TikTok has exploded in popularity in recent years, becoming one of the most used social media platforms in the world. With over 1 billion monthly active users as of 2022 (https://www.enterpriseappstoday.com/stats/tiktok-statistics.html), TikTok is home to a massive amount of entertaining and creative video content. Many users want to download videos from TikTok to share with friends or use in other projects. However, TikTok adds a semi-transparent watermark to any videos downloaded directly from the app. This can make the downloaded videos less visually appealing and difficult to reuse or edit. In this article, we’ll overview several methods to download TikTok videos without the TikTok watermark imprinted on them.
Why TikTok Adds Watermarks
TikTok adds watermarks to videos uploaded to their platform for a couple key reasons related to copyright and content ownership:
First, the watermark helps TikTok establish ownership of content posted to their platform. The watermark acts as a visual indicator that the video belongs to and originated from TikTok. This allows TikTok to protect its rights and license videos for use in advertising, compilations, and other areas.
Second, the watermark helps prevent reuse and repurposing of content without permission. As TikTok videos often go viral and get shared across the internet, the watermark makes it harder for people to download and re-upload videos pretending they created the content. The watermark essentially establishes TikTok’s copyright and makes it clear the videos should not be reused without consent.
Overall, the main motivation is to protect TikTok’s ownership of their platform’s content and prevent unauthorized reuse. The watermark acts as both a copyright measure and a deterrent for people downloading and reposting content without permission.
Downloading from TikTok Directly
The easiest way to download a TikTok video is directly within the TikTok app. Here are the steps:
- Open the TikTok app and find the video you want to download.
- Tap on the ‘Share’ icon in the bottom right corner of the video.
- Select ‘Save video’ from the share options.
- The video will now be saved to your device’s photo gallery or file manager app.
This is the simplest method as it doesn’t require any third party apps or tools. However, videos downloaded directly from the TikTok app will contain a watermark. The TikTok logo will be superimposed on the bottom left corner of downloaded videos.
If you want to download videos without the watermark, you will need to use a third party app or web tool as covered in the next sections.
Using Third-Party Apps
There are a number of popular third-party apps that allow you to download TikTok videos without the watermark. They provide additional customization and features compared to just saving videos directly in the app. Some of the top recommended apps include:
TikSave: This is one of the most popular options. It’s available on iOS and Android. To use it, you copy the video link, paste it into the app, and then select download. You can choose resolutions and other options. Best 6 TikTok Video Downloader Apps (for Mobile & Desktop) – Media.io
Videodownload: Works similarly by letting you enter the video URL and download an unwatermarked version. It can download in a range of formats and sizes. Download Apps To Download Tiktok Videos – Softonic
Some key benefits of using third-party apps include:
- Higher quality downloads without the TikTok watermark
- Ability to choose video resolution and format
- Download batches of videos at once
- Usually free to use with no restrictions
Overall, third-party apps provide the most customizable experience for saving TikTok videos without watermarks on your device.
Using Web Downloaders
Some of the best web-based tools for downloading TikTok videos without watermarks include SSSTik, TikTokDown, and SnapTik.
To use these tools, simply copy and paste the URL of the TikTok video you want to download into the website’s search bar. The website will then extract the video and allow you to download it without a watermark. Most of these websites also allow you to download the video in different resolutions and file formats.
The main benefits of using web-based downloaders over saving videos directly from the TikTok app are:
- No watermark on the downloaded videos
- Higher resolution download options
- More format options like MP4, MOV, etc.
- Bulk downloading multiple videos at once
- Easier to download private/protected videos
Overall, web-based downloaders provide more control and flexibility when saving TikTok videos without watermarks.
Cutting Out the Watermark
One way to remove the TikTok watermark is by using video editing apps to crop out the section of the video containing the watermark. This will eliminate the watermark without having to cover it up or lose video quality.
Apps like Kapwing, Inshot, and other editing software allow you to import a TikTok video, then use the cropping tool to cut off the bottom right corner where the watermark is usually located.
