If you are having trouble finding a specific TikTok user, there are a few potential reasons why this may be happening.
You have the wrong username
The most common reason you can’t find a TikTok user is that you have the wrong username typed in. Usernames on TikTok are case sensitive, so make sure you have the exact combination of uppercase and lowercase letters. Additionally, there can be small variations like extra periods, underscores, or numbers that you may not have entered correctly.
For example, @JohnSmith, @johnsmith, @john.smith, @john_smith, and @john.smith.123 are all different users. Double check that the username you are searching for matches the exact one that person uses on their profile.
The user has changed their username
If you previously found the user you were looking for but can no longer locate them, they may have changed their username. This prevents people from finding their old profile. Check with the person directly if possible to confirm their new username.
You can also try searching for the user’s display name instead of their username. While usernames can be changed, display names are harder to modify for existing accounts. Searching the display name may surface their profile even if the handle is different.
The account is private
If a TikTok user has set their account to private, you won’t be able to access their profile or any of their videos unless you are an approved follower. Toggling an account to private is commonly done for security and privacy reasons.
See if you can request to follow the private account. If your follow request is accepted, you will then be able to view all of that user’s content. If your request is denied or expires, you won’t have access unless the account is made public again in the future.
The user has been banned or deleted
It’s possible you can’t find someone because their account has been banned by TikTok for violating community guidelines. Banned users are removed from search results and their username is blocked from reuse.
Alternatively, the user may have chosen to delete their own account. This also takes their profile out of search results. Unlike banned accounts, their old username can be claimed by someone else after it is released by the system.
If the account was banned or deleted recently, you may still be able to find it cached on Google for a while. But it will eventually disappear from search engines as well.
You are blocked by the user
If the TikTok user has intentionally blocked you, their account will seem to vanish from your view. You won’t be able to find their profile through search or by direct link while logged into your account.
Try searching for the user in an incognito browser or while logged out of your TikTok account. If you can find their profile this way, you have likely been blocked. You will need to switch to another account that isn’t blocked to view their content.
TikTok search isn’t working properly
In some cases, you may not be able to find a user due to technical issues with TikTok’s search function. Apps frequently have bugs that cause results not to show up when they should.
If searching a username or display name isn’t working, try searching for a unique video caption or sound from that user. This may make their account appear in the results. Persistently check search over time, as temporary glitches tend to resolve themselves.
They changed their display name
Similar to changing a username, a user can also modify their display name on TikTok. This is the public name shown on their profile and with their videos. If you are searching for someone’s old display name, you won’t find them with that term.
Do some scrolling through the user’s Likes or try finding comments they left on other videos. Their new public name will be shown. You can also ask the user or a mutual friend what they have changed their display name to.
Your account is too new
TikTok places restrictions on brand new accounts to help cut down on spam and abuse. One restriction is limiting search capabilities for very recently created accounts.
If your account is less than 1-2 days old, you may not be able to search for some users right away until your account clears this probation period. Use an older TikTok account if you need to find someone urgently.
Parental controls are enabled
The TikTok app has a Family Pairing feature that allows parents to restrict certain content from their child’s account. This includes limiting visibility for certain users.
A parent may have intentionally blocked a specific user from appearing through Family Pairing controls. Users blocked on a minor’s account via parental controls are not visible to that account.
Check account settings for Family Pairing to see if any restrictions have been enabled that could prevent you from viewing certain profiles.
You reached a search limit
To prevent spamming and abuse, TikTok limits the number of searches you can conduct within a certain timeframe before you are temporarily blocked. If you search too much too quickly, you may reach this limit.
When this happens, you may get an error message indicating you have been rate limited. Take a break from searching for a while before trying again later. Using a VPN to change IP addresses may also resolve a search limit.
They don’t live in your region
Depending on a user’s account settings and your TikTok region settings, geographical restrictions may prevent you from finding some users. This primarily applies to larger brand accounts that geo-target content.
For individuals, changing your TikTok region to match theirs in your device settings may allow you to locate their profile and access their content if region locking is enabled.
