TikTok has become one of the most popular social media platforms in recent years, with over 1 billion monthly active users. The app allows users to create and share short videos set to music. Users can build a large following and gain fame quickly on TikTok.
However, some users may eventually decide they want to delete their TikTok account entirely. Reasons for deleting an account can include privacy concerns, losing interest in the platform, or wanting to take a break from social media. When a user deletes their TikTok account, all of their videos, likes, comments, and personal information associated with the account will be removed.
This article will provide an overview of how to delete a TikTok account, what happens during the data deletion process, what information gets permanently erased, options for reactivating or creating a new account later, and alternatives to fully deleting an account.
Why Delete a TikTok Account?
There are a few main reasons why someone may want to delete their TikTok account:
Privacy concerns – TikTok collects a lot of user data and some people are uncomfortable with how much personal information the app gathers. Deleting your account is the only way to fully remove your info from TikTok’s systems. Some cite privacy risks from the app’s Chinese ownership.
It’s too addictive – For some users, TikTok can become addictive and take up too much time. Deleting your account can help break the habit and allow more time for other activities.
Wanting a break – Even if you like using TikTok, you may want to take a temporary break from the app and social media. Deleting your account gives you a clean break.
Lost interest – Over time, some users lose interest in the app and no longer use it. They may decide to do a full delete just to clear out their old account.
Too young when they joined – Some may have created their account when underage and now want to fully remove it.
How to Delete a TikTok Account
TikTok offers two ways to delete your account – via your phone or on desktop. Here are step-by-step instructions for both:
Delete TikTok account on mobile:
- Open the TikTok app on your phone and tap on your profile icon in the bottom right.
- Tap on the three horizontal lines in the top right corner to open the menu.
- Select “Settings and privacy” from the menu.
- Tap on “Manage account” and then select “Delete account”.
- Select a reason for deleting your account and tap “Next”.
- Enter your phone number or email address associated with your account to verify your identity.
- Tap “Delete” to permanently delete your TikTok account.
Delete TikTok account on desktop:
- Go to tiktok.com and log into your account.
- Click on your profile icon in the top right and select “Settings” from the dropdown menu.
- Under the “Account” section, click on “Delete account”.
- Select a reason for deleting your account and click “Next”.
- Enter your phone number or email address to verify your identity.
- Click “Delete” to permanently delete your TikTok account.
Data Deletion Process
When a TikTok account is deleted, the process of removing the associated user data begins. According to TikTok’s privacy policy, it can take up to 30 days for all user data to be deleted from their systems [1]. However, some data like comments made, chat records, posts, and video info may remain as residual data.
After the account is deleted, TikTok takes the following steps to remove user data [2]:
- User profile, username, password, settings, followers/following lists are deleted
- Posts, comments, favorites, chat history are removed
- Uploaded videos are taken down
- Recommendation and search algorithms are reset
- Advertising identifiers and related ad targeting data is cleared
However, some usage statistics and metadata may still remain in TikTok’s systems. The full deletion process can take up to 30 days due to the large volume of data associated with each account.
What Gets Deleted
When you delete your TikTok account, all of your account data and content will be permanently removed, including:
- Your profile information and settings
- Your posts, videos, LIVE videos, drafts, and captions
- Your liked and favorited videos
- Your comments and comment history
- Messages and conversations
- Your followers and following list
- Effects you created
- Your wallet and TikTok coins
- Analytics data like views and engagements
Essentially everything tied to your account will be deleted by TikTok when you delete your account according to TikTok’s support page. The content and data cannot be recovered once deleted.
What Data Doesn’t Get Deleted
While most of your data gets deleted when you remove your TikTok account, there are some items that may still remain according to TikTok’s privacy policy. This includes:
Comments you made on other users’ videos. Any comments made on other users’ content will not be deleted when your account is removed. Those comments remain tied to the videos you commented on.
Data already analyzed or aggregated by TikTok. TikTok may retain “anonymized or aggregated” data that has already been processed and analyzed. This makes it difficult to completely erase your digital footprint. (TikTok Privacy Policy)
Backups or archives maintained by TikTok. The platform may keep certain backups or archives that contain data from deleted accounts. This is common practice for most social media companies.
