Recovering a lost TikTok account is important because all of your videos, followers, comments, likes, and account settings are tied to your account. Losing access means losing everything you’ve built up on TikTok. The main steps to recover your account involve confirming account ownership, contacting TikTok support, providing identifying details, changing your password, enabling two-factor authentication, checking login activity, and removing connected accounts. This guide will walk through each of these steps to help you get back into your old TikTok account.
Confirm Account Ownership
Before trying to recover your old TikTok account, first confirm that you are the rightful owner. There are a few ways to help verify this:
Check the email address associated with the account. Any account creation or password reset emails from TikTok will be sent there. You can also try resetting the password via email as another confirmation.
Look for identifying details in the profile, like the username, bio, posts, or past comments. If you recognize personal details, that’s a sign you own the account.
See if the account is verified with a blue checkmark badge. According to TikTok, “A verified badge means that we’ve confirmed the account belongs to the person or brand it represents.” So a verified badge helps confirm you own the account. https://support.tiktok.com/en/using-tiktok/growing-your-audience/how-to-tell-if-an-account-is-verified-on-tiktok
Overall, look for any personal details or account history that proves you are the legitimate owner. This will strengthen your case when contacting TikTok support.
Contact TikTok Support
The best way to contact TikTok support is through their in-app support ticket system. Open the TikTok app and go to your profile page. Tap the three dots in the top right corner and select “Report a Problem”. This will open the support ticket page where you can select the issue you are having and provide details.
You can also contact TikTok support through email. Send your inquiries to [email protected] for general account issues or [email protected] for business account support. According to TikTok’s contact page, they aim to respond to emails within 1-2 business days (https://www.tiktok.com/about/contact).
Additionally, you can try reaching out to TikTok support on Twitter. The @TikTokSupport account is monitored and typically responds to tweets requesting help within a day or two.
Provide Identifying Details
When contacting TikTok support to recover your account, you should be prepared to provide various identifying details. This will help verify that you are the legitimate owner of the account. Key details to have ready include:
- Your account’s username
- The email address associated with the account
- The phone number linked to the account
- Your date of birth if you provided it when signing up
According to TikTok’s support article on recovering accounts, providing your username and the email or phone number on file are typically enough for them to locate your account and initiate the recovery process (source). If you’ve forgotten your username, TikTok can look it up based on the mobile number or email used during sign up.
Having your date of birth and any other details you provided when creating your account handy can also help confirm you are the account owner if TikTok requires additional verification. The key is providing enough identifying information to prove the account belongs to you.
Change Password
After you regain access to your TikTok account, it is crucial to immediately change your password to prevent future lockouts. Here are the steps to change your TikTok password according to TikTok’s support site:
- Tap on your profile icon in the bottom right corner of the app.
- Tap on the three line menu icon in the top right corner.
- Select “Settings and privacy” from the menu.
- Choose “Manage account” followed by “Password”.
- Enter your current password and new password twice to confirm.
- Tap “Next” and your password will be changed.
Changing your password regularly is a good security practice, especially after recovering your account. Choose a strong, unique password that you don’t use on any other sites. Enabling two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security. With a new password, you can securely access your TikTok account going forward.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication
Enabling two-factor authentication (2FA) adds an extra layer of security to your TikTok account. With 2FA enabled, logging into your TikTok account will require both your password as well as a verification code sent to your phone or authentication app.
To enable 2FA on TikTok:
- Open the TikTok app and go to your profile page.
- Tap the three-line menu icon in the top right corner.
- Go to Settings > Security.
- Tap “2-Step Verification”.
- Select either “Text Message” or “Authentication App” to receive your verification code.
- Enter the verification code sent to your phone or authentication app and tap “Confirm”.
Once enabled, you’ll need to enter a verification code from your phone or authentication app each time you log into your TikTok account. This prevents anyone else from accessing your account even if they have your password.
Enabling 2FA is highly recommended to protect your account from unauthorized access. The extra few seconds it takes to verify your identity is worth the added peace of mind.
Check Login Activity
It is advisable to check for any unauthorized logins or access to your account. TikTok provides a feature to view recent login activity that can help identify any suspicious access.
To check your login activity on TikTok:
- Open the TikTok app and go to your profile page.
- Tap the three horizontal lines in the top right corner to open the menu.
- Select “Settings and privacy” then tap “Security” and choose “Login activity”.
- Here you will see details of recent logins to your account, including the date, time, location and device.
- Review the list to make sure you recognize all the login activity. Any logins from unknown devices or locations could indicate unauthorized access.
If you notice any suspicious activity, change your password immediately and enable two-factor authentication if you have not already done so.
Keep monitoring the login activity periodically to watch for any future unauthorized access attempts. Taking prompt action can help secure your account.
Remove Connected Accounts
It is recommended to unlink any connected social media accounts from your TikTok account if you suspect it has been compromised. This will prevent the hacker from gaining access to your other accounts. According to the official TikTok for Business site, “Under Settings, select Personal Info, go to Profile, choose TikTok Account, and click Unlink TikTok Account, which will pull up the Unbind TikTok Account popup to confirm the unlinking” (source).
To unlink your Instagram account, go to your TikTok profile, tap Edit Profile, go to Instagram in the social section and tap Unlink (source). For Facebook, tap the Facebook option under Connected Accounts to unlink it (source).
Unlinking connected social media accounts is an important step to secure your other accounts when recovering a compromised TikTok account.
Conclusion
In summary, the key steps to recover your old TikTok account are:
- Confirm you are the original account owner by providing proof of ownership such as your email, phone number, username, etc.
- Contact TikTok support through their help center and submit a request to regain access to your account.
- Provide as many identifying details as possible such as your name, birthdate, creation date of the account, etc.
- Reset your password if prompted and set a new, strong one you don’t use elsewhere.
- Enable two-factor authentication for added security.
- Check your recent login activity for any unauthorized access.
- Disconnect any linked social media accounts you did not link yourself.
Remember to always use strong, unique passwords and enable two-factor authentication whenever possible. Monitor your account activity regularly for suspicious logins. With proper precautions, you can help secure your TikTok account and prevent losing access again in the future.
Additional Resources
If you need more help recovering your TikTok account, check out these additional resources from TikTok:
Get Help With My TikTok Account – TikTok’s help center has articles, videos, and FAQs to help troubleshoot account issues.
How Do I Recover My TikTok Account? – Step-by-step guide from TikTok on recovering your lost or hacked account.
Report an Issue – Use TikTok’s reporting tool to submit account recovery requests directly to their team.
Contact TikTok Support – Reach out to TikTok’s support team by email for personalized help.