What are private videos on TikTok?
On TikTok, users have the option to make their videos either public or private. Public videos can be viewed by anyone on TikTok, while private videos are restricted only to the creator’s approved followers list. According to TikTok’s newsroom article, when users post a private video, they can choose the “Private” option under “Who Can View This Video.” This setting means only approved followers can watch the private video.
The key difference between public and private videos is the audience. Public videos are viewable by the masses on TikTok while private videos are limited to a selective group of followers approved by the creator. Making videos private allows creators more control over who can access and interact with their content.
Why make videos private?
There are several reasons why someone may choose to make their TikTok videos private:
Privacy – Making videos private allows control over who can watch them. Keeping videos private protects privacy and prevents content being seen by unintended audiences like employers or family members (TikTok Help Center).
Sensitive content – Private videos can be used to share personal, controversial or sensitive content that the user only wants a select audience to see (Reddit).
Test videos – Users may upload private test videos to see how a video looks before making it public.
Limited audience – Making videos private allows sharing with a specific group rather than the entire TikTok community. This gives more control over who can watch.
Draft videos – Uploading videos privately can be useful for saving drafts to finish editing later before making the video public.
Who can view private videos?
When a TikTok video is set to private, only the creator of that video and people they specifically approve can view it. Unlike a public video that is visible to all TikTok users, a private video is restricted and not openly available on the platform. According to TikTok’s help center, “Only the creator can watch the private video. Other people will get a message saying that the video is not available” (source).
So in summary, making a video private on TikTok limits visibility to just the original poster and any other users they intentionally grant access to that specific video. This gives creators more control over who sees their content.
Common issues with private videos
Some common issues that can occur with private videos on TikTok include:
Not showing up. One of the main problems is that private videos may not appear at all, even to the creator. This is often due to a glitch or bug where the video is stuck in pending status and not fully processed. Trying reuploading the video can sometimes resolve this.
Being made public accidentally. There have been instances where private videos have been made public unintentionally. This can happen if the privacy settings were not properly set before publishing. Double checking that the video is marked private before posting can help prevent this.
Only appearing for some followers. In some cases, a private video may only be visible to certain followers and not all as intended. Reviewing audience restrictions and settings can ensure it is shared with the desired followers.
Not playable. On occasion, private videos may show in the feed but fail to load or play properly when tapped. This is typically a temporary glitch that resolves itself over time.
Being made private after posting. Sometimes videos shared publicly can later be switched to private status automatically. This is often the result of copyright detection algorithms and can be appealed if permission was granted.
Why private videos may not appear
There are a few main technical reasons why your private videos may not be showing up on TikTok properly:
You may have accidentally set the video to “only me” privacy instead of “friends only” or another setting. With “only me” privacy, no one else can view the video, even if they are friends with you. Double check your privacy setting to make sure it’s not on the most restrictive option.
Your app may not have updated properly or fully reloaded after changing the privacy setting. Try force closing the app and restarting it to ensure the app has refreshed with the new privacy setting.
There could be a delay in TikTok processing or updating the privacy setting on their end. Sometimes it takes a little bit of time for a video to transition from public to private. Wait an hour or so and check again to see if it’s now showing properly.
If you deleted the video and then re-uploaded it as private, it may still be cached publicly on TikTok’s servers. Give it some time for the private version to override the public cache.
You may have hit your limit for private videos allowed on your account, which forces older ones to become public again. Check your number of private videos and delete old ones if needed to stay under the limit.
Lastly, there could simply be a bug or glitch preventing the video from displaying properly. Try re-uploading the video to see if it works on another copy. If issues persist, contact TikTok support.
Checking your settings
If your private videos are not showing up as expected, the first thing to check is your video privacy settings. In the TikTok app, go to your profile page and tap the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner. Select “Settings and privacy” then tap “Privacy”. Here you can see the setting for “Private account” which determines whether your entire account is private or public. This setting must be enabled for private videos to work as intended.
You can also check your settings for individual videos under “Video visibility”. Tap on “Who can view my videos” to see if your videos are set to “Private” or another setting like “Friends” or “Public”. Make sure any videos you want to be private are set to “Private” mode [1]. If your video privacy settings look correct but some videos are still public, move on to troubleshooting other potential issues.
Double-checking video privacy
To confirm that a video is properly set to private on TikTok, you can take the following steps:
1. Open the TikTok app and go to your profile page.
2. Tap on the video you want to check the privacy settings for.
3. Tap the three dots in the bottom right corner to open the video options.
4. Tap “Privacy settings”.
5. Under “Who can view this video”, make sure it is set to “Only me”
You can also toggle the “Allow downloads” and “Allow duets/stitches” options here to limit how others can interact with your private video.
If it is set to “Only me”, then you can be assured the video is private and only visible to you. If it is set to anything else, like “Friends” or “Followers”, then change it to “Only me”.
It’s a good idea to routinely check your private videos this way to make sure the privacy settings have not been changed inadvertently.
Contacting TikTok support
If your private videos still aren’t showing up properly after double-checking your settings, you may need to reach out to TikTok support for assistance. According to the TikTok Help Center, there are a few ways to contact their support team:
- Live chat: You can start a live chat through the Help Center page to chat with a support agent in real time.
- Email: Fill out the email contact form on the Help Center and explain your issue. TikTok aims to respond within 1-2 business days.
- Social media: Reach out via TikTok’s Twitter support account @TikTokSupport or Facebook page.
When contacting TikTok support, provide details on the issue you’re experiencing, what steps you’ve already tried, and any error messages you may have seen. Support agents can further investigate why your private videos aren’t appearing and help troubleshoot a solution.
Alternative solutions
If your private videos are not showing up properly on TikTok, there are some alternative solutions you can try besides checking your settings:
You can delete the video completely if you no longer want it on TikTok. This will remove it from your profile and ensure that no one else can view it. Simply go to your profile, tap on the video, and select “Delete”.
Another option is to make the video “unlisted” instead of private. This means it will not show up on your profile or in hashtags, but anyone with the direct link can still view it. To do this, go to your video, tap the three dots, and choose “Make video unlisted”.
You may also want to consider using a different platform for sharing private videos. Some TikTok alternatives like Triller, Lomotif, and Likee also allow uploading short videos. However, these may have fewer users and less discoverability compared to TikTok.
Platforms like YouTube and Vimeo let you upload private videos and control viewing settings. The privacy options are more robust. However, these sites are better suited for longer-form video.
For a more private experience similar to TikTok, check out apps like Huddles, Coco, F3 App, and Fam. These are designed for sharing personal videos just with close friends and family.
Preventing issues going forward
Here are some tips to help avoid problems with keeping future videos private on TikTok:
- Double check your privacy settings – Go to your account settings and confirm your default video upload privacy is set to “Private”. This will make all new videos private by default.
- Be extra careful when changing video privacy – When manually changing a video from public to private or vice versa, check it twice to ensure the change saved properly.
- Consider using TikTok’s “Friends” setting – The “Friends” setting only allows people you approve to see your private videos, giving you more control.
- Don’t rely on drafts staying private – According to TikTok’s support page, draft videos may be visible to some users due to a bug [1]. Delete any drafts you want to keep fully private.
- Update the app and device – Having the latest version of the TikTok app and device software can help avoid glitches that affect privacy.
- Report issues to TikTok – If problems persist, use in-app support to report the issue so TikTok can investigate and fix privacy bugs.
Staying vigilant with your settings and reporting any ongoing problems is key to keeping your videos private on TikTok.