Videos – Step By Step

Gone are the days when we had to screen record and save grainier versions of original videos. TikTok, the popular video-posting platform, gives us the option to download any TikTok videos we like and keep them safely in our phone’s camera roll for years to come.

Whether you want to learn how to download your own TikTok videos or someone else’s, we can teach you. We’ll also show you a few neat tricks along the way and review some privacy settings if you don’t want others to download your TikTok videos.

How to Download Someone Else’s TikTok Videos

You’re scrolling through TikTok videos, and you find one you want to keep forever. Rather than using your phone’s screen record function, you can check to see if there’s a download option.

Not everyone wants strangers downloading their videos, so the steps below won’t work for every TikTok post. But, many creators don’t mind and do take the steps to enable the Save Video feature. Before trying to screen record, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open the Video

First, let’s locate the video you want to keep. If you already have it, go to step 2.

If you saw the video but can’t find it, go to your Profile and tap on the three-line menu icon at the top. Then, tap Settings & Privacy at the bottom. Finally, tap Watch History and find the video there.

Helpful Hint: You can also find the video in your Liked folder if you liked it.

Step 2: Tap the Share Button

When you have the video pulled up, tap the Share icon in the lower right.

Helpful Hint: The share icon typically looks like a white arrow pointing to the right. But sometimes, it will look like another app’s icon. However, it’s always located just above the music icon and below the Favorite option.

Step 3: Tap Save Video

A small menu will appear at the bottom below your contacts and external apps. Tap Save Video at the bottom.

Now, the video will appear in your phone’s gallery or camera roll.

Note: If you don’t see the Save Video option or it doesn’t save, the creator may have downloads turned off. If that happens, you can comment and ask the creator to turn them on or save the video in the TikTok app by tapping the Favorite button (above the share button).

In the following Short, @ohgshorts demonstrates how easy it is to save other people’s videos to your TikTok Gallery.

How to Download Your TikTok Videos

When you create an incredibly phenomenal TikTok video, you should save it to your device’s storage. TikTok isn’t perfect, and sometimes glitches happen. The company could ban your account, or someone could hack it, meaning you lose all your videos.

Most TikTok videos save automatically. But when they don’t, you can follow these steps to download them:

Step 1: Go to Your Profile

We need to go to the video you posted. Start out by tapping the Profile icon at the bottom of the screen (it looks like a little person and says ‘Me’).

Step 2: Tap the Video

When you go to your profile, you can see all your videos. Tap the one you want to download.

Helpful Hint: Tap the Drafts folder to download any videos you have yet to publish. Then, follow the same steps below.

Step 3: Tap the Three-Dot Icon

Instead of a share icon, you’ll see a three-dot menu icon to the right. Tap it.

Step 4: Tap Save Video

As with the steps for downloading someone else’s TikTok video, a menu will appear at the bottom of your screen. Tap Save Video in the menu.

How to Enable TikTok Video Downloads

Now that we’ve covered how to download TikTok videos let’s learn how to control TikTok downloads. As mentioned above, sometimes, people don’t have the download feature enabled. If that happens, you can give them the instructions below so you can download their video.

We’ve also covered how to keep TikTok from downloading your videos. A device’s memory can fill up quickly if you aren’t careful, and TikTok’s automatic download feature doesn’t help if you post often.

Enable TikTok Video Downloads

You can enable and disable the option for others to download your videos. Perhaps you don’t want others to have that much access to your TikTok creations, or you’re fine with others storing your content.

Either way, you can enable and disable the TikTok video download permissions by going to the Privacy Settings. Tap on your profile icon and tap the three-line menu icon in the top right corner. Select Privacy and tap Downloads. Finally, toggle the switch off to disable the permission or toggle it on to let others download your videos.

Helpful Hint: Even if you disable TikTok downloads, people can revert to the old method of screen recording your content. So, be sure not to post anything you don’t want others to keep or share.

Disable Automatic TikTok Downloads

When you post a video, TikTok downloads a copy to your device automatically. There isn’t a master setting to keep TikTok from automatically downloading your posts. But you can keep the storage space on your phone freed up by disabling the download on the TikTok Publish screen.

Tap More Options on the publishing page. Then, click the toggle switch next to Save Video. Now, when you publish the video, it won’t save to your phone’s camera roll.

Helpful Hint: It’s a good idea to save a copy of your video to your device if it’s a draft. If you clear the cache on your TikTok app or delete the app and reinstall it, all your drafts will disappear.

This Video is Mines Now

While there may be some debate about the ethics of downloading another creator’s content, TikTok is designed to let us do it. Therefore, it’s part of the social media platform’s culture that others may take your creative works and use it for other purposes.

If you aren’t comfortable with someone downloading your content, you can disable it in the settings. But beware, if you post something online, it’s liable to go to people all over the world regardless of the privacy steps you take.

Up Next

• How to See Who Viewed Your TikTok
• How to Save TikTok Videos
• How to Add a Link to Your TikTok Bio

The image featured at the top of this post is ©XanderSt/Shutterstock.com.