If you’ve recently tried searching for TikTok videos on the app and found that the search feature doesn’t seem to be working, you’re not alone. Over the past few months, many TikTok users have reported issues with searching on the platform. So what’s going on? Here’s an explanation of why you may be having trouble searching TikTok and some potential solutions.
TikTok has limited search to discourage targeted harassment
In early 2022, TikTok began limiting search capabilities on the app. Previously, users could search for very specific terms and accounts on TikTok. However, the company decided to restrict search to cut down on the potential for harassment or bullying targeted at individual users.
By limiting search, it’s much harder to look up a specific person’s account or video content unless you already know their exact @username. TikTok likely hopes this will prevent users from ganging up on or attacking certain creators.
So in short, if you search for general terms like “dance” or “cooking,” you’ll still get results. But searching for individual usernames or very narrow hashtags is unlikely to work.
TikTok search is personalized and tailored to each user
Another big change TikTok made is personalizing search results for each user. In the past, TikTok search results were the same for everyone. Now what you see when you search is tailored to your interests and what the algorithm thinks you want to see.
This means if two people search for the same keyword, they may get completely different results. So you may not be able to find certain videos your friends can find, simply because TikTok’s algorithm has learned your interests are different.
While this personalized search experience may have some benefits, it also means search is less predictable and transparent. You can no longer rely on certain terms to pull up specific videos or accounts.
Country-specific restrictions impact TikTok search
Depending on what country you live in, TikTok may have geo-restricted search in your region. Countries like China and India have imposed various censorship and content moderation rules that TikTok must comply with.
As a result, TikTok heavily filters and restricts search in these markets to align with local regulations. People in countries with more limitations may find search simply doesn’t work for a wide array of terms or topics.
If you travel abroad, you may suddenly find you have access to search results that were previously blocked. So geographic location plays a role in the TikTok search experience.
Some search limitations are temporary glitches
It’s also possible the inability to search on TikTok could simply be a technical glitch or bug. Like any app, TikTok experiences periodic outages and issues. Search may stop working completely for a period of time before being resolved.
Usually these types of problems are temporary, especially if lots of users are reporting the same search difficulties. It likely means the engineers are working on a fix behind the scenes.
In these cases, trying again in a few hours or the next day often resolves the search troubles. Sitting tight and waiting for TikTok to push out an app update can get search functional once more.
You may have been shadowbanned from searching
Some users speculate TikTok has begun shadowbanning accounts from using search. This means the algorithm has flagged or restricted you, but doesn’t notify you or let you know your access has changed.
Shadowbanning could happen if TikTok’s automated moderation systems decide your account is suspicious or a potential source of abuse. As a result, it greatly limits what you see in search without you realizing.
It’s unclear how widespread shadowbanning might be. But if search is completely broken for you no matter what terms you try, shadowban could be the cause.
Solutions and workarounds
If you’re struggling with TikTok search being broken, here are a few potential solutions and workarounds:
- Double check your internet connection is working fine on other sites and apps.
- Force quit and reload the TikTok app to refresh it.
- Update to the latest version of TikTok in case a bug fix is released.
- Try searching from a different device in case the issues is isolated.
- Use a VPN to check if your geographic location is a factor.
- Search broader terms rather than specific keywords or usernames.
- Explore content recommendations on Following and For You feeds.
- Find videos through hashtags rather than search bar queries.
While TikTok search will likely never be as wide open as it used to be, taking these steps could help surface more results. And remember that search changes frequently as TikTok tests and tweaks how it works.
Will TikTok search return to normal?
It seems unlikely TikTok will revert back to its previous wide open search capabilities anytime soon. Limiting search helps the company handle moderation at scale and avoid PR headaches.
But TikTok is continuously experimenting and evolving its systems. There’s a chance search could become slightly less restrictive again if the current approach proves overly limiting for users.
For now, it’s best to adjust expectations around search and complement it with other discovery methods like hashtags and recommended videos. While not ideal for those who relied heavily on search previously, the new status quo does have some benefits too.
With less specific search, creators may get more organic traffic as people find their content in recommendations. And limiting search could reduce instances of targeted harassment.
But ultimately, only TikTok knows what the future holds for search capabilities on the platform. Users will have to stay tuned for any announcements of changes as TikTok works to balance discoverability with safety.