Double check special characters in username
TikTok allows some special characters like underscores, dashes, dots and others to be used in usernames. Make sure you are entering any special characters in the exact sequence the unique username requires.
For example, @user.name and @username will be different users. Pay close attention to small differences caused by periods, dashes, underscores or other special characters in the username.
The user hasn’t posted content yet
It’s possible to create a TikTok account and choose a unique username without actually posting any videos or going live. These profiles without content won’t appear in search results.
Check directly with the person to see if they’ve actually started posting videos from their account yet. Empty or inactive accounts can’t be found through search.
You are not searching the right platform
TikTok combines with the former Musical.ly app but still exists as separate platforms in some regions. Make sure you are searching for the user on the platform they actively use in their country.
Musical.ly remains the primary app in areas like Japan and Thailand. TikTok is used elsewhere. Search the right platform version for each country.
The account is too new
Brand new TikTok accounts don’t appear in search results immediately. Similar to search limits placed on new accounts, very recently created accounts also have a brief period where they are not indexed for search.
If the account is less than 1-2 days old, you may need to wait until the initial probation period ends before it will start appearing when searched. Try again in a couple days.
You have the region set incorrectly
TikTok allows you to set your home region in your account settings. This impacts the content you see as well as search results.
If your region does not match the user’s location, even if you search by username, their profile may not come up. Change your TikTok region to match theirs.
You can change your region back after finding their profile. Setting region properly is important for search visibility.
Their videos were removed
If a user had multiple videos removed from TikTok for violating community guidelines, this can sometimes make their entire account harder to find through search.
Too many deleted videos flags an account for review. This can limit search visibility temporarily. The user needs to conform to guidelines for search results to return to normal.
Their account is not fully set up
TikTok requires users to complete account setup steps like selecting interests and confirming email before an account is fully activated. Partial setups are hidden.
Have the user finish completing their profile setup. Once their account is fully activated, it will become searchable like normal.
You have the wrong language or country selected
TikTok presents content based on the language and country set either on your account or device settings. Make sure these are set correctly.
If your language is set to Spanish and you search in English, English-based accounts will be hidden. Match language settings to search properly.
Additionally, region and country impact the results you will see for more local trends and accounts. Set these appropriately.
Their videos were deleted or expired
If all of a user’s public videos are deleted or have expired from view after a set timeframe, their account may be harder to find in search.
TikTok’s algorithm surfaces accounts with fresh, quality content. With no viewable videos left, the account has lower relevance in search results.
The user needs to post publicly available videos again to regain search visibility. Alternately, find the account through mutual friends or contacts.
You’re using the wrong search terms
Searching for a common name or username will likely surface lots of accounts unrelated to who you’re looking for. Use unique terms instead.
Rather than a name, search for a very specific video caption, sound, or hashtag that only they would use. Finding niche keywords relevant to that user will help surface their profile.
Their profile was hidden from you
TikTok has a feature that allows users to hide their account specifically from certain people without fully blocking them.
If the user chose to hide their profile from you, it will be invisible to you when searching while logged into your account. You won’t be able to find them through normal search methods.
Check from another device while logged out or use a secondary account to confirm if their account has been intentionally hidden from you only.
You have search filters enabled
TikTok allows you to filter search results by only showing people, videos, or hashtags. If you have people filtered out, you won’t find user accounts.
Make sure the account type filter is set to people or that no filters are enabled. Filtering search will prevent some results from appearing.
You can also filter by location, recency, views, device, and more. Disable any filters that could hide the account you want.
Conclusion
Searching for a specific person on TikTok can sometimes be frustrating when their account doesn’t appear in the results. But in most cases, there are steps you can take to troubleshoot and find their profile by understanding how search works.
Check that you have entered their exact unique username and display name accurately. Try broadening your search terms rather than just inputting their name. Confirm the account you want to find is fully set up and has posted content. Disable any restricting filters.
If you still can’t locate the TikTok user, they may have blocked you, changed usernames, gone private, or deleted their profile. Following TikTok troubleshooting guidance will help uncover the likely reasons you can’t find someone.
