If a TikTok ban goes into effect, what happens to your videos? Here's what to know.
- TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, is reportedly planning to shut down the app in the U.S. on Sunday if the federal ban goes into effect.
- Users are encouraged to download any videos they want to save before the potential shutdown.
- TikTok users can also download their account data, including usernames, followers, and message history.
With the clock ticking toward a possible U.S. ban for TikTok, users of the popular video sharing app may be wondering what it means to them.
TikTok's Beijing-based parent company ByteDance is reportedly planning to shut down the app entirely on Sunday if the federal ban on the app goes into effect, according to Reuters, which cited sources familiar with the matter. The Information first reported the news.
If that comes to pass, you could get locked out of your favorite videos – either made by yourself or other users.
While there are still efforts to find a buyer or someone to operate TikTok's U.S. operations, the uncertainty of the app's future may have users wanting to take some action ahead of the potential ban, especially if ByteDance decides to shut the app down completely.
“It’s currently unclear whether users will retain the ability to upload content or save videos from creators who enable downloads if the ban takes effect," Mollie Lobel, an affiliate and influencer community manager at BrandCycle − which connects creators with brands − told Paste BN. "These specifics will likely depend on how the ban is enforced.”
If TikTok goes away, it will leave a hole in many users' lives. That's because the average U.S. TikTok user spends nearly an hour on the platform daily, according to research firm eMarketer.
"I imagine many creators are focused on downloading videos and whatever else they might want access to from TikTok in the future while telling their followers where they can find them if the app disappears overnight," Minda Smiley, senior analyst of social media at research firm eMarketer, told Paste BN. "Some creators are asking their followers to share their email addresses or other forms of contact info so that they can still reach them once the app is gone."
It's not just TikTok creators who may want to take some action ahead of a possible TikTok ban. "TikTok users as well …may want to download their videos and tell others where they can be found outside of TikTok," Smiley said.
Can I keep my TikTok videos? Yes, if you hurry
If you have some favorite TikTok videos – whether it's of your child's first steps or instructional videos of "granny" hobbies like knitting and gardening – you may want to download them before Sunday. Here's how to do it on your mobile device:
- Your own videos: If there's videos you have created you want to save a copy of, just call them up and then click on the three dots and choose the Save Video option and it will show up in your photo and video gallery.
- Other creator videos: Creators don't have to allow downloads, but many do. Call up the video, then click the Share arrow and you'll see a Save Video option.
Mashable senior culture reporter Christianna Silva offers another method of downloading favorite TikTok videos on your desktop using a Google Chrome extension, if you prefer using your computer.
How to download your TikTok data
You can also download the data TikTok has associated with your account and activity. Data includes your username, followers, accounts you follow, links to your favorite videos, messages, and activity.
Here's how to download your data:
- Open the TikTok app, tap Profile at the bottom.
- Tap the Menu button at the top, then tap Settings and privacy.
- Tap Account.
- Tap Download your data.
- Select the data you want to include in your download file and select a file format (either .TXT (plain text) file or JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) file. Both are readable with standard text editing programs.
- Tap Request data.
Depending on how much data your file amounts to, TikTok will send you a file to download in minutes or a few days.
How did we get here?
The situation arises from a sell-or-ban TikTok bill Congress passed on national security grounds – concerns that TikTok shares user data with the Chinese government and may manipulate content – signed by President Joe Biden in April. Last week, the Supreme Court heard ByteDance's challenge to the move and is expected to uphold the ban.
Many thought the ban would lead ByteDance to remove the program from the Apple and Google app stores, preventing new users from joining up.
In that case, the app could remain on current users' phones, but not be updated, "which means bugs and security issues won’t be addressed," Lobel said. "Over time, this will likely render the app increasingly unstable and ultimately unusable.”
Contributing: Greta Cross, Jessica Guynn and Eric Lagatta
Follow Mike Snider on Threads, Bluesky and X: mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider.
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