TikTok is a popular short-form video app that has seen massive growth in recent years. As of 2023, TikTok has over 1 billion monthly active users globally, making it one of the most widely used social media platforms (Source). Its popularity stems from its algorithmically curated “For You” feed that surfaces entertaining and relevant videos.
On TikTok, it can be useful to look back on videos you’ve previously watched and liked. Being able to easily find your recently watched videos allows you to rewatch funny or informative content, get video ideas, find creators to follow, and more. TikTok unfortunately does not have a straightforward “watch history” page, but there are a few methods users can leverage to locate previously viewed videos.
Viewing History Page
TikTok has a viewing history page to see your recently watched videos. This allows you to look back at videos you’ve watched in the past and find ones you want to watch again or share with friends.
You can access your viewing history page by tapping on your profile picture in the bottom right corner of the app. This will open up your profile menu. From there, tap on “Viewing history” to open up the page showing your recently watched videos. It will show you the videos in reverse chronological order starting with the most recent videos you’ve watched.
The viewing history page makes it easy to find that funny video you saw earlier or reminisce on old videos you’ve watched. It’s a handy feature in the app that not all users know about, so make sure to use it if you want to rediscover videos you’ve seen before.
Using Search
One way to find a recently watched TikTok video is by using the search feature on the app or website. TikTok’s search allows you to enter keywords or phrases from the video you’re trying to find, and it will show videos containing that text. According to PopSci, you can access search by tapping the magnifying glass icon in the top right corner of the app and entering your search terms.
For best results when searching, try to remember unique words or phrases that were said in the video, names of people in it, songs that were used, or any other distinctive details. The more specific your search, the better chance you have of tracking it down. You may need to experiment with a few different keyword combinations before finding the right video.
TikTok’s search algorithm prioritizes videos that are more recent and have engagement, so you may find the video you’re looking for within the first few results. However, don’t forget to scroll down and check further in the results as well. With the right search terms, you should be able to rediscover that recently watched video through TikTok’s search function.
Liked Videos
One way to find videos you’ve recently watched on TikTok is by checking your liked videos. When you like a video on TikTok by tapping the heart icon, it gets saved to your liked videos collection. You can access your liked videos by tapping the heart icon on your profile page. Liking videos is an easy way to bookmark content you enjoyed watching so you can find it again later.
According to TikTok’s help center, “Liking videos with the heart icon is an easy way to show content creators that you appreciate their work! You can see a history of videos that you liked on your profile under the Liked tab.” https://support.tiktok.com/en/using-tiktok/exploring-videos/liking
Checking your liked videos collection can jog your memory about videos you’ve watched and liked recently. You may rediscover funny, informative, or entertaining videos you want to watch again or share with friends. So if you want to find a video you remember seeing but can’t recall specifics, browsing your liked videos can help uncover those forgotten watched gems.
Comments
Checking comments you’ve left can remind you of videos you’ve watched and engaged with on TikTok. To find videos through your comment history, go to your profile page and tap on the heart icon underneath your profile photo. This will open up your Likes page which shows all the videos you’ve liked. Tap on the Comments tab at the top of the screen. Here you’ll see a list of all the comments you’ve made on videos.
Scrolling through your comment history can help jog your memory on videos you’ve watched in the past. Tapping on a comment will take you directly to the video you commented on so you can watch it again. This makes checking your comments a great way to rediscover old videos you may have forgotten about. According to a guide on Adweek, this comment history only shows your last 2,000 comments [1]. So if you are an avid commenter, your full history may not be available. Still, checking your recent comments provides an easy path to finding and rewatching videos you’ve engaged with in the past.
Sounds
One way to find a video you recently watched on TikTok is by searching for the sound used in the video. TikTok allows you to browse popular sounds and see videos using each sound.
To find a video by its sound, tap the discover icon on the bottom toolbar in the TikTok app. This will bring you to the Discover page. Here you can tap on the “Sounds” tab to browse trending sounds.
Tapping on a sound will show you a feed of videos using that sound. You can scroll through to see if you can find the video you’re looking for. This can be an easy way to find a video again if you remember the song or audio clip used in it.
You can also search for specific sounds using the search bar at the top of the Discover page. This allows you to search for sounds by keywords if you don’t see it in the trending sounds.
According to TikTok’s support site, sounds are a great way to “discover new videos and creators” (https://support.tiktok.com/en/using-tiktok/exploring-videos/discover-and-search). So if you remember the sound from a video, browsing or searching sounds can help you find it again.
Hashtags
Hashtags categorize videos and make them searchable on TikTok. By including relevant hashtags in the caption or comments of a video, creators allow their content to be discovered by users searching those tags. According to TikTok’s Discover and Search support page, hashtags are one of the main ways to find videos on topics you’re interested in.
To search hashtags, tap the search bar at the top of your For You feed and type in a hashtag. You’ll then be taken to a page showing the most popular and recent videos using that tag. You can also combine multiple hashtags in the same search to narrow down the results. The search will display videos that contain all the hashtags you entered.
Tracking trending hashtags can help you find viral content in your niche. You can also follow hashtags so videos with those tags will show up in your Following feed. Overall, hashtag search is a key way to dive deep into topics on TikTok and connect with communities around shared interests.
Following
Videos from accounts you follow are more discoverable on TikTok. Your Following feed shows the latest videos uploaded by the accounts you currently follow. This feed makes it easy to stay up-to-date with and rediscover content from your favorite creators.
The Following feed is optimized to showcase the latest videos from accounts you actively engage with. For example, if you consistently like, comment, and share an account’s new videos, that account may appear more frequently in your Following feed.
Your Following feed also helps surface older videos that you may have missed the first time. As you scroll through the feed, you’ll notice a “More from [Account]” heading, under which TikTok curates and recommends older videos from accounts you follow. This makes it easy to rediscover and enjoy videos you may have overlooked before.
In summary, the Following feed enables you to easily stay in-the-know with the accounts you care about most, while also helping surface older videos you may have missed.
Bookmarks
One way to rediscover videos you’ve seen before on TikTok is by using the bookmark feature. This allows you to save videos you like so you can easily find them again later. When you bookmark a video, it gets added to your “Bookmarks” section on your profile.
Bookmarking is helpful for finding funny, informative, or entertaining videos you want to be able to refer back to. For example, if you come across a useful tutorial or a meme video that made you laugh, bookmarking it makes it simple to retrieve that video from your bookmarks list.
To bookmark a video on TikTok, tap the “Share” icon on the video and then select “Add to Bookmarks.” You can access all your bookmarked videos by tapping the bookmark icon on your profile page. This provides an organized way to rediscover videos you’ve previously enjoyed watching on TikTok without having to scroll endlessly through your feed or search to find them again.
The bookmark feature allows you to curate and collect videos on TikTok that you find interesting or useful. Using bookmarks can help you easily re-find entertaining, informative, or creative videos that you want to be able to watch again.
Conclusion
There are numerous ways to find recently watched videos on TikTok – by checking your Viewing History page, using Search to look up videos or sounds, viewing your Liked Videos and Comments, looking at the Sounds and Hashtags you’ve interacted with, checking who you’re Following, and accessing your Bookmarks. The platform provides many tools to help you easily rediscover videos you’ve watched before. This suggests that TikTok wants to retain your viewing history and make it simple for you to pick up where you left off, rather than forcing you to endlessly scroll hoping to stumble upon that funny dog video again. Overall, TikTok does a great job at helping users re-find their lost videos through saved data.