Here are the general steps to cut out a TikTok watermark using an editing app:
- Open the video editing app and import the TikTok video.
- Go to the cropping tool and adjust the crop area to exclude the watermark section.
- Drag the crop area handles inward from the right and bottom edges to remove the watermark.
- Preview the cropped video to ensure the watermark is no longer visible.
- Export the cropped video without the watermark.
While this method can completely eliminate the watermark, it does result in losing a small portion of the video. However, in most cases the watermark only occupies 5-10% of the frame so cropping has minimal impact. This is an easy way to securely download and repost TikTok videos without a distracting watermark.
Getting Copyright Permission
If you plan to use a TikTok video for commercial or monetized purposes, it’s important to get permission from the original creator first. Under copyright law, creators have the right to control commercial uses of their content. Here are some tips for getting copyright permission:
Find the creator’s contact information – This is usually available in their TikTok profile or external social media accounts linked in their bio. Many creators also list business inquiry emails or contact forms on their channels.
Send a polite request – Explain who you are, how you plan to use their content, and request their permission for this commercial use. Most creators are happy to grant permission when approached respectfully.
Offer compensation – For-profit use of copyrighted material generally requires some form of compensation to the rights holder. Be prepared to negotiate fair terms.
Get permission in writing – After reaching an agreement, get their consent in a written format that both parties can retain for records. Digital signatures on an online document are usually sufficient.
Credit the creator – When reusing the content, give proper on-screen credit to the TikTok creator as the copyright holder.
Being transparent about commercial reuse helps maintain good relationships with creators so they will grant permission for future requests. It also provides them opportunities to earn fair compensation from their creativity.
Ethical Usage
When downloading and reposting TikTok videos, it’s important to consider copyright and fair use. Legally, TikTok videos are owned by the creator, not the person downloading them. Reposting a full TikTok video without permission or attribution could be copyright infringement.
However, fair use laws allow limited reposting for purposes like criticism, commentary, news reporting, and education. You may legally embed a short clip of a TikTok video in your own content as part of a critique or analysis. But reposting a full video that someone else created requires permission from the copyright holder.
The safest and most ethical practices are to credit the original creator and seek their consent before reusing a significant portion of their video. Downloaders should be aware of copyright laws and fair use allowances to ensure they legally and ethically repost TikTok videos.
Video Privacy Concerns
Before downloading or reposting any TikTok videos, it’s important to consider the video creator’s privacy. Many videos on TikTok are intended for the creator’s followers only and have not been given permission for wider distribution. Downloading or reposting private videos without consent could violate someone’s privacy.
According to an article by PBS, TikTok has faced scrutiny over users’ privacy and security concerns. When downloading videos, it’s best to respect the creator’s wishes and intended audience.
If you do choose to repost a video from TikTok, consider obscuring identifying details to protect the privacy of individuals in the video. This could include blurring faces or any other details that could identify someone without their consent.
Ultimately, err on the side of caution and respect people’s privacy. Only download and repost videos that have been publicly and intentionally shared by the creator.
Conclusion
There are a few different methods that you can use to download TikTok videos without a watermark, each with their own pros and cons. The simplest option is to download directly from TikTok using their built-in download option, but this will still contain a small watermark. Third-party apps like TikTok Downloader can fully remove watermarks and allow saving videos offline. You can also use web-based downloaders, which avoid installing any apps but may have more ads. Lastly, you can carefully edit out the watermark using video editing software.
While removing watermarks makes sharing and reusing TikTok videos easier, it’s important to respect the rights and wishes of the original creators. Many add watermarks intentionally to get credit for their work and prevent others from reposting their content without permission. Only download videos for personal archival use, not for commercial purposes or claiming content as your own. And if a creator requests their video not be reposted or reused, those wishes should be honored.
In summary, it is possible to download TikTok videos without a watermark through various methods. But be sure to use any downloaded content ethically, give proper credit, and respect creator rights. Only download what you have permission to use, and if in doubt, ask the creator directly.