Public information may persist. If you had a public TikTok account, remnants of that data may continue to exist on the internet even after deletion.
As such, traces of your TikTok activity and information may still remain archived on TikTok’s databases even after an account deletion. The extent depends on your privacy settings and how much information you shared publicly while the account was active.
Reactivating an Account
If you regret deleting your TikTok account, you have 30 days to reactivate it after deletion. To reactivate a deleted TikTok account within 30 days:
1. Download the TikTok app and log in using your username and password for the deleted account. If you don’t remember your password, tap “Forgot password” to reset it.
2. Tap “Reactivate” when prompted. TikTok will send a 6-digit confirmation code to your email or phone number previously associated with the account.
3. Enter the 6-digit confirmation code and tap “Confirm”.
4. Your TikTok account will then be successfully reactivated with all previous data intact.
According to TikTok’s support page, you need to reactivate your account within 30 days or else the account and all its data will be permanently deleted from TikTok’s servers. So act quickly if you want to recover a deleted account.[1]
Creating a New Account
After deleting your TikTok account, you can create a new account using the same email address or phone number. According to posts on Quora and Reddit, TikTok does not restrict creating new accounts with the same credentials as a deleted account.
When signing up for a new TikTok account after deleting your previous one, you can use the same email address, phone number, device, and even username if it’s available. TikTok allows multiple accounts to be created using the same credentials. The main requirement is providing a unique username and password for each new account.
One thing to note is that if you used either Facebook or Google to sign in to your old TikTok account, you won’t be able to link that same Facebook or Google account when creating your new TikTok account. You’ll need to either use a different login method or create a new Facebook/Google account to link to your new TikTok profile.
Overall, reusing credentials from a deleted account poses no issues when starting fresh with a new TikTok profile. Just be sure to come up with a new username and password, and you can sign up hassle-free on the same device and with the same email or phone number as before.
Alternatives to Deleting TikTok Account
If you don’t want to permanently delete your TikTok account, there are a few alternatives you can consider:
Temporarily disabling your account – This allows you to take a break from TikTok without losing your account history and followers. To disable your account, go to your profile, tap the 3-line menu, select “Manage account”, then “Deactivate account”. Your videos, likes, comments, and inbox will be hidden until you reactivate your account.
Taking a break – If you just need some time away from TikTok, simply don’t open the app for a while. You can even remove it from your phone for a set period of time. Your account will remain active so nothing will be lost.
Adjusting privacy settings – Make your account private so only approved followers can see your content. You can also turn off notifications and restrict keywords/hashtags. Visit your settings to customize your privacy and safety options.
Switching accounts – Create a new TikTok account for a fresh start while keeping your original account intact. Log out of your old profile and sign up with a new username, email, etc. Then you can manage both accounts.
Cleaning up your feed – Take advantage of TikTok’s “Not Interested” button to fine-tune the content you see. Tap and hold on a video, then select “Not Interested” to stop seeing similar videos.
As you can see, deleting your account isn’t the only option if you need a change. With a few adjustments, you may be able to get more enjoyment out of TikTok again.
Conclusion
In summary, deleting your TikTok account is a permanent action that removes your profile and all associated data from TikTok’s servers. The main reasons someone may want to delete their account include leaving the platform, starting fresh with a new account, or concerns over privacy and data collection.
When you delete your TikTok account, all of your videos, likes, comments, messages, and personal information are deleted. However, some data including analytic data and aggregated statistics may be retained by TikTok. And if any of your content was shared by other users, it may still be findable on the platform even after your account is deleted.
If you later change your mind, you can reactivate your account within 30 days by logging back in. But after 30 days, deletion is permanent and irreversible. The only option is to create a brand new account with a different username and start from scratch.
Overall, deleting your TikTok account completely removes your presence from the platform. Before taking this permanent step, consider alternatives like temporarily deactivating your account or removing specific content. But if you are certain you want to permanently delete your TikTok presence, the process is straightforward.
