TikTok is a popular short-form video platform that has over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide. With its growth in popularity, many users choose to delete their TikTok accounts for various reasons like privacy concerns or losing interest in the platform. When a TikTok account is deleted, all the user’s videos, likes, comments, and personal information associated with the account are removed. However, the process of deleting a TikTok account is not as straightforward as simply clicking a “delete” button. There are some important factors to consider regarding how TikTok handles account deletion.
Reasons People Delete TikTok Accounts
There are a few common reasons why people choose to delete their TikTok accounts:
Boredom – Some users get bored of the app after a while and decide they no longer want to spend time scrolling through videos. The constant novelty of new videos can lose its appeal after a while. According to a Quora post, people often delete the app when they feel they are wasting too much time mindlessly scrolling.
Privacy concerns – With growing concerns over data privacy, some users decide to delete TikTok over worries about what data the app collects. TikTok’s parent company ByteDance is based in China, leading to fears about what user data could be accessed by the Chinese government. Deleting the app is one way users aim to protect their privacy.
Too addictive – The constant stream of new videos and algorithmic recommendations can make TikTok extremely addictive for some users. They may delete the app to break the habit of constantly checking their feed and improve their productivity. As noted in a Push blog post, people deleting the app often cite feeling it’s too addictive and they spend too much time on it.
How to Delete a TikTok Account
There are a few simple steps to delete your TikTok account either through the mobile app or on a desktop browser:
To delete your account on the TikTok mobile app:
1. Open the TikTok app on your mobile device and tap on your profile icon in the bottom right corner.
2. Tap on the 3-line menu icon in the top right corner to open the side menu.
3. Select “Settings and privacy” from the menu.
4. Tap on “Account” and then select “Delete account”.
5. Select “Delete account” again to confirm.
To delete your account on desktop:
1. Go to TikTok.com and log in to your account.
2. Click on your profile icon in the top right and select “Settings and privacy” from the drop down menu.
3. On the left side menu, click on “Manage account”.
4. Scroll down and click on “Delete account”.
5. Select “Delete account” again to confirm.
Once you confirm deletion, your account will be permanently removed along with your profile information, videos, messages, etc. There is no way to recover a deleted TikTok account.
Data Deletion from TikTok
When a TikTok account is deleted, some data is immediately erased while other data may persist for a period of time. According to TikTok’s privacy policy, content like videos, comments, likes, and followers are deleted within 30 days of requesting account deletion.
However, TikTok may retain certain data for longer periods if required by law or for legitimate business purposes. For example, some technical logs may be retained to detect security incidents and ensure service functionality. TikTok also states that advertising data may be kept separate from account information in aggregated or anonymized forms.
Importantly, if a user continues to use TikTok after account deletion, such as by downloading the app again or viewing content without an account, TikTok can still collect some data like device identifiers, location information, and usage information, according to this CBC article.
In summary, core account data is deleted within 30 days after requesting account deletion, but some usage data may persist if a user continues engaging with TikTok post-deletion. Fully terminating TikTok’s data collection requires uninstalling the app and avoiding further interactions.
Can a Deleted TikTok Account Be Recovered?
If you regret deleting your TikTok account, you may be able to recover it within 30 days of deletion. TikTok keeps deleted accounts in their system for 30 days before permanently erasing them. During this 30 day window, you can request that TikTok reinstate your account.
To recover a recently deleted TikTok account, go to the TikTok login page and tap “Forgot password”. You’ll be prompted to enter your phone number or email associated with the deleted account. TikTok will send a verification code that you can use to regain access to the account.
If you previously enabled two-factor authentication on your account, you may need to enter the backup verification code you saved when setting it up. This acts as a failsafe in case you lose access to your regular login credentials.
According to Business Insider, if you wait longer than 30 days to recover your TikTok account, it is likely gone for good. TikTok does not keep data on permanently deleted accounts. So if you want to restore your account, be sure to act quickly within the first month after deleting it.
Creating a New TikTok Account After Deletion
If you decide to permanently delete your TikTok account, you can create a new account after deletion using the same email address or phone number. However, there are some limitations:
To create a new TikTok account after deleting the previous one:
- Download the TikTok app and go through the account creation process again using the same email or phone number.
- Verify your account via email or SMS text message.
