If you want to allow other TikTok users to find your account and view your videos on TikTok, you can easily turn on the “Allow others to find me” setting in your account privacy settings. This will make your account and videos public so anyone can find and view them on TikTok.
Understanding TikTok’s Allow Others to Find Me Setting
By default, TikTok sets new accounts to private, meaning your account and videos can only be seen by people you approve to follow you. This prevents random strangers on TikTok from finding and viewing your account unless you want them to.
However, if your goal is to gain more TikTok followers and maximize views on your videos, making your account public by turning on “Allow others to find me” is the way to go. This opens up your account to be discovered through TikTok’s search feature, recommendations, and hashtags. It allows any other TikTok user to find and follow you without needing your approval first.
With this setting enabled, your profile information, number of followers/following, liked videos, and most importantly your posted videos will be viewable by the entire TikTok community. You’ll gain more exposure, but lose control over who can interact with your account.
How to Find the Allow Others to Find Me Setting
Turning on allow others to find me is simple and takes just a few taps in the TikTok app:
- Open the TikTok app on your mobile device and go to your profile page.
- Tap the three dot menu icon in the top right corner and choose “Settings and privacy” from the menu.
- Go to the “Privacy” section of the settings page.
- Under “Account privacy,” tap on “Allow others to find me.”
- Toggle the switch on for “Allow others to find me.”
That’s all there is to it! With one tap of the toggle, your account immediately becomes public. Other TikTok users will now be able to find and follow you without needing approval.
Making Your Account Private Again
You can easily revert your account back to private at any time by toggling “Allow others to find me” off. Just follow the same steps above:
- Go to settings > Privacy.
- Under “Account privacy,” tap on “Allow others to find me.”
- Toggle the switch off to disable it.
Once disabled, random TikTok users will no longer be able to find or view your account. Only your existing followers will have access until you approve new follower requests.
Other Ways People Can Find You on TikTok
Besides searching for your exact username, there are a few other ways people can come across your account on TikTok even if you’re private:
- Through your profile link – Anybody with your direct profile link can view your profile and send a follow request even if private.
- Being tagged in a video – If someone tags your username in their video caption, your account will appear linked.
- Phone contacts – TikTok will recommend accounts of phone contacts to connect.
- Liked videos – If you like public videos, your account name appears in the likes.
So even with a private account, there are still opportunities for discovery. But the broadest exposure comes from making your account completely public.
Benefits of A Public TikTok Account
Here are some of the major benefits you get from allowing others to find you on TikTok:
- More followers – Making your account public means anyone can follow you without approval needed.
- Increased video views – Your videos can be discovered through hashtags and recommendations.
- Brand awareness – Public is ideal if using TikTok to promote a brand, product, or service.
- Collaboration opportunities – Other creators can more easily find, view, and potentially collaborate with you.
- Monetization eligibility – Public accounts have access to TikTok’s creator monetization programs.
Essentially, a public account gives you the most opportunity for growth and reaching a wide audience on TikTok. It all depends on your goals for the platform.
Risks of a Public TikTok Account
While going public expands your audience, it also comes with some risks to weigh:
- No control over followers – Anyone can follow you, even banned users or trolls.
- Increased harassment/bullying – More eyes means more potential for negative interactions.
- Stalkers – Complete strangers can view all your content.
- Impersonators – It’s easier to copy your profile if it’s public.
- Digging up past videos – Older content is exposed you may want private now.
You lose moderation control over who interacts with your account. While public is great for growth, you have to accept both positive and negative attention when enabling open discovery.
Tips for Managing a Public Account
Here are some tips to make having a public TikTok account safer and more enjoyable:
- Review privacy controls like comments and duets to limit unwanted interactions.
- Use a private second account just for friends and family.
- Be mindful of oversharing personal information.
- Delete older videos that you don’t want public anymore.
- Block, report, and delete unwanted followers regularly.
- Use TT Support if you encounter harassment or bullying.
Having a game plan for managing your public profile makes it far less stressful. You retain some control over interactions with the right privacy settings and moderation tactics.
Is Going Public Right for You?
Deciding between a public or private TikTok account depends entirely on your goals and comfort level with sharing content more openly:
- Public is better for creators, brands, businesses, and promotional accounts.
- Private is recommended for personal accounts just for fun and friends.
Evaluate your motivations for using TikTok. Public accounts grow faster, but private accounts provide more control. Find the right balance for the experience you want.
Turning on allow others to find me makes reaching a wide audience simple on TikTok. Just be wise about managing the increased interactions and exposure that come with it. With the right privacy settings and moderation, you can safely unlock the benefits of a public account.