Check Privacy Settings
One of the most common reasons a TikTok post may not be showing up is if your account or that particular post is set to private or friends only. TikTok allows you to control who can see your content through privacy settings at both the account and individual post level.
To check your account-wide privacy settings:
- Go to your profile page
- Tap the 3-dot menu icon in the upper right corner
- Select “Privacy and safety”
- Review the options for “Private account” and “Suggest your account to others”
To check post privacy settings:
- Tap the share icon on a post
- Select “Who can view this video”
- Choose from “Public,” “Friends,” or “Private”
Make sure any posts you want to be publicly visible are not set to “Friends” or “Private.” Additionally, having a private account overall will prevent your content from being seen by anyone except your approved followers. Adjust these settings as needed to make your profile and posts public.
For more details, visit TikTok’s support article on account privacy settings.
Post Still Processing
It’s common for newly uploaded TikTok videos to remain in a pending state for some time as they go through processing on TikTok’s servers before becoming visible to others. This is especially true for longer videos. According to FlexClip, TikTok videos can take up to 30 minutes in the “under review” state before being made public. Similarly, Rav.ai notes that TikTok usually needs up to 48 hours to fully process a new video upload.
So if your TikTok video says “video is being processed,” don’t worry. Simply allow up to an hour for the processing to complete and your post to go live for others to see. The TikTok servers need time to handle the video file upload and make it available on the platform. With the massive volume of content constantly being posted, uploads don’t appear instantly.
Issues With Content
Inappropriate, dangerous, or policy-violating content may be blocked from being posted on TikTok. TikTok has comprehensive Community Guidelines that outline what type of content is not allowed on the platform.
If your content goes against the TikTok Community Guidelines, it may be removed and your account may be subject to penalties. Some types of prohibited content include:
- Nudity or sexually explicit content
- Hate speech, harassment, or bullying
- Harmful or dangerous acts
- Misinformation or scam content
- Violent, graphic, or shocking content
Before posting, carefully review TikTok’s Community Guidelines to make sure your content does not violate any rules. If your content does get removed, you can appeal the decision through the app. Avoid posting any further rule-breaking content to prevent your account from being suspended or banned.
Shadowbanned
One possible reason your TikTok post may not be showing up is if your account has been shadowbanned. A shadowban is when TikTok restricts the reach and visibility of an account without any notification to the user.
According to Hootsuite, accounts deemed as low-quality may have their posts hidden by TikTok’s algorithms. You can check if your account has been shadowbanned by looking at your analytics and engagement metrics. If your views, likes, comments, etc. have suddenly dropped despite posting consistently, it’s a sign you may have been shadowbanned.
To get your account back in good standing, avoid spammy behavior and focus on creating high-quality, original content. You can also submit an appeal to TikTok if you believe you have been incorrectly shadowbanned.
Account Restrictions
TikTok may restrict your ability to post new content if your account has violated their community guidelines. According to TikTok’s help center, accounts can face restrictions for posting explicit or dangerous content, hate speech, harassment, copyright violations, impersonation, and more [1]. If your account is restricted, you may receive an in-app notification explaining the violation. Restricted accounts can appeal the decision within the app.
Copyright strikes in particular can lead to posting restrictions. As TikTok explains, “If we remove your content because it infringes someone else’s copyright, your account may be restricted from posting new content for a limited time” [2]. Make sure you have the rights to use any content you post to avoid copyright issues.
The duration of posting restrictions varies based on the violation. For severe or repeat violations, accounts may be permanently banned from posting. It’s important to follow community guidelines and post original content to maintain full access to your account.
Connection Issues
One reason your TikTok post may not be showing up is due to connection issues when trying to upload the video. Uploads require a stable internet connection, and a poor or unstable connection can cause the upload to fail or get stuck. As TikTok’s error message states, “Couldn’t upload video. Try again on a stable Wi-Fi or cellular data connection.”
If you tried uploading on spotty WiFi or a weak cellular signal, try waiting until you have a stronger, more reliable connection before attempting the upload again. Switch to stable WiFi in your home or office if uploading over mobile data. You may also need to disable VPN services when uploading as they can interfere with connections. Patience is key – wait for the upload progress bar to fully complete before force quitting the app or closing your phone.
As recommended in this Reddit thread, confirm you have a strong connection by running a speed test, turn your phone on and off, force close and re-open the TikTok app, and clear the app cache before retrying the upload. Stable internet is key for successful TikTok uploads.
Under Review
If your TikTok is “under review,” it means the platform’s moderators have flagged your post and are reviewing it before publishing it publicly. There are a few common reasons your TikTok may be under review:
Your post contains content that violates TikTok’s guidelines, such as violent, dangerous, hateful, or adult content. Moderators will review these posts and may remove them if they break the rules. According to TikTok, videos depicting dangerous acts, illegal behavior, or harmful content will be removed (source).
Your TikTok includes copyrighted music, images, or videos without permission. TikTok’s moderators will check that you have the rights to use this content before allowing your post to go live (source).
Your account is new or recently violated TikTok’s rules. TikTok may place extra reviews on new accounts or accounts with prior violations. This review helps ensure these accounts follow the guidelines.
While under review, hashtags and sounds you used won’t contribute to distribution. Your post won’t appear in hashtag pages or recommendations until it passes review. Once approved, your TikTok will go live as normal. The review process usually takes a few hours but can sometimes take days.
App Not Updated
One common reason a TikTok post may not show up is having an outdated version of the TikTok app installed. TikTok releases frequent updates to fix bugs and add new features, so it’s important to keep the app updated to the latest version available in your device’s app store.
Running outdated app versions can cause various posting bugs and issues. By updating to the newest TikTok version, you’ll have the latest bug fixes and optimizations that ensure smooth posting. Consider enabling auto-update if your device supports it, to always stay on top of new TikTok releases.
If your posts are not showing after updating the app, the problem may lie elsewhere. But an outdated TikTok install is one of the first things to check when troubleshooting missing posts.
Server Outages
One common reason a TikTok post may not show up is due to a TikTok server outage. During peaks times of high traffic or technical issues, TikTok’s servers can go down temporarily, preventing videos from processing and uploading properly.
According to sites like DownDetector, TikTok has experienced intermittent server outages and technical problems over the years that resulted in videos failing to upload for many users. Most recently in January 2024, a 5-hour TikTok outage prevented videos from appearing on the app for millions of users globally.
The best way to check if a TikTok outage is preventing your video from uploading is to visit DownForEveryoneOrJustMe or check Twitter for reports of any current TikTok technical issues. If there is an ongoing outage, wait until TikTok engineers resolve the problem, then try reposting the video.
Contact TikTok Support
For persistent issues with posting content that are not resolved by troubleshooting on your own, you can contact TikTok support for additional help. According to the TikTok support page, you can email them at [email protected] for account and technical issues. Be sure to provide details on the issues you’ve experienced, links to the content if possible, and screenshots showing any error messages 1. TikTok also offers options to chat with support or request a call back for urgent issues.
Directly contacting TikTok support can be helpful for troubleshooting posting problems that other methods have not resolved. The team may be able to diagnose issues on TikTok’s end, provide guidance if your account is restricted, or escalate technical problems. Keep in mind that response times may vary depending on inquiry volume. But for persistent posting problems, it’s worth reaching out to TikTok support for personalized troubleshooting assistance 2.
