With over 1 billion monthly active users, TikTok has become one of the most popular social media platforms. Many people use TikTok to express themselves creatively, share moments from their lives, or just be entertained. But with such a massive userbase, it can sometimes be difficult to find a specific person’s account if you only know their username.
That’s where reverse username search comes in handy. A reverse username search allows you to find someone’s TikTok account when all you have is their username. This can be useful for finding friends, family members, or influencers you want to follow. Here’s everything you need to know about how to do a reverse username search on TikTok.
Using the TikTok Search Bar
The easiest way to find someone’s TikTok account by username is to use the built-in search bar in the TikTok app or on the TikTok website. Here are the steps:
- Open the TikTok app on your mobile device or go to tiktok.com on your desktop.
- Tap the search icon at the bottom of the screen in the app or go to the search bar at the top of the page on desktop.
- Type in the exact username of the account you want to find.
- Tap the username from the list of results.
This will take you directly to that user’s public TikTok profile, as long as the account exists and is not private. The search works for finding friends, family, celebrities, brands, and anyone else on TikTok.
Using Third-Party Websites
There are also a number of third-party websites that offer more advanced TikTok username search capabilities:
Social Searcher
Social Searcher is a free tool that allows you to search for TikTok accounts by username, full name, or even a short bio description. Just head to SocialSearcher.com/tiktok-search and enter the info you have into the search bars.
Searchdopl3r
Searchdopl3r is primarily an Instagram web search tool but also lets you search TikTok by username. Go to Searchdopl3r.com, click the TikTok icon, enter a username and hit search to find the account.
TikTok Lookup
TikTok Lookup at TikTokLookup.com offers username, hashtag, and location searches for TikTok. Just type in a username and search to find the matching account.
Using Google Search
You can also use Google to search for someone’s TikTok account by username. Here’s how:
- Go to Google.com.
- Type in the username in quotation marks followed by “tiktok” (e.g. “username123 tiktok”).
- This will display results for that username from TikTok profiles and sites referencing the account.
- Click the result that goes directly to the TikTok profile page.
Using Google to search by username may also surface some additional info, links, or references to that account that can provide more context.
Tips for Reverse Username Search
Here are some useful tips to improve your success when doing a reverse username search for TikTok accounts:
- Make sure you have the exact, full username – an incorrect or partial username may not produce results.
- Try searching on both TikTok’s built-in search and external sites for the widest coverage.
- If you only know part of the username, use wildcard symbols like * to broaden the search.
- Search on Google as well in case the profile appears in articles, forum discussions, etc.
- Double check that the username hasn’t changed if you can’t find the profile.
- Some accounts may be set to private, restricting access to non-followers.
Finding Someone Without a Username
What if you need to search for someone’s TikTok but don’t have their exact username? Here are a few approaches:
Search by Name
If you know the actual first and last name of the person, you can try searching for that name directly on TikTok, Social Searcher, or Google.
However, this will likely bring up multiple accounts with the same name. You’ll have to look through the results for identifying info, like profile photos, to find the right account.
Search by Phone or Email
If you have the person’s phone number or email they used to sign up for TikTok, you may be able to search directly by that info on some third-party username search sites.
However, this only works if they have those details publicly displayed on their profile and have not changed them.
Browse Their Followers/Following
If you know one of their TikTok friends, you can go to that friend’s Following list and look for the person you’re searching for to find their account.
Or go to someone they follow and check their Followers list for the account you want.
Use Their Other Social Media
Often people use the same username across multiple platforms. So if you know their Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, etc. account, look for TikTok profiles with the same username.
What If the Account Doesn’t Exist?
If you’ve tried all the search methods and reverse lookup sites but still can’t find the TikTok profile, there are a few possible reasons:
- The user changed or deleted their username.
- The account was banned from TikTok
- The user deactivated or deleted their TikTok account.
- The profile could be set to private, so only approved followers can view it.
- You may have the username spelled incorrectly.
If you suspect the user is just no longer on TikTok, you can try reverse searching their info on other major social platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. to potentially find them there.
Can You Search Private TikTok Accounts?
TikTok allows users to set their accounts to private so only approved followers can see their content. This means private accounts won’t appear in TikTok’s search results or on third-party search sites.
The only way to find and view a private TikTok account is if you already know the exact username and can send a follow request. Even with the correct username, all you’ll see is the bio info and profile photo – you won’t be able to view any videos until the user approves your follow request.
Conclusion
Reverse username search makes finding specific people and accounts on TikTok much easier. By using the built-in TikTok search, third-party websites, and Google, you can track down most public profiles as long as you have the correct username.
Just remember that inactive, banned, or private accounts can’t be accessed, so search thoroughly before assuming a username doesn’t exist. With over a billion users, TikTok can feel overwhelming – but username search gives you the power to connect with the people you want.