TikTok is a popular social media app that allows users to create and share 15 second to 10 minute videos. The platform launched in 2016 under the name Douyin in China, before rolling out internationally in 2017 as TikTok.
One of the key features of TikTok is the ability to control the visibility settings for your videos. By default, videos are public and can be viewed by anyone on TikTok. However, users have options to change the visibility settings to limit who can view their content.
This article provides an overview of how to change post visibility settings on TikTok. It will cover the default visibility, changing visibility before and after posting, the various visibility options, and the impact of having a private account.
Default Post Visibility on TikTok
By default, videos posted to TikTok are set to public visibility. This means that any user on the platform can view, comment on, and engage with your videos (TikTok Help Center). When your account is first created, there are no restrictions on who can see your content.
Making videos public by default allows them to reach the widest possible audience and spread organically via TikTok’s algorithm. However, users who desire more privacy can change the default visibility setting on their videos before posting them or adjust the visibility after a video has already been shared.
Changing Post Visibility Before Posting
When creating a new TikTok video, you can choose who can view it before posting it. Here’s how to adjust the visibility settings:
- Tap the Share icon in the bottom right corner when creating your TikTok video.
- Select who can view your video. You have 3 options:
- Public: Anyone on TikTok can view your video.
- Friends: Only people you approve as friends on TikTok can view your video.
- Private: Only you can view your video.
- Tap Done after selecting the visibility level you want.
- Post your TikTok video as usual. The visibility level you selected will be applied.
Choosing a more private setting like Friends or Private before posting lets you easily control who sees your content. You can always change the visibility after posting as well.
Changing Visibility of Already Posted Videos
If you have already posted a video and want to change who can view it, you can edit the visibility settings:
1. Open TikTok and go to your profile page.
2. Tap on the 3 dots next to the video you want to edit.
3. Select “Edit video” from the menu.
4. Tap on “Who can view this video?”
5. Choose from the visibility options: Public, Friends, or Private.
– Public means anyone on TikTok can view it.
– Friends allows only people you approve as friends to view it.
– Private limits visibility to only you.
6. Tap “Save” in the top right to confirm the visibility change.
Changing the visibility will update across TikTok instantly. Videos set as private will have a lock icon on your profile page. You can always come back and change the visibility again later if needed.
Post Visibility Options
There are a few different post visibility options on TikTok that allow users to control who can see their content:
Public – This makes your video visible to all TikTok users. Public is the default setting when you post a new video.
Friends – This limits your video visibility to only people who follow you and people you approve as friends on TikTok. Your followers will be able to see it on your profile, but it won’t show up on any public feeds like the For You Page.
Private – This is the most restrictive option. Private videos can only be viewed by you. Even your followers won’t be able to see them.https://support.tiktok.com/en/account-and-privacy/account-privacy-settings/video-visibility
These three visibility options give TikTok users control over their audience. Choosing public reaches the widest audience, while friends or private incrementally limit views to only approved connections.
Private Profile Impact
If your TikTok profile is set to private, the default visibility for all your posts will automatically be set to “Private” as well. This means only your approved followers will be able to view your videos.
When your profile is private, you won’t have the option to change a video’s visibility to “Public” – all videos will remain private. So having a private profile essentially overrides the post visibility settings.
The only exception is if you are verified with a blue checkmark badge on TikTok. Verified users can still choose between “Private” or “Public” visibility for each video, even if their profile is private.
So in summary, a private profile restricts videos to your followers only. To make videos public, you would first need to switch your profile from private to public.
Comments on Private Videos
When a TikTok video is set to private, the ability to comment is automatically restricted as well. Only followers of the account can comment on private videos. This allows creators to limit feedback and engagement to only people they know and trust on the platform.
If a non-follower tries to comment on a private video, they will get a message saying “Video is private.” Comments entered by non-followers on private videos are not visible to anyone.
Creators can turn off comments entirely on private videos by disabling comments in the account settings. But by default, followers can comment on private videos, while non-followers cannot.
According to TikTok’s Help Center article on Comments https://support.tiktok.com/en/using-tiktok/messaging-and-notifications/comments, “If you choose Followers and you have comments turned on, only people following you on TikTok can comment on your videos.” This allows private video comments to remain among trusted followers only.
Liking Private Videos
When a TikTok video is set to “Private,” only the creator of that video and their approved followers can view it. However, the ability to like private videos is not as restrictive. While private videos are not visible to those who are not approved followers, anyone who comes across a private video in places like comments or hashtags can still like it. The number of likes will be displayed publicly under private videos.
So in summary, private TikTok videos can be liked by anyone but only seen by approved followers of the creator. The creator can still see the total likes from public viewers even if they can’t see the private content. This allows videos to gain engagement metrics even if the actual video itself remains private.
Duets on Private Videos
When your TikTok account is set to private, you have full control over who can view and engage with your videos. However, there are some key differences when it comes to duets on private videos compared to public videos.
By default, only your approved followers can duet your private videos. This allows you to restrict duets to only people you know and trust. According to TikTok’s help article, “Duets require both users to have a public account in order to enable the feature” (source). So someone must send you a follow request and be approved first before they can duet your private videos.
If you want to allow duets from all TikTok users, you can change your duet permissions in Settings. But keep in mind this will permit anyone to use your private video content for their public duets. It’s generally recommended to keep duet permissions limited to your followers only for private videos.
The viewer accessibility for the duet will depend on the privacy settings of the person creating the duet. If they duet your private video but have a public account, their duet will be public. So your private video could be exposed to a broad audience without your consent through public duets.
Summary
Here’s a quick recap of the key points covered on how to change your post visibility on TikTok:
– By default, all posts on TikTok are public, meaning anyone can view them.
– You can change the visibility of a post before publishing by tapping the “Who can view my video?” option in the posting screen.
– Options include public, friends, or private. Private limits views to just you.
– To change visibility of already published videos, go to your profile, tap the 3 dots by the post, and select “Edit video.”
– Adjusting your full profile to private limits all posts to just you by default.
– Private videos can still get comments and likes, but only from friends you approve.
– Duets are not allowed on private videos.
– In summary, TikTok provides options to control post visibility at the video or account level to manage privacy.
