TikTok has become one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 1 billion monthly active users. With its fun videos and viral trends, it’s easy to get caught up in the moment and post content you may later regret sharing publicly. Unfortunately, once a video is uploaded to TikTok, it can be difficult to remove it completely.
Many TikTok users have experienced accidentally deleting videos they wish they could get back. Whether it was a funny moment with friends or an important memory you wanted to save, regretting deleting TikTok videos is common. The good news is that with the right tools and techniques, it may be possible to recover and retrieve your deleted TikTok videos.
This guide will walk through the various methods and best practices for trying to restore deleted TikTok videos. We’ll cover how TikTok stores and deletes videos, steps you can take to recover recently deleted content, and options to retrieve older deleted videos. With the right approach, you may be able to get those lost TikTok videos back.
Why You May Want to Retrieve Deleted TikTok Videos
You may want to recover a deleted TikTok video for several reasons. One of the most common is for sentimental value. Many people use TikTok to capture memorable life moments, milestones, or funny situations. If you accidentally deleted a video that held special meaning or that you wanted to keep for posterity, you probably hope there’s a way to get it back.
Having a record of treasured memories or meaningful events is important to most people. If you deleted a TikTok video from a wedding, graduation, vacation, or other significant occasion, you may deeply regret no longer having access to that nostalgic footage. Even silly or humorous videos can hold sentimental value if they depict fun times with friends or family that you want to relive or share.
Losing a video that captures a meaningful slice of your life, whether serious or lighthearted, can be disappointing. Being able to recover that video may provide comfort and joy. The ability to retrieve deleted TikTok videos gives people the chance to regain their lost memories and preserve special moments for the future.
How TikTok Deletes Videos
TikTok does not immediately delete videos when a user requests deletion. Instead, deleted TikTok videos are kept on TikTok’s servers for a certain period of time before being permanently removed.
According to one source, when content is uploaded to a social media platform, it hits the platform’s content delivery network (CDN) servers and is then distributed across the company’s broad network of localized data centers. Even after a user deletes their content, it may remain on these servers for an indeterminate amount of time before being completely wiped (https://www.cachefly.com/news/are-social-networks-saving-your-content-on-its-servers-after-you-delete-it/).
TikTok has not publicly provided details on how long deleted videos remain on its servers. However, its terms of service state that accounts and related content may remain visible for up to 30 days after deletion. So it’s likely videos are kept for at least a month post-deletion before being permanently purged from TikTok’s systems.
Recovering Recently Deleted TikTok Videos
If you deleted a TikTok video within the past 24-48 hours, there is still a chance to recover it through your account. TikTok does not immediately and permanently delete content when the delete button is pressed. It keeps it in a temporary holding state for 1-2 days in case the user changes their mind.
To recover a recently deleted video:
- Log into your TikTok account through the app or website.
- Go to your profile page.
- Tap on the “Deleted” tab at the bottom of your post list.
- All your recently deleted videos will be listed here.
- Tap on any video you want to restore to re-add it to your profile.
This restores the video back to public view on your profile. However, the recover window is limited. According to TikTok’s policies, deleted videos are stored for only 24-48 hours before being permanently erased from their systems [1].
So if you notice a video is gone and want it back, it’s important to log in and restore it from the Deleted tab as soon as possible. After 48 hours, deleted TikTok videos are likely gone for good.
Retrieving Older Deleted TikTok Videos
If the video was deleted more than 30 days ago, you will likely need third party data recovery software to retrieve it. This is because after 30 days, TikTok permanently deletes the video data from its servers.
Some recommended third party Android data recovery apps that may be able to recover older deleted TikTok videos include:
EaseUS MobiSaver – This app can scan your device and find residual files left over after deletion.
Disk Drill – Disk Drill has a “Recover Deleted Videos” feature specifically designed for retrieving deleted videos.
Remo Recover – Remo Recover supports deep scanning and can find data even after a factory reset.
The recovery success depends on factors like how long ago it was deleted, whether you’ve overwritten the data, and the scanning capabilities of the software.
