TikTok Ban How to Save Your Videos Before the App Shuts Down Sunday

Published at: January 18, 2025 5:38 AM

Updated at: January 18, 2025 5:52 AM

With the possibility of TikTok being banned in the United States in just a few days, you might want to save your data from the app before it potentially goes offline. TikTok, with over 170 million U.S. users, may face shutdown on January 19 due to security concerns, following a recent Supreme Court ruling. There are also hints that the current administration might take action regarding the app, with ongoing reviews.

If you're on TikTok and need to back up your information before the platform is potentially banned, here's how you can download your data:

Steps to Back Up Your TikTok Data

Open TikTok on your mobile device:
- The only way to download your data is through the TikTok mobile app. You can’t do this from the web version of the app.
Go to your profile:
- Tap on your profile icon to access your settings.
Navigate to Settings and Privacy:
- Once you're on your profile page, click on “Settings and Privacy.”
Request your data:
- Under the “Account” section, scroll down and find the option labeled “Download your data.”
- TikTok will ask you to request a copy of your data. This can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours.
Choose your file format:
- Once your data is ready, you will be given the option to download it in either TXT or JSON format.
Download your data within 4 days:
- Keep in mind that the data will only be available for download for four days after you request it.
Check what’s included in your data:

The data includes details like accounts you follow, comments you've made, direct messages, shopping history, and more. However, it won’t include any content that could compromise someone else's privacy, and saved videos will appear only as links, not actual video files.

Steps to Save Your TikTok Videos

Select the video you want to save:
- Open the video you’d like to keep on your device.
Tap the Share button:
- On the right side of the video screen, tap the “Share” button.
Save the video:
- In the options menu, tap “Save video” to download it to your device.
Repeat for other videos:
- If you want to save more videos, repeat the process for each one individually.