TikTok does not have a dedicated search bar for finding videos and creators like other social media platforms. Instead, TikTok relies on its recommendation algorithm called the “For You” feed to surface content it thinks you will enjoy. The lack of a search bar is an intentional design choice by TikTok to provide a more curated, personalized experience.
TikTok’s Focus on Discovery
A major reason TikTok does not have a search bar is because the app wants to focus on discovery and entertainment over pure searchability. The “For You” page is the main tab in the TikTok app and is designed to serve you new videos and creators you may like but would not necessarily search for directly.
TikTok wants to move users away from just searching for things they already know they want to watch. The algorithm instead analyzes your interests based on what you watch, like, share, and more in order to recommend content tailored to you. This creates a more passive, “lean back” experience of endless entertainment.
Having a search bar would take away from this core experience. TikTok wants to be about exploration and spontaneity, not purely looking up specific videos, sounds, or users you already know about.
Encouraging Content Diversity
Another reason TikTok may avoid adding a native search feature is to encourage greater diversity in the content people find and engage with. Search would allow users to easily find and watch the top creators or trending content.
But TikTok wants to help smaller, undiscovered creators gain more of a presence. Its algorithms try to balance recommending likely videos of interest with some amount of newness to help connect users with a wider variety of creators.
This gives more opportunity for creators to be discovered organically versus having to rely on search traffic and visibility. It also gives users’ feeds more diversity from day to day. Avoiding search helps create this environment.
Protecting User Experience
TikTok is also very protective of the user experience on its platform. It tends to roll out new features slowly and carefully test them to avoid disrupting its core functionality.
Search is a complex product that is difficult to perfect. Users expect very accurate, real-time results. If TikTok’s search algorithm was subpar, it could degrade the overall experience and perception of the app.
TikTok likely wants to take time to develop an excellent proprietary search functionality before introducing it. This ensures it provides high-quality results that complement the “For You” feed instead of creating a confusing, fragmented experience.
How to Find Content Without a Dedicated Search Bar
While there is no dedicated search tab or bar in TikTok, the app does provide some ways for users to look up specific content:
- Hashtags – Using hashtags in the search bar at the top of the “Discover” page displays videos tagged with those keywords.
- Sounds – You can search for sounds and music used in videos here.
- LIVE – Find all livestreams currently broadcasting.
- Profiles – Look up and browse videos from individual creators.
- Suggested accounts – TikTok recommends accounts you may want to follow based on your interests.
TikTok has also begun testing and slowly rolling out more advanced search features:
- Search suggestions – As you type in the search bar, it provides autocomplete recommendations.
- Search results – A limited search results page has been launched in some regions.
- Search filters – Ability to filter video search results by category, language, region, etc.
So while full-fledged search capabilities are still limited today, TikTok is showing signs of enhancing search to complement its recommendation engine. This will help balance discovery of new content with users’ ability to find specific things they want to see.
Third-Party Apps for Searching TikTok
Until TikTok builds out more official search tools, many users rely on third-party apps and sites to search for content on TikTok. Some popular options include:
- TikTok Search Engine – tiktoksearch.com lets you search by username, hashtag, sound, etc. and filters video results.
- Soul Search – Browser extension that adds a search bar for TikTok web.
- TikTok Search – tiktoksearch.org is a video search engine specifically for TikTok.
- Search4Hashtags – Finds trending hashtags and offers advanced filtering.
These tools fill the search gap on TikTok by providing user-friendly interfaces and powerful filtering capabilities to find exactly the kinds of videos you want. Many also support searching by direct video URL or links.
The Future of Search on TikTok
It appears that TikTok is beginning to recognize the need for better search features based on user feedback, even as it looks to retain its focus on discovery.
In the future, we can expect TikTok to add more advanced search functionality step-by-step rather than all at once. This will likely include enhancements like:
- More relevant results from the current hashtag and profile search tools.
- Expanding search to captions, text, and stickers in videos.
- Letting users combine keywords, filters, and operators for precise searching.
- Adding sorts and filters like view count, verification, duration, etc.
TikTok will aim to strike the right balance between ease of discovery of new creators and content with the convenience of a robust search engine for users to find exactly what they want to see.
The platform may never add a dedicated Search tab. But improving search features directly in places like Discover, Hashtags, and Profiles can still enhance the user experience. TikTok is poised to become more searchable while retaining the randomness and serendipity of its “For You” feed.
