TikTok has grown to become one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 1 billion monthly active users as of September 2021 [1]. The app allows users to create and share short videos, typically set to music. With such a massive user base uploading tons of video content every day, it’s no surprise that downloading your TikTok data can be a lengthy process.
When downloading your TikTok data, you are requesting a copy of all the videos you have created, liked, commented on, and more. This amounts to gigabytes worth of video files that need to be compiled, zipped up, and made available for download. Given the sheer scale of data involved, it’s understandable that preparing and delivering your TikTok download takes time.
Massive User Base
TikTok has seen absolutely massive growth in monthly active users (MAUs) over the past few years. According to Ecwid, TikTok had over 1 billion MAUs globally as of September 2021. For reference, that’s more than Instagram’s 1 billion MAUs which took much longer to reach from its launch.
Other sources also highlight TikTok’s incredible user growth. As of January 2022, TikTok had over 740 million MAUs just on Android devices globally, up from over 500 million in January 2021 according to Statista. Clearly TikTok has tapped into the mainstream and its user base continues ballooning month after month.
Tons of Video Content
Users upload massive volumes of video content to TikTok every day. According to TikTok Users and Growth Statistics (2024), there were 8.6 billion videos uploaded to TikTok in 2021. Furthermore, around 34 million videos are uploaded per day according to How Many Videos Are Uploaded to TikTok Per Day?. TikTok has truly become a platform where users constantly produce and consume video content in huge numbers.
Video File Sizes
TikTok videos can be quite large in file size due to the high resolution and frame rates. According to research, the average TikTok video file size is around 8-15 MB for a 15 second video clip. However, the maximum file size allowed depends on the device platform:
- For Android devices, the maximum file size is 72 MB.
- For iOS devices, the cap is higher at 287.6 MB.
The reason for the larger cap on iOS is because the latest iPhones can record 4K video at 60 fps, which results in much larger files. Overall, most standard TikTok videos will be in the range of 5-25 MB.
Sources:
The Complete Guide to TikTok Video Size
The Ultimate TikTok Video Size Guide for 2024
Server Loads
With over 1 billion monthly active users as of 2022 (TikTok Permissions), TikTok requires a massive infrastructure to store all of the video content being uploaded. Most videos on TikTok are 15 seconds to 3 minutes long, but can be up to 10 minutes. Even short videos can be large files, with a 1 minute 1080p video being around 100MB.
Given the sheer volume of content being uploaded every second, TikTok’s servers have to work overtime to ingest, process, and make available all those videos. This requires a global network of data centers with petabytes of storage capacity. All of that infrastructure takes time and resources to manage, which can lead to occasional slowdowns or delays when downloading your own data.
Data Privacy
TikTok takes significant measures to protect user data and privacy. According to a report on TikTok’s commitment to data privacy and global concerns, the company implements data privacy measures that “reflect the company’s commitment to protecting user data” (https://digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za/social-media-marketing-blog/navigating-controversies-tiktoks-commitment-to-data-privacy-and-global-concerns/). TikTok aims to balance providing an engaging platform while also safeguarding user data.
Specifically, TikTok has implemented access controls so employees can only access user data on a need-to-know basis. The company also stores user data in servers located in data centers in the US and Singapore. TikTok encrypts user data in transit and enables users to control their privacy settings. Overall, TikTok takes significant steps to protect user privacy amidst its massive growth.
Preparing the Download
Once a user requests to download their TikTok data, there are several steps TikTok takes on their backend before allowing the download 1. First, TikTok needs to identify the specific user and collect all of their data from the massive databases spread across servers around the world. This includes videos, messages, profile information, and more. Next, all of that raw data needs to be packaged up and prepared in a file format for downloading. This involves data processing and compression to optimize file size.
With over 1 billion monthly active users2, you can imagine the massive amount of data and server load required to prepare user data for download. TikTok has released statements saying this process can take a few days in some cases, as their data teams work diligently behind the scenes to ready user data for export.3 The amount of data associated with videos, in particular high-quality videos, also contributes to longer preparation times.
Download Speeds
The amount of time it takes to download your TikTok data can vary quite a bit depending on the size of your data set. According to TikTok’s support page, it typically takes 3-4 days for data to be prepared before the download link is sent via email 1. However, users have reported wait times ranging from a few hours up to several weeks 2.
Once the data is prepared and the link is sent, download speeds will depend on your internet connection, device, and the total size of your data package. According to user reports, download speeds on a strong WiFi connection with no data cap can reach speeds of around 5MB/second. For a 1GB dataset, this would take around 3-4 minutes to download completely 3. Larger datasets of 5GB+ may take 15 minutes or longer.
If downloading over mobile data, users report much slower speeds of around 1MB/s or lower. Downloading large TikTok data packages could use a substantial amount of mobile data, so it’s recommended to use a strong WiFi connection if possible.
Status Updates
After initiating the data download request, TikTok will provide periodic status updates on the progress. The updates can be viewed in the app by going to Settings > Privacy > Download Your Data. According to TikTok’s support page, “From here, you can see the status of your request. When your file is ready, it’ll change to ‘Your file is ready to download.'”
The status will change from “preparing” to “pending” to “ready” as the request is processed. TikTok notes that depending on the amount of data requested, it may take from 24 hours up to 30 days for the file to be prepared. Users are advised to wait until the status shows as “ready” before attempting to download to avoid errors.
TikTok’s support page and privacy policy provide these status updates so users can track the progress of their data request. This transparency helps assure users their data is being gathered while allowing them to plan for when they can access the download.
Conclusion
Downloading your TikTok data can take time due to TikTok’s massive user base and huge amounts of video content. Each video file can be quite large, and when millions of users request their data all at once, it puts a massive strain on TikTok’s servers. While the wait may be frustrating, TikTok needs time to carefully prepare and package your data in a responsible manner. The process involves checking data privacy, organizing files, and transmitting the information securely. Even high-speed connections face bottlenecks when servers are overloaded. Rest assured TikTok is working diligently to make your data available as quickly as possible. With patience, your download will complete. You will then have a comprehensive record of your TikTok presence and memories.