- Personalize your new account with a username, password, profile photo etc.
Your new account will not have any of the previous followers, likes, comments or other account history from the old deleted account. You will essentially be starting fresh with no followers or content.
TikTok does not automatically reconnect your new account with profiles who previously followed your old account. You will have to rebuild your follower base from scratch by creating compelling content that gets views and shares.
Some users try promoting their new account username on other platforms where their followers are present. However, this tends to have limited results compared to building a quality profile and letting TikTok’s algorithm slowly promote your new videos.
While it may seem frustrating losing your follower count and content portfolio by deleting your account, a fresh start can also reinvigorate your creativity and motivation on TikTok.
TikTok Account Deactivation vs Deletion
There is an important difference between deactivating and deleting your TikTok account. Deactivating your account is a temporary action that pauses your account, while deleting is permanent.
When you deactivate your TikTok account, your profile, videos, likes, comments, and followers are hidden until you decide to reactivate it. According to TikTok’s support page, “Your account will remain deactivated for 30 days, during which you can reactivate it at any time by simply logging back into your account.”1
In contrast, deleting your TikTok account permanently removes everything associated with it. Your profile, videos, likes, comments, followers, and all other data will be erased and cannot be recovered after deletion. The process cannot be reversed.
In most cases, you should deactivate your account if you may want to use TikTok again in the future. However, if you are certain you want to permanently leave TikTok behind, account deletion is the way to go.
Permanently Deleting a TikTok Account
If you want to permanently delete your TikTok account so that it cannot be recovered, there are a few steps you need to take:
First, in the TikTok app, go to your profile and tap the menu icon in the top right corner. Select “Manage account” and then “Delete account.” This will begin the account deletion process.
TikTok gives users a one month grace period to recover a deleted account. However, if you want to prevent any chance of recovering the account, you need to take additional steps.
After initiating account deletion in the app, immediately change the password and email associated with the account. This will sever the account from your info. According to TikTok’s support site, “If you change the email address associated with your account, you won’t be able to recover your account after it’s deleted” (https://support.tiktok.com/en/account-and-privacy/deleting-an-account/deleting-an-account).
You can change the email by tapping “Edit profile” in the app and entering a new email that you don’t have access to. Change the password as well. This will ensure that even after 30 days, you have no way to recover the deleted account.
It’s also recommended to remove any phone number associated with the account for maximum assurance. Without access to the account’s email, password, or phone number, there will be no way for you or TikTok to recover the account after deletion.
TikTok Account Deletion Failsafes
TikTok has implemented certain failsafes to prevent accounts from being deleted too easily or by accident. One of these is limits on account recovery after deletion.
If you delete your TikTok account, you have 30 days to log back in and recover it before it is permanently gone. This gives users a grace period in case they change their mind or deleted their account accidentally. However, TikTok only allows an account to be recovered once during this 30 day window [1].
After that one recovery, the account cannot be retrieved again if deleted a second time during the 30 days. The account will be permanently deleted. This is to prevent accounts from being deleted and restored over and over.
TikTok also has safeguards in place specifically for accounts of younger users under 18. If a minor attempts to delete their TikTok account, they will be prompted to provide a parent’s email address or phone number before the deletion can be completed [2]. This adds an extra layer of protection to prevent minors from deleting accounts without parental awareness.
These failsafes help ensure accounts are not deleted accidentally or without the user’s full consent. They provide a window to reverse unintended deletions while still allowing users to permanently delete their accounts if desired.
Conclusion
Whether or not a TikTok account is permanently deleted after being removed depends on a few factors. If an account is simply deactivated, it can easily be reactivated by logging back in. However, if a user takes steps to fully delete their account through TikTok’s privacy settings, the account and its data should be permanently erased.
TikTok claims that once an account is deleted, it cannot be recovered. However, users have reported instances where deleted accounts seemed to reactivate later on. This suggests TikTok may retain some data on deleted accounts. Overall, while deleting a TikTok account should remove it forever, the process does not guarantee permanent erasure in all cases. Users concerned about permanent removal should deactivate accounts first before escalating to full deletion.
In summary, deleting a TikTok account does not always lead to permanent removal. But users can take steps like deactivation and requesting data deletion to improve their chances of eliminating their presence on TikTok forever.
