Why You Might Want to Delete Your TikTok Account Immediately
There are several reasons why TikTok users may wish to delete their accounts straight away. With growing concerns over TikTok’s privacy and security, some users want to sever ties with the platform quickly. Specific privacy issues include TikTok collecting large amounts of user data and allegations of TikTok employees improperly accessing private user data.
In addition, there are worries that TikTok’s parent company ByteDance could be compelled by Chinese authorities to hand over American user data given national security concerns. This has prompted calls for investigations into TikTok.
Users may also wish to delete their TikTok accounts immediately due to the app’s addictive nature and potential negative effects on mental health or productivity. Overall, while TikTok can be entertaining, the mounting privacy issues and addictive downsides motivate some users to delete their accounts without delay.
Log Into Your TikTok Account
The first step to deleting your TikTok account is to open the TikTok app on your mobile device and log into your account. TikTok does not allow you to delete your account from a desktop – it must be done via the mobile app.
If you are already logged in, you can skip ahead to navigating to your profile page. But if not, open the TikTok app and enter your username and password on the login screen. TikTok may prompt you for additional login verification such as a code sent to your phone or scanning your face.
Once logged in successfully, you will be taken to the TikTok home screen. From here, we can now move to the next step of accessing your profile page.
Go to Your Profile Page
After logging into your TikTok account, the next step is to go to your profile page. To do this:
- Tap the “Me” icon in the bottom right corner of the screen. This looks like a little person silhouette.
- Tapping this icon will take you directly to your profile page, which displays your profile photo, username, follower count and other information.
Once you are on your profile page, you will be able to access the account settings where you can delete your TikTok account.
Tap the Three Dots Menu
Once you’re on your TikTok profile page, tap the three dots icon in the top right corner of the screen. This will open up a menu with various options for managing your account.
The three dots icon looks like a vertical ellipsis or three stacked dots. On iOS devices, the icon will be black. On Android, it will be white. Regardless of what device you’re using, tap this icon to open up the account options menu.
Tapping the three dots is crucial to deleting your TikTok account, as this menu provides access to the “Manage account” page where you can initiate the deletion process. So make sure to tap the three dot icon in the top right of your profile page to proceed.
Select ‘Manage Account’
After you tap the three dots menu in the upper right corner of your profile page, a dropdown menu will appear. Scroll through the options until you find ‘Manage Account’ – this is typically near the bottom of the menu.
Select ‘Manage Account’ by tapping on it. This will bring you to the account management page where you can delete your TikTok account.
Select ‘Delete Account’
Once you select ‘Manage Account’, TikTok will present you with a few options for modifying your account settings. Look for the option that says ‘Delete account’ and tap on it. This will begin the deletion process.
TikTok wants to make sure you actually intend to delete your account, so they don’t make this option too prominent. But it should be there alongside options like ‘Change password’ and ‘Privacy settings’. Don’t select any of the other options by mistake.
Tap on ‘Delete account’ firmly and confidently. This will bring up a confirmation screen to verify you want to proceed with permanently deleting your TikTok account.
Confirm Account Deletion
Once you tap the “Delete Account” option, you will be taken to a confirmation page. Read the confirmation message carefully. It will inform you that by deleting your account, all of your videos, likes, comments, and data will be permanently removed.
If you are certain you want to proceed, select the “Delete” button. Be absolutely sure about this, as there is no way to undo it or retrieve anything from a deleted account.
You may be asked to re-enter your password on the next page as a final verification. Type in your password again and tap “OK” to confirm the permanent deletion.
Enter Password
Before your account can be deleted, you will need to confirm your identity by entering your TikTok password. This is an important security step to ensure that it is actually you deleting the account and not someone else who may have accessed it.
When prompted, type in the password for your TikTok account. This is the same password you use to login normally. Enter it carefully and double check that it is correct.
TikTok will then verify the password and if it matches what they have on file, the account deletion process will proceed. Entering the correct password proves to them that you are the legitimate account owner.
Account Deleted
Once you confirm deletion of your account, your TikTok account will immediately be deactivated. All of your profile information, videos, messages, comments, likes, followers, and any other data associated with your account will no longer be accessible and will be removed from TikTok’s servers.[1] You will not be able to log in or recover any of this information after deletion.
TikTok states it may take up to 30 days for all of your information to be permanently deleted from their systems. However, your profile and content will not be visible or accessible during this time. Essentially, your account is deactivated instantly, but data removal occurs in the backend over the following month.
So if you want to delete your TikTok account right away, confirming account deletion will achieve that. Just know it may take up to 30 days for complete removal of your data from TikTok’s servers.
Reactivating Your Account
If you change your mind after deleting your TikTok account, you may be able to reactivate it within 30 days. According to TikTok’s support page, deleted accounts are retained for 30 days before being permanently removed. During this 30 day window, you can log back into your account using your username and password to reactivate it. Once you log in, TikTok will prompt you to confirm that you want to restore your account. After confirming, your profile, videos, likes, comments, and followers will all be restored.
However, after 30 days, deleted TikTok accounts are permanently removed and can no longer be recovered. So if you do wish to reactivate your account, be sure to log back in within 30 days of deletion.
