The short answer is yes, TikTok allows you to search for and find videos you’ve previously watched on the platform. TikTok has a built-in “Watch History” feature that keeps track of all the videos you view and engage with while logged into your account. This watch history can then be easily searched to rediscover videos you’ve seen before.
Accessing Your TikTok Watch History
To access your full watch history on TikTok:
- Open the TikTok app and go to your profile page.
- Tap the three horizontal lines menu icon in the upper right corner.
- Select “Settings and privacy” from the menu.
- Go to “Content and activity”
- Tap “Watch history”
This will bring up your complete watch history in chronological order. You’ll be able to scroll through and see small previews of every video you’ve watched while logged into your TikTok account.
Searching Your Watch History
Within your watch history, there is also a search bar that allows you to search for specific videos. Here are some tips for effectively searching your TikTok watch history:
- Use keywords – Search for relevant titles, captions, sounds, effects or hashtags used in the video.
- Search by username – If you remember the username of the video creator, search for it to find their videos.
- Filter by date – Use the calendar icon to filter your watch history by specific dates or date ranges.
- Scroll through previews – Visually scan all the thumbnail previews to see if you spot the video.
With the right keywords or details, you can usually narrow down your search to find the exact video you’re looking for. The more you can remember about the video, the easier it will be to track down.
Clearing Your TikTok Watch History
If your watch history is feeling a bit cluttered, you also have the option to clear it out. Here’s how:
- Go to your Watch History as explained above.
- Tap the “Edit” button in the upper right corner.
- Select the videos you want to remove, or tap “Select all”
- Tap “Delete” to confirm.
This will permanently delete those videos from your watch history. Keep in mind this does not delete the videos themselves from TikTok, just your record of having watched them.
You can also turn off watch history collection entirely by toggling off “Watch History” in your account privacy settings. This will prevent any new videos from being added to your watch history.
Why Keep a TikTok Watch History?
Having a watch history can be useful for finding videos you really enjoyed watching again or sharing with friends later. Here are some of the benefits of using your TikTok watch history:
- Rediscover funny or informative videos – Your watch history acts like a video bookmarking system for easy access.
- Research and reference – Need to find that helpful tutorial or recipe video again? Your watch history has you covered.
- Entertainment history – Relive funny videos that made you laugh or share viral hits with others.
- Track interests – Your watch history paints a picture of your interests and taste in content over time.
Overall, the watch history is a helpful built-in feature for any TikTok user looking to find their way back to memorable videos that caught their eye.
Limitations of TikTok Watch History
While very useful, there are some limitations to be aware of with the TikTok watch history feature:
- Only works on videos you’ve watched logged into your account. Guest views are not tracked.
- Doesn’t include videos you’ve liked, commented on or shared without watching.
- No watch history for deleted or private videos that are no longer available.
- Maximum of last 100 videos. Older watch history is periodically cleared out.
Your watch history essentially acts as a short term viewing log rather than an indefinite long term archive. But for most day-to-day TikTok users, it’s more than sufficient to accomplish the goal of rediscovering videos you want to see again.
Pro Tips for Leveraging Your TikTok Watch History
Here are some additional professional tips and best practices for making the most of your TikTok watch history:
- Check your watch history regularly to review and consolidate your interests.
- Bookmark videos you want to keep on an ongoing basis before they drop off.
- Use watch history details to find related content, hashtags, sounds, etc.
- Refer back to tutorial or how-to videos to reinforce what you’ve learned.
- Delete any watch history you don’t want tied to your account.
- Turn off watch history if you prefer private, anonymous viewing.
Your TikTok watch history gives great insight into your interests and tastes over time. Learn to use it as an asset to discovering more of what you’ll enjoy on TikTok moving forward.
Finding Videos Liked or Commented On
Your TikTok watch history only tracks videos you’ve actually viewed all the way through. But what about videos you’ve liked, commented on or shared without viewing? TikTok provides ways to search those as well:
- Liked videos – Go to your profile and tap the heart icon to access all your liked videos.
- Commented videos – Go to your profile comments to see all videos you’ve commented on.
- Shared videos – Go to your profile and tap the share icon to see videos you’ve shared.
While not watch history per se, these tools help you rediscover other types of video engagement that can often be just as useful to find again.
Finding Deleted or Private Videos
If a video you’ve watched in the past has been deleted or made private, there is no way to recover or find it again through TikTok. Some options you could try are:
- Checking if you liked, shared or commented on the video, as this engagement data is retained.
- Googling for the video using keywords you remember.
- Checking on TikTok reversed video search sites like SongFinding.
- Reaching out to the creator directly to request they repost.
But ultimately, deleted and private videos are generally unavailable through ordinary means. Your watch history only reflects currently available content on TikTok.
Using Multiple TikTok Accounts
Your watch history is associated specifically with the TikTok account you viewed the videos on. If you use multiple TikTok accounts, each one will have its own separate watch history.
To search a video viewed on another account:
- Log out of your current TikTok account.
- Log into the account you watched the video on.
- Check the watch history on that account.
This is the only way to access a video watched on a different TikTok account. Watch histories do not cross over between different accounts.
Recovering Older Watch History
As mentioned previously, your TikTok watch history has a limited capacity, retaining approximately the last 100 videos watched. Older watch history is automatically cleared out over time.
If you’re trying to find a very old video you’ve watched, beyond the scope of your current watch history, there are a few potential options:
- Use the date filter to try going back as far as your watch history allows.
- Search your older likes, shares or comments for video clues.
- Reach out to the creator if you recall their username.
- Use Google search tricks like “site:tiktok.com”
But in most cases, the video will have been cleared from TikTok’s systems and is essentially unrecoverable through ordinary means. For this reason, it’s a good idea to bookmark or download any favorite videos you want to permanently save.
Troubleshooting TikTok Watch History Issues
In some cases, you may run into problems accessing or searching your TikTok watch history. Here is some troubleshooting advice:
- Ensure watch history setting is enabled in your account privacy settings.
- Check for any connection issues or update the app.
- Log out and back into your account to refresh watch history access.
- Clear your watch history entirely then begin rebuilding it.
- Report persistent watch history bugs to TikTok support.
As a relatively new feature, the watch history tool is still evolving and may encounter occasional technical glitches. But TikTok is generally quick to address any major issues that arise.
Conclusion
Having the ability to search for videos you’ve already watched is a very useful feature TikTok offers its users. Using your watch history provides an easy way to rediscover funny, informative and interesting videos that caught your eye.
However, due to its limited capacity, watch history should not be relied on as a permanent archiving solution. Favorite videos that you want to save indefinitely should be bookmarked or downloaded outside of TikTok.
Overall, when leveraged properly, your TikTok watch history can serve as a valuable asset in finding relevant content you want to see again and again.
