If you are unable to search for videos, users, hashtags, or sounds on TikTok, there are a few common reasons why TikTok search may not be working for you. The main causes include internet connectivity issues, bugs in the TikTok app, location restrictions, banned keywords, and server outages.
Check Your Internet Connection
The most common reason TikTok search fails is due to poor internet connectivity. TikTok requires a stable internet connection to load search results. If you are experiencing slow internet speeds or frequent disconnections, TikTok search will not work properly.
Try switching to a stronger WiFi network or disabling WiFi and using mobile data instead. Restart your router if you are on WiFi. Make sure you don’t have too many other apps running in the background taking up bandwidth. Test your internet speed to confirm you have a minimum of 5 Mbps download speed for TikTok to function smoothly.
If restarting your router and switching networks does not resolve the issue, contact your internet service provider. There may be an outage in your area or technical issues with your connection.
Update the TikTok App
Bugs in the TikTok app itself can sometimes break search functionality. Go to your device’s app store and check for any TikTok app updates. Install the latest version of TikTok, as bug fixes and performance improvements in new versions may resolve search not working.
Also try fully force quitting the TikTok app, clearing app cache/data, and re-launching TikTok. This refreshes the app and clears out any corrupt data that could be interfering with search.
Location or Keyword Restrictions
Certain keywords, hashtags, and content may be restricted in your country or region. TikTok complies with local laws and regulations, which means search results for specific terms can get blocked.
For example, keywords related to illegal substances, violence, hate speech etc. are typically banned globally. Election and voting related keywords may get restricted in some countries during major elections.
You will get zero search results for restricted terms. Try less controversial search keywords if you suspect location filtering is active.
Server Outages
During times of heavy server load or DDoS attacks, TikTok may experience partial outages that disrupt search but keep feeds working. Video views and traffic peaks in the evening when people are off work, so search may fail sporadically at night.
Check third-party sites like DownDetector to confirm if others are reporting problems with TikTok. Try again in a few hours or the next day if TikTok is having confirmed server issues.
Log Out and Back In
Sometimes search stops working if you’ve been logged into TikTok for a long time. Try fully logging out of the TikTok app, closing it, and launching TikTok again to log back in. This resets your session which may resolve temporary search glitches.
Make sure you remember your password or have phone number/social media linked for easy log in. Logging out deletes locally cached data that could be outdated and causing search problems.
Double Check Search Term Spelling
TikTok will not display results for misspelled or incorrect keywords and hashtags. If your search term has uncommon spelling, check it twice to make sure everything is typed correctly.
For hashtag searches, remember that hashtags cannot contain spaces or special characters. Try removing punctuation from hashtags if search isn’t working.
Wait for Indexing of New Content
It takes time for TikTok’s servers to index and make new videos, sounds, hashtags etc. searchable. If searching immediately after uploading content or using very new/obscure keywords, it may not show up in results right away.
Give TikTok a few hours to properly process and index new content and profiles before expecting them to appear in search. Trending topics may get indexed faster than niche content.
Restrict Search to Exact Username, Hashtag, or Sound
By default, TikTok search looks for partial and suggested matches for your search terms. This can return irrelevant results or no results sometimes. Tap the search bar again after entering your search to toggle “exact match” mode.
Search will then look for precise username/hashtag/sound spelled exactly the way you entered it. This prevents vague results from broad searches crowding out what you want.
Age Restricted Content
Videos containing mature content will only show up in TikTok search results for users over 18+ years old. If your account is set to under 18, restricted videos won’t appear when searching hashtags and sounds marked as mature.
You can view this content only by switching your TikTok account age to 18 or older in profile settings. However, remember TikTok requires age verification for changing birthdate.
Search Only Returns Recent Popular Results
TikTok’s search algorithm prioritizes what is trending and viral when returning results. Search rankings favor videos with high engagement and view counts from the past few days.
Less popular or older videos even if an exact keyword match may not make the top search results. Scroll down and tap “see more” to expand search beyond top videos, or add “sort by newest” filter.
Use Alternative Keyword Phrasing
If searching a common hashtag or broad term isn’t working, experiment with alternative keyword phrasing for what you want to find.
For example, #dogs is very generic so try #puppies or #dogoftheday. Overly broad keywords get too many results. Use descriptive words like breeds, activities, locations etc. for better search success.
Verify Account Status
TikTok limits search for accounts that are under review, suspended, banned, or flagged for policy violations. If your account was recently restricted, search functionality may be limited.
You will need to appeal account suspensions and request reviews if you believe your account was incorrectly flagged. Search works again after temporary bans or restrictions are lifted.
Report Search Bugs to TikTok
If TikTok search is consistently failing with no explainable reason, report it as a bug in the app. Tap the Me icon > Settings and privacy > Report a problem to file a bug report with TikTok’s developers.
Thoroughly describe the search issue and when it occurs. Provide example keywords failing. TikTok may release a patch to address search bugs in future app updates.
Use Third-Party Sites and Tools
When TikTok’s own search is problematic, use supplementary third party TikTok search tools for finding videos and users.
Sites like TikTok Search let you search by keyword and hashtags while filtering results by user, trend, views, duration etc. Alternate tools expand basic search capabilities.
However, third-party sites rely on scraping TikTok’s public data so they have limitations too.
Contact TikTok Support
If no troubleshooting tips resolve your TikTok search issues, reach out directly to TikTok support for personalized help.
In the TikTok app, go to Me > Settings and privacy > Report a problem. Select the search not working issue and enter details. An agent can investigate and escalate unresolved widespread search problems.
TikTok support may collect debug logs from you to diagnose causes like account access problems, regional restrictions, or device compatibility bugs impairing search.
Wait for TikTok to Fix Server Problems
During confirmed TikTok server outages and technical issues, there is unfortunately little you can do beyond waiting for their engineers to get things back up.
Follow TikTok’s status page for updates on identified problems and timelines for fixes. Larger disruptions to core functionality like search take priority for repairs.
Avoid actions that could complicate restoration like reinstalling the app, changing passwords, or altering account details while TikTok is recovering after an outage.
Why Proper Functioning Search is Vital on TikTok
Search powers discovery and content curation on a platform built around endless feeds of short video clips. TikTok’s success hinges on users being able to efficiently find videos and creators matching their interests.
Hashtag and sound based categorization relies completely on search working. Fans cannot follow or interact with a creator if they cannot locate their profile through search.
Bugs or limitations around search significantly degrade the overall TikTok experience. Poor search makes growth challenging for creators while diminishing entertainment value for viewers.
TikTok is continuously tweaking its search algorithms to return better results and combat irrelevant content. But technical issues still frequently disrupt search temporarily.
Key Takeaways
- Check connection strength and restart your device/router to resolve transient internet issues stopping TikTok search from loading.
- Update to the latest version of the TikTok app if search problems arise after a recent update.
- Location and government restrictions can limit certain search keywords regionally.
- Log out and back in to refresh your session if search works inconsistently.
- Double check spelling and syntax of search terms entered.
- New content takes time to get indexed for search results.
- Exact match mode prevents vague suggested results from crowding search.
- Use alternative keyword phrasing for common terms that yield too many results.
- Report unresolved search bugs to TikTok directly so they can investigate and improve.
