If you’ve seen a funny, interesting, or informative TikTok video that you want to find again, there are a few different ways you can track it down. Here are the main methods for locating a specific TikTok when you don’t have the direct link:
Search within TikTok
The easiest way to find a TikTok you’ve seen before is to use the search bar within the TikTok app. Open the latest version of the TikTok app on your mobile device and tap the search icon at the bottom. Type in keywords related to the video – things like the content, audio track, specific lines you remember, username of the creator, etc. This will bring up results related to those keywords. Browse through to see if the TikTok you’re looking for appears.
TikTok’s search feature prioritizes finding exact matches, so enter as many details as you can recall to help surface the specific video. Things like lyrics from the audio, distinctive outfits/settings, or unique captions used will go a long way. The more precise your query, the better chance you have of pinpointing the TikTok.
You can also search within your liked videos or view history if you had previously interacted with the TikTok. Tap the profile icon, go to the likes tab, and search there. Or go to account settings > digital wellbeing > view history to browse your recent watched videos.
Use Google Search
If searching in TikTok doesn’t turn up the video, Google is another good option. Google indexes TikTok content, so you can often find videos through Google that you can’t locate within the app. Construct your search query the same way, using any keywords or details about the TikTok.
“that funny TikTok with the dancing dog” or “TikTok baking video chocolate souffle recipe” or “TikTok username LinkinPark123 skateboarding accident” are examples of descriptive searches. Browse through the video results for ones matching your description.
You can also add “site:Tiktok.com” to your search to return only TikTok videos. This is helpful for general keywords that might have lots of irrelevant results. The site parameter narrows it down to just TikTok content.
Check Top Hashtags
If the TikTok you’re searching for was tied to a popular hashtag or challenge, you may be able to find it by browsing top hashtags. Open the discover tab in the TikTok app and select hashtags at the top. This will show trending hashtags that have lots of associated videos.
Tap into relevant hashtags from when you think the video was posted. For example, #RainDropChallenge or #BookTok2022. Scroll through the videos using each hashtag until you hopefully spot the one you were looking for.
Reach Out to the Creator
If you recall the username of the TikTok creator, you can try directly asking them for a link to the specific video. Search for their profile within TikTok and send them a message explaining you’re trying to find one of their videos that you saw previously.
Provide any context like when it was posted, what the content was, which sound it used, etc. to jog their memory. Many creators will happily re-share their old videos or point you to the right one if they can pin it down from your description.
Check Your History on Other Platforms
These days TikTok videos often make their way onto other platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, Youtube, and more. If you browsed one of those sites and reposted, liked, or commented on the TikTok video, you may be able to dig it up from your history there.
For example, if you shared the TikTok link on Twitter, check your recent tweets and replies. Or if you watched a Youtube compilation video featuring the TikTok, look in your Youtube watch history. The key is retracing your steps across the various platforms you use.
Use a Social Media Downloader
If you happen to have the TikTok video saved through a social media downloader site or app, that’s an easy way to retrieve it. Many people use download tools to keep copies of favorite videos. Search through any downloads from around when you think you saw the TikTok.
Look out for watermarks on the videos which indicate which downloader was used. Popular options include TikTok Downloader, SnapTik, TikSave, TikTokVault, and more. Even just having the watermark may help jog your memory on where to find it.
Check with Friends Who Also Saw It
If you originally came across the video from a friend sending it to you, reconnect with that friend to see if they have a copy saved. Describe the TikTok and ask if they can locate it in their history and re-share with you.
Even if that particular friend doesn’t have it anymore, they may know details that can assist your search, like the creator username, hashtag it was posted under, or app they found it on. Reach out to any mutual connections who may have also seen the TikTok around the same time.
Use Third-Party TikTok Archive Sites
There are some unofficial sites that archive and index TikTok content to make it searchable outside of the main app. These can sometimes turn up videos that are hard to find otherwise.
Sites like TikTokArchives.com let you search based on details like usernames, hashtags, text from captions, and more. The content is pulled automatically from public TikTok data, so not every video will be present, but it’s still a helpful search resource.
Look for Reposts from Other Users
Trending TikTok videos often get reposted by other users. If you have a rough timeframe for when it was originally posted, browse through other users’ videos from around that time. Reposts may contain the original creator’s username in the caption.
You can search filtered tags like “repost” or “stitch” to find videos derived from original viral content. Look in the comments of any reposts for people asking for the source video or mentioning the OP’s @username.
Use Third-Party TikTok Analytics Sites
Analytics platforms like HypeAuditor and Popsters provide deeper insight into trending TikTok content. You can search for specific videos based on limited criteria like usernames and hashtags.
While their search capabilities aren’t as robust as TikTok’s own, they index additional data like view counts and traffic sources. If you recall roughly how popular the video was, you may be able to filter based on view numbers.
Check Your Browser History
If you watched the TikTok video on your computer or mobile browser rather than in the app, it may have gotten stored in your browser history. Pull up your history in Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or whichever browser you use and scan for TikTok links around the timeframe you recall.
Especially if you clicked through to view a TikTok profile or hashtag page, that URL may still be cached in your history. Browsers record timestamps next to history items, so focus on the period when you likely saw that video.
Use a Reverse Image Search
If you happen to have taken a screenshot of the TikTok video when you initially saw it, you can do a reverse image search using that screenshot. This technique analyzes the visual contents of the image to find matching photos online.
You can do this through Google Images, TinEye or other reverse image sites. Upload or link to your screenshot and it will return any identical or near-duplicate images it can find publicly on the web, potentially including the TikTok video.
Consider Paid TikTok Scraping Tools
As a last resort, there are paid tools that claim to be able to scrape TikTok for specific video content. Services like VideoSearchEngine and Clipmine say they crawl TikTok to enable searching by keyword, username, video data, etc.
However, the depth of their indexing is unclear, and extensive scraping likely violates TikTok’s terms of service. While their capabilities are advertised as comprehensive, you may not always get the exact match you’re seeking.
Summary
Rediscovering a beloved TikTok can take some sleuthing, but there are many potential pathways to dig it back up. Utilize TikTok’s own search features, turn to Google for help, check social media histories, leverage reposts and hashtags, and reach out to anyone else who may have seen the video.
With the right combination of details, keywords, and tools, you should hopefully be able to retrace your steps and find that lost TikTok that left such an impression on you and deserves a rewatch.
