What is TikTok?
TikTok is a short-form video sharing app owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It allows users to create, edit, and share 15-second to 3-minute videos, typically set to music or other audio clips. TikTok has become hugely popular, especially among Generation Z, due to its fun, creative format and highly addictive algorithmic “For You” feed.
As of December 2022, TikTok has over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide (https://backlinko.com/tiktok-users). It is one of the fastest growing apps, with an estimated 5.3 billion internet users, 23.02% of whom use TikTok. The app has been downloaded over 3 billion times on the App Store and Google Play (https://www.businessofapps.com/data/tik-tok-statistics/).
TikTok allows users to showcase their creativity through singing, dancing, comedy, and more. Its popularity has steadily risen since launching internationally in 2018, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. TikTok is particularly popular among teenagers and young adults who make up a large portion of its userbase.
Search for profiles on TikTok
The most direct way to find a specific person on TikTok is by using the search bar. Here’s how to use it:
Open the TikTok app and tap the magnifying glass icon in the top right corner. This will open up the search bar. Type in the exact username of the person you are trying to find. Usernames are unique on TikTok, so this should take you directly to that user’s profile if they have an account.
You can also try searching for a person’s full name or username variations if you don’t know their exact TikTok handle. The search will show results for accounts that match your query.
Keep in mind that not everyone uses their real name on TikTok, so you may need to get creative and try nicknames or combinations of first and last names. The more precise you can be with the username, the better your chances of tracking down a specific profile.
Find friends from your contacts
One easy way to find people you know on TikTok is by syncing your phone contacts. TikTok will compare your contacts to its userbase and show you any matches. Here’s how to sync your contacts on TikTok to find friends:
1. Open the TikTok app and tap on your profile icon in the bottom right.
2. Tap “Add Friends” and then tap “Find” next to Contacts.
3. Allow TikTok access to your contacts when prompted.
4. TikTok will now display any contacts who also have TikTok accounts. You can tap “Follow” to follow them or “Invite” to invite other contacts to join TikTok.
Syncing your contacts allows you to quickly find people you know who are already on TikTok. It’s an easy way to connect and start following friends and family members. Just keep in mind TikTok will need access to your contacts to find matches [1].
View likes and comments
One way to find specific people on TikTok is by viewing the likes and comments on videos. When someone interacts with a video, such as liking or commenting, their profile name will be shown. You can click on the profile name to be taken to that user’s profile page.
To see who has liked a video, tap on the number of likes under the video. This will open up a list of all the accounts that have liked that video. Scroll through the list to see if the person you’re searching for has liked the video.
Similarly, you can tap on the comments icon under a video to view all of the comments. Look through the comments to see if the person you want to find has commented. Their profile name will be next to their comment.
Using the likes and comments is an easy way to find specific people you may know or are connected to in some way if they have engaged with a particular video. It allows you to see exactly who has interacted with a TikTok user’s content.
Follow hashtags and sounds associated with a user
One way to try to find a specific person on TikTok is by searching for hashtags and sounds they commonly use in their videos. You can follow certain hashtags and sounds to see any new content posted using them.
For example, if you know the username of the person you are trying to find, you can look at their profile and take note of some of the hashtags they use frequently. Some common ones might be their name, username, city they live in, etc.
You can then search for some of those specific hashtags and sounds directly in the TikTok search bar. Any public videos posted using that hashtag or sound will show up in the results. This makes it easy to find new content from a particular person if you know their commonly used tags.
According to TikTok’s Trend Discovery page, you can also browse popular hashtags and sounds to discover what is currently trending that the person may be using in their videos.
By narrowing your search to specific hashtags and sounds associated with that user, you have a better chance of their new videos popping up as you follow those tag feeds.
Use recommend accounts
TikTok recommends accounts for you to follow based on your previous likes, comments, shares, follows, and other interactions on the app. The “Suggested Accounts” section in your feed presents a curated selection of accounts TikTok thinks you may be interested in.
According to TikTok’s support page, the algorithm looks at the content you engage with and the accounts you follow to suggest new accounts with similar content [1]. Interacting with suggested accounts by liking, commenting, sharing, etc. will lead TikTok to recommend more related accounts over time.
You can turn off suggested accounts in your settings if you don’t want recommendations. But leaving them on allows TikTok to customize your feed and connect you with accounts posting content relevant to your interests.
Direct message users
If you want to directly reach out to a TikTok user, you can send them a direct message. To start a conversation with someone on TikTok:
1. Go to their profile page. You can find profiles by searching for usernames, hashtags or sounds.
2. Tap the “Message” icon in the top right. This will open up your direct messages.
3. Type your message and tap “Send.” The user will get a notification that you messaged them.
You can only message users who follow you back. If someone doesn’t follow you, the Message icon will be greyed out on their profile. Both users have to follow each other to send direct messages on TikTok according to TikTok’s help article.
Find verified accounts
One way to easily confirm someone’s identity on TikTok is to look for verified accounts. Verified accounts have a blue checkmark badge next to their username. According to TikTok’s support page, this blue checkmark indicates that TikTok has confirmed the authenticity of that account.
Verified accounts belong to celebrities, brands, and other high-profile individuals. The blue check gives followers confidence that the account is the real person or company it claims to be. TikTok manually reviews verification requests, so users cannot buy or obtain instant verification. The blue check badge only appears once TikTok has validated the account’s authenticity.
When searching for a specific person, looking for a verified account makes it easier to confirm you have found the right individual. The blue check badge signals that TikTok has already reviewed that account and confirmed its identity. While not everyone will have a verified account, focusing on verified profiles can help streamline searching for a particular person on TikTok.
Consider privacy settings
TikTok allows users to choose between having a public or private account. With a private account, only users you approve can follow you and view your videos (source).
To set your TikTok account to private, open the app and go to your profile page. Tap the menu icon and select “Privacy and safety.” From there you can toggle your account to private. This will give you more control over who can interact with your content (source).
Overall, making your account private gives you more privacy and limits your videos to be seen only by followers you approve. This can be a good option if you only want to share content with friends.
Additional tips
Here are some other ways to increase your chances of finding someone on TikTok:
Use multiple search terms and keywords related to the person, like their full name, username, location, school, place of work, etc. Try different combinations to cover all possibilities. For example, “John Smith NYC” or “JohnSmithNY”.
Look through other profiles of the person’s known friends, family members, co-workers, etc. Oftentimes they may be connected on TikTok as well.
Check tagged photos and videos the person may be in. TikTok displays these under the “Videos” tab on a profile.
Use TikTok’s recommend accounts feature which suggests accounts based on who you follow or watch. The person you’re searching for may appear there.
Browse through sounds and hashtags the person commonly uses. TikTok will show you other videos and accounts using those same tags.
Explore locations the person is associated with like a hometown or popular hangouts. TikTok has a map feature to browse regionally.
Keep in mind some users change their username periodically or have private accounts. So you may need to do some creative sleuthing.
