With TikTok potentially disappearing from U.S. phones, in a matter of days, it's time to save those precious videos, favorite creators, and viral content you've been collecting.
While there's still hope for a last-minute reprieve before the deadline, it's better to be prepared than lose years of content—and you might already be eyeing up TikTok alternatives.
This isn't just about saving dance challenges or funny pet videos — for many, TikTok has become a digital scrapbook of tutorials, recipes, and meaningful moments. The platform's potential shutdown means you'll need to act quickly to preserve everything from your own created content to those saved videos you keep meaning to try.
For the latest updates on the situation, follow our TikTok ban live blog. Meanwhile, here's how to save all of your content.
Download your account data
Start by saving your essential account information. Go to Settings and Privacy, Account, and Download your data. Choose the All data option and tap Request Data.
You can also choose between a TXT file (for immediate use) or JSON (useful for potential future platform transfers). This will give you a complete list of your follows, likes, and bookmarks — though not the actual videos.
If you go for the JSON option, you’ll receive an SMS code sent to the phone number attached to attached account. Verify this and you can download the file.
Save your own videos
For personal content, you'll need to download each video individually. Open each video from your profile, tap the three dots in the bottom right, and select Download Video. While this process will take up a bit of time, it ensures you keep your original content in full quality.
An alternative way to save your content is choosing between a free open-source tool on GitHub (if you have coding experience and are comfortable with JSON), or Tokbackup, which offers up to 6,000 video downloads across three profiles for $5 a month.
Preserve liked content
To save videos you've liked or favorited, you have two options. Either download them individually using the same method as above, or use the MyFaveTT Chrome extension for batch downloading.
MyFaveTT is a free tool can save all your liked or favorited videos at once, though it does require desktop access.
Keep your content and connections safe
Given the size of video files, it’s important to plan how you’ll store your content. Consider using cloud storage or an external drive to keep your videos organized and accessible, especially if you’re saving a large number of them.
At the same time, don’t forget to use your downloaded account data to stay connected with your favorite creators. Many are already sharing where they’ll be posting their content in the event of a ban, so you can continue following them on other platforms.
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