TikTok is a rapidly growing social media platform focused on short-form videos. As of 2023, TikTok has over 1 billion monthly active users globally, making it one of the most popular social networks in the world (TikTok Statistics 2023). The app allows users to create, edit, and share 15 to 60 second videos on any topic, often set to music and special effects. User participation through likes, comments, duets, and stitches help fuel the virality of content.
With TikTok’s massive popularity, especially among younger users, many people are interested in learning how to control their account’s visibility and privacy. One common question is whether you can hide your follower count on TikTok to make your profile more private. This article will explore the options for concealing your number of followers on TikTok.
Why Hide Followers?
There are several key reasons why someone may want to hide their followers on TikTok:
To avoid stalkers or harassment. Having a public list of followers can allow stalkers or harassers to easily find and target someone. Hiding followers helps protect against this potential abuse.
To limit ex-partners from watching you. After a breakup, some people wish to prevent an ex from being able to see their activity. Making your followers list private prevents an ex or former friend from covertly watching your account.
To limit audience for some content. Creators may wish to share more personal or private content with just their core follower base, not every random person who comes across their profile. Hiding followers allows more control over who sees certain content.
Can You Hide Followers on TikTok?
There is no built-in way on TikTok to hide just certain followers or hide your follower list selectively from specific people (Source 1). The follower list is public for all users by default. However, there are some workarounds to essentially “hide” your followers from people you’d rather not see them.
The most straightforward option is to make your account private. This will require your approval for anyone new to follow you. However, this restricts your content only to approved followers.
You can also block followers that you don’t want seeing your list. While this prevents them from viewing your content or interacting, they may still notice if they are blocked.
Using a secondary “alt” account just for those you want to hide your main followers from is another option. You control who can see each account.
Other creative workarounds include removing tags and captions people may search for, being cautious about screen recordings, and using the live feature which doesn’t display followers.
While not perfect solutions, these methods allow some control over who can see your followers list on TikTok without a built-in hide feature.
Make Account Private
One way to hide followers on TikTok is to make your account private. When your account is set to private, only followers you approve can see your videos, likes, and other content (TikTok Support).
To make your account private, go to your profile and tap the menu icon. Then select “Privacy and Safety” and toggle “Private Account” on. You’ll then need to approve each follower request. Your current followers will remain, but unapproved users won’t see your private content.
The main downside of a private account is it can limit your reach and growth on TikTok. Since your videos are only visible to approved followers, it’s harder to get views and new followers. You have to rely on your current fanbase. So going private works best once you have an established following.
Block Followers
One option to hide a follower on TikTok is to block them. According to TikTok’s Help Center article Blocking users, you can block a follower by tapping the 3-dot icon in the top right corner of their profile and selecting “Block.”
Blocking a user prevents them from interacting with your profile. They will not be able to comment on your videos, message you directly, or see your posts if your account is private. However, they can still view any public content you share.
Blocking is ideal if you want to prevent a specific follower from contacting you or engaging with your profile at all. Just keep in mind it does not completely hide your existence from them on TikTok.
Use Alt Account
One option to selectively hide followers is to create a second TikTok account and use that for content you want to limit visibility on. You can have up to 3 accounts on one device according to this source. To switch between multiple accounts on the same device, simply open your profile page and tap your username to see the “Switch Accounts” option as described here.
With a secondary account, you can choose to only share certain videos with a smaller group of followers, while still having your main account for content you’re comfortable sharing more publicly. This allows you to segment your audience and control the visibility of content. Just be sure to log out fully before switching accounts to keep them properly separated.
Remove Tags/Captions
One option is to avoid tagging or identifying people that you want to limit access to your content. TikTok allows users to tag other accounts in their videos, which then notifies those accounts and makes the video more discoverable to their followers. If you do not want certain viewers seeing your content, then simply refrain from tagging their usernames in captions or directly in the video itself.
You can also delete tags after posting if you initially included them. When viewing your own video, tap on the tag icon next to your username and it will bring up the list of accounts tagged. From here, select “Remove tag” next to any users you wish to untag. According to Digital Trends, this will remove their username from appearing in the caption.
By being careful about tagging only intended audiences, you can limit visibility and remain discreet about who you wish to reach. Avoid drawing attention from unwanted followers by excluding identifying tags.
Live Streaming Options
When you go live on TikTok, your live videos are public by default and can be viewed by anyone on the platform. However, there are a few options to limit your audience:
You can enable “Live Access” in your privacy settings, which allows you to choose who can view your live videos. The options are:
- Everyone
- Friends Only
- No One
Selecting “Friends Only” will make your live videos visible only to people you follow and who follow you back. “No One” will prevent anyone from viewing your live streams (source).
Additionally, you can turn on “Hide From” in your live streaming settings. This allows you to block specific users from viewing your live videos. You can manually enter the usernames you want to block (source).
While these settings don’t hide your live videos completely, they do allow you to limit visibility and block viewers you don’t want seeing your live stream.
Be Cautious of Screen Recordings
Even if you hide followers on TikTok, they can still potentially screen record your content without you knowing. TikTok currently does not notify users if someone screen records their videos [1]. This means followers you have hidden can still view and capture your content through screen recording.
To help identify who may have leaked your content, consider adding a small watermark with your username to your videos. While watermarks won’t prevent screen recording, they can help trace back leaked content to a particular follower if needed.
Overall, recognize that hidden followers can potentially still access your content through screen captures. Watermarking, being selective in what you share, and not providing sensitive information can help mitigate risks.
Conclusions
There are a few ways to hide or limit followers on TikTok, but no direct option to hide a single follower discretely. Making your account private is the main way to hide from specific followers, though it also hides your profile from potential new followers. Blocking followers prevents them from interacting with your content, but they can still see your public videos.
Using a secondary “alt” account just for some videos can help control your audience, though it takes more effort to maintain multiple accounts. Limiting info like captions and tags also reduces how easily you can be found, but means some content distribution is lost. Being careful about screen recordings and live streams is important if you want to limit viewers.
Overall, there are workarounds like these to hide some content from followers you don’t want viewing everything. But the public nature of TikTok means it’s impossible to have full control. TikTok is designed for sharing content widely. If you need to strictly limit viewers, it may not be the ideal platform.