Steps to Recover Deleted TikTok Videos
If you want to recover a deleted TikTok video, here are the step-by-step instructions to follow:
1. Download and install a third-party TikTok video recovery app like Wondershare RecoverIt. These specialized tools can help retrieve deleted videos even if they are not in your device’s trash folder.
2. Launch the recovery app and select the “Deleted Files Recovery” mode. Connect your device to the computer if recovering from a mobile device.
3. The app will scan your device for any recoverable deleted files. You can filter the scan to show only MP4 files to isolate TikTok videos.
4. Preview and select the deleted TikTok videos you want to recover. Avoid restoring unrelated files.
5. Specify a location on your computer to save the recovered videos.
6. Finally, click the “Recover” button to restore your lost TikTok videos. Double check that the files are recovered properly.
Following these steps correctly allows you to retrieve deleted TikTok videos in their original quality, as long as the file has not been overwritten. Act quickly for the best chance of video recovery.
Factors That Affect Ability to Recover
There are several key factors that impact the likelihood of successfully recovering a deleted TikTok video:
Time since deletion – The sooner you try to recover a deleted video, the better your chances. TikTok may still have the video cached on its servers shortly after deletion. After too long, it will be permanently overwritten.
Account status – If the account was deleted entirely, recovering old videos becomes much more difficult. With an active account, you have a better shot working with TikTok support.
Device factors – If the video was only saved locally on a device and not uploaded, recovery depends on that device’s status. Was it reset or reformatted? Are backups available?
Cloud backups – If the video was backed up to a cloud service like Google Photos before deletion, you may be able to restore it from there.
Video popularity – More popular videos have a higher chance of being reuploaded or saved by others. You may be able to find copies reposted around the internet.
TikTok support – If deleted recently, reaching out to TikTok support and providing proof of ownership may allow them to restore it. But their willingness to help varies.
Paid data recovery services – For very old or challenging cases, you may need to enlist professional help to scan storage devices for remnants of deleted data.
Preventing Accidental Deletion
There are a few things you can do to prevent accidentally deleting a TikTok video that you want to keep:
Enable auto-save features – TikTok has an auto-save feature that saves drafts of your videos every few minutes. This means if you accidentally delete your video, you may be able to recover a recently saved draft from your drafts folder. Just go to the draft, click the 3 dots, and select “Save Video”.
Back up your videos – Consider downloading your videos to your camera roll or back up your TikTok videos using third party apps like Repost for TikTok. This will create copies you can reupload if needed.
Be careful when deleting – Double check before permanantly deleting videos to ensure you actually want to remove them.
Consider turning off the “swipe to delete” feature in your TikTok settings, which reduces the chance of accidentally removing videos.
Alternatives if Video Can’t Be Recovered
If you are unable to recover your deleted TikTok video through the methods described above, there are some alternatives to consider:
Reach out to any collaborators who may have a copy of the video saved – If you created the video with friends or used content from another user, they may still have the original video file on their device. Ask them to send you their copy so you can re-upload it.
Re-create the video – As tedious as it may be, re-filming the video from scratch is an option if you are unable to recover the original. Use any notes, storyboards, or memories you have to try to recreate it as close as possible.
Make a new, improved version – Look at the deleted video as an opportunity to produce an even better version. Apply what you learned and aim to create something better than the original.
Post about the experience – Let your followers know you lost the video and create content around the mishap. Turn the unfortunate situation into engaging content for your audience.
Focus efforts on future content – As disappointing as it is to lose content, try to look ahead at future creative projects rather than dwelling on the past. Take your learnings and apply them to upcoming videos.
Conclusion
In conclusion, while there are some strategies to try to recover deleted TikTok videos such as using third party apps or contacting TikTok support, success is not guaranteed. The ability to recover a deleted video depends on several factors like how soon you attempt to recover it and whether TikTok has already overwritten the data. To avoid needing to recover deleted videos in the first place, it’s best to be careful about what you post publicly and frequently back up your videos.
In summary, if you accidently delete a TikTok video that you want to recover, your best bet is to act quickly by checking if it’s still in Recently Deleted or trying a third party undelete app. But there is no foolproof method to get back old deleted videos once TikTok has removed them from their servers. Going forward, be cautious about what you post and save copies of videos you want to keep access to.
