On TikTok, when users view someone’s profile it is tracked and logged by default. This allows TikTok users to see who has viewed their profile recently. Profile views appear on the user’s Activity page under Profile Views.
Some users may want to turn off profile view tracking for privacy reasons. Seeing who viewed your profile can feel invasive to some users who want their viewing activity to remain private. Additionally, turning off tracking means your own viewing of other profiles remains anonymous.
How TikTok Profile Views Work
TikTok has a feature that allows users to see who has viewed their profile in the last 30 days. This is enabled by default for all users. When someone visits your profile page, TikTok logs that view to your profile view history. You can then go to your settings and view a list of the usernames of people who have viewed your profile recently.
It’s important to note that this feature only shows the last 30 days of views. TikTok does not keep a long-term or complete record of everyone who has ever viewed your profile. Additionally, it does not show you the exact number of views your profile has received – just a list of usernames who have visited your page within the past month.
TikTok also clarifies that the profile view data may not represent every single view of your profile. The company states that they work to show real views and filter out spam, but the data is not guaranteed to be comprehensive. So while it gives users insight into recent profile visitors, it is not an exact, complete count.
Why Users May Want to Turn Off Profile Views
Many TikTok users choose to turn off the profile view history feature for privacy reasons. When the profile view history is on, other users can see if you’ve visited their profile. Some users want to browse profiles discreetly without others being notified.
For example, users may not want a friend, coworker, celebrity, crush or other acquaintance knowing they looked at their profile. Turning off profile view history gives users more privacy in browsing profiles without leaving a digital trail.
Additionally, some users turn off profile views so certain people they’ve blocked or want to avoid can’t tell if the user has looked at their profile. Disabling the view history prevents unwanted interactions or contact.
Can You Turn Off Profile Views Entirely?
Unfortunately, no, TikTok does not allow users to disable the profile view feature entirely. The “Profile view history” setting under Privacy controls only allows toggling on or off the ability for others to see that you viewed their profile, and vice versa (source: https://predis.ai/resources/turn-off-profile-views-on-tiktok/). There is no way to prevent your own profile from being viewed or stop TikTok from tracking your profile views of others.
TikTok stores profile view data regardless of your privacy settings, likely to analyze user behavior and engagement on the platform. While some users understandably want more control over their digital footprint, TikTok currently does not provide a way to opt-out of the profile view tracking system.
Using a Private Account
One way to prevent your TikTok profile views from being tracked is to switch your account to private. Private accounts on TikTok are completely invisible to anyone you have not approved as a follower. This means other users will not be able to find or view your profile at all unless you allow them to.
By making your TikTok account private, your profile views will no longer show up in anyone else’s view history. Essentially, switching to a private account stops your profile from being tracked or counted by TikTok’s view metrics. According to TikTok’s own support page, “You can’t see your profile view history if your account is private.” (source)
The main limitation of this approach is that it also prevents your profile from being discoverable by new potential followers. But for those who want to maximize privacy, using a private account is an effective way to turn off TikTok’s profile view tracking.
Using TikTok Incognito Mode
One way to view TikTok profiles without the account holder being notified is to use TikTok’s built-in incognito mode. According to TikTok’s support page, turning on incognito mode prevents the account you view from recording your profile view in their visitor list.
To enable incognito mode on iOS, tap the profile icon in the bottom right, then tap the three horizontal lines in the top right corner and toggle on “Incognito Mode.” On Android, tap “Me” then the three dots icon, choose “Settings and privacy,” select “Privacy” and toggle on “Incognito Mode.”
With incognito mode enabled, you can freely view other TikTok profiles without them being notified. Your profile views will not show up in their visitor list. Just remember to disable incognito mode again when you want your profile views to be public once more.
Clearing View History Regularly
One way to hide your TikTok profile views is to regularly clear your view history in the app. TikTok stores a log of all the profiles you visit, and clearing this resets the list. To manually clear your view history on TikTok:
1. Open the TikTok app and tap on the ‘Profile’ icon in the bottom right.
2. Tap on the three horizontal lines in the top right corner to open the menu.
3. Select ‘Settings and privacy’ > ‘Clear watch history’.
4. Tap ‘Clear’ to confirm deleting your view history.
This will erase the log of profiles you’ve recently visited. However, clearing your view history does not prevent future profile visits from being tracked. To fully stop activity tracking, you will need to turn off watch history in your account settings. Manually clearing your TikTok view history will reset the list of profiles you’ve visited, providing a temporary solution before your viewing activity resumes recording.
Source: How to See (and Delete) Your TikTok Watch History
Restricting Profile Access
One way to have more control over who can view your profile and activity on TikTok is by restricting access. In your settings, you can block specific users which prevents them from viewing your profile, videos, or live streams.
You can also enable restricted mode, which limits the appearance of content that may be inappropriate for some users, including comments and videos. According to TikTok’s Help Center, “Turning on Restricted Mode can help limit the appearance of content that may not be appropriate for all audiences.”
While restricted mode does not completely hide your profile and activity, it does make it more difficult for some users to view it. As TikTok states, “Restricted Mode does not filter out all potentially objectionable content, and does not filter content viewed through direct links.”
So restricting access can be helpful if you want to limit particular users or audiences from easily viewing your profile and view history on TikTok without completely hiding your account.
Using Multiple Accounts
One way to control who can view your profile is by having separate accounts for personal and private use.
You can create a private “alt” account just for close friends and family, keeping your main account fully public. This allows you to post more personal content without worrying as much about who sees it.
Meanwhile, your main public account gives you more control over which strangers can view your profile, since it likely has more limited content.
TikTok allows users to operate multiple accounts from the same device without issue. The algorithm looks at each account separately when determining viewership and reach.
So having different accounts does not negatively impact your view count or experience. It simply provides more options for controlling profile access and content visibility.
The key is being careful not to like, comment, or otherwise interact between accounts too frequently. This could get flagged as suspicious behavior.
But used judicially, having private and public accounts enables sharper control over your TikTok profile views.
[Source: https://gologin.com/blog/multiple-tiktok-accounts]
Conclusion
In summary, TikTok currently does not have a setting that allows users to completely disable profile view tracking. Users are notified when someone views their profile, and there is no way to turn this feature off entirely. While some workarounds like using a private account or incognito mode can limit profile views being shown, they do not prevent TikTok from tracking them.
At this time, the only way to avoid having your profile views seen by others on TikTok is to regularly clear your viewing history or use multiple accounts. However, TikTok will still record views server-side. There is no true way to browse TikTok profiles anonymously without leaving a trace of your visit.
TikTok is designed to foster engagement between users, so completely hiding your viewing activity goes against its social nature. But for users who desire more privacy, TikTok could consider adding an option to opt out of view tracking in the future.
