TikTok is built around the phone, and so is its Save video button. This guide is for people on a computer who want a clean MP4, not a possibly watermarked copy sent over from their phone. For saving in the app, see how to save TikTok videos.
Can you download a TikTok on a computer?
Not with anything TikTok’s help pages describe: they cover saving in the app, through the Share menu. On a computer you need a tool that saves the file for you, either a browser extension or a paste-a-link website.
What’s the quickest way to save a TikTok on a computer?
A Chrome extension, because you stay on the video you’re watching. Parsly is free and works like this:
- Add Parsly to Chrome, and allow it on TikTok when it asks.
- Open the video at tiktok.com, signed in to your account.
- Open Parsly and click Collect video. It opens on the video’s screen, with its plays, likes, comments, shares, saves, sound and transcript.
- Click Download video. It lands in your Downloads as an MP4 with its sound, named after the creator and the video.
How do I download a TikTok without the watermark?
Save the video file TikTok’s player uses, not the copy from its Save video button. TikTok says copies saved through that button may include its watermark and the creator’s username, depending on the creator’s settings (How to save TikTok videos to your device). The player’s file has no TikTok watermark, and that’s the file Parsly saves as an MP4.
Which way should I use?
Use Parsly for a clean MP4 with the video’s numbers and transcript, and a paste-a-link website for a one-off without installing anything. Use TikTok’s app if you don’t mind a possible watermark and sending the file over from your phone.
| Way | Free | On a computer | Watermark | Numbers and transcript | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Save video in the app, then send it over | Yes | Needs your phone | May have one | No | Medium |
| Paste-a-link websites | Usually, with ads | Yes | Varies | No | Low, and they break often |
| Screen recording | Yes | Yes | Shows whatever’s on screen | No | Medium, lower quality |
| Parsly | Yes | Yes | None on the player’s file | Yes, both | Two clicks per video |
How do I save the best videos from a creator’s profile?
Collect the profile, sort by plays, and save the ones that matter. On tiktok.com/@username, Parsly’s Collect videos goes back as far as you choose, by date or by count, and lists every video with its numbers. Open one and use Download video. For what to look for, see how to find a creator’s best TikToks.
What can’t you do?
You can’t save what your own account can’t open, or download a whole profile’s videos in one click.
- Private videos you can’t open. Parsly works from your own sign-in, so it sees what you see.
- A whole profile’s videos in one go. Parsly collects the profile at once, then saves each video from its own screen. TikTok’s own button also saves one at a time.
- Reuse someone else’s video as your own. The creator still owns it, and TikTok’s terms limit what you can do with other people’s videos.
Questions people ask
Do I need a TikTok account to download a video?
With Parsly, yes: it works in your own Chrome, signed in to TikTok, so it can save what you can open.
Does this work on a Mac or Windows PC?
Yes. Parsly is a Chrome extension, so it works on any computer that runs Chrome, and the video lands in your Downloads as an MP4.
Why is Save video missing on a TikTok?
The creator has turned off Video downloads, the account is private, or the creator is under 16. TikTok's help says that if Save video isn't in the Share menu, the creator doesn't allow it.
Can I download all of a creator's TikToks?
TikTok saves one at a time. Parsly collects a whole profile with every video's numbers and transcript, then saves each video from its own screen; downloading a whole collection in one go is planned.
Can I get the transcript as well?
Yes. Parsly fetches TikTok's own captions with the video, shown as a timed transcript with Copy transcript.