TikTok lets you save most videos straight to your phone, as long as the creator allows it. This guide is for anyone who wants to keep a TikTok: one video to watch again, your own videos as a backup, or a creator’s videos to study what works for them. It starts with what TikTok itself offers, then the other ways, and what each one costs you.
Only download what you have the right to. A creator allowing downloads lets you keep a copy for yourself; it doesn’t give you the right to repost it or use it in your own content, and TikTok’s terms limit what you can do with other people’s videos.
How do I save a TikTok video to my phone?
Open the video in the TikTok app, tap Share and tap Save video. TikTok saves a copy to your phone’s gallery.
- In the TikTok app, go to the video you want.
- Tap the Share button on the side of the video.
- Tap Save video. A message tells you when it’s saved.
There’s a quicker way too: press and hold on the video and tap Save video in the menu that pops up. Photo posts work the same way, with Save photo, and Select all when there are several photos.
TikTok’s own help page: Download content.
Why is there no Save video option?
The creator decides. If Save video isn’t in the Share menu, the creator has turned downloads off, and TikTok gives you no way round it.
- The creator turned off Video downloads. This covers all their posts, old and new.
- The account is private, or the creator is under 16. For these accounts downloads are off and can’t be turned on.
- The video is private. Private videos can’t be downloaded.
Copies people saved before a creator turned downloads off stay on their phones. Details: Manage video downloads.
Will the video have a watermark?
It can. TikTok says saved videos may include the TikTok watermark and the creator’s username, depending on the creator’s settings (How to save TikTok videos to your device, checked October 2026). The watermark is how people find the original creator, which is one more reason not to strip it and repost.
How do I download my own TikToks?
You can save any video you’ve posted, publicly or unlisted, with Share and Save video, even if you’ve turned downloads off for everyone else. To keep a copy of each new video before it goes up:
- On the Post screen, tap More options.
- Turn on Save to device.
Drafts can be saved too: go to Profile, tap Drafts, open the draft, tap More and Save to device. TikTok saves drafts without a watermark unless you turn it on.
If Save video is missing on your own video, go to Profile, the Menu (☰), Settings and privacy, Privacy, Downloads, and turn video downloads on.
How do I download all my TikTok data?
TikTok’s Download your data gives you a file of your account’s information. Its help page lists things like your username, watch history, comment history and privacy settings; it doesn’t say plainly whether your video files are included, so if you want the videos themselves, save them as above.
- In the TikTok app, tap Profile, then the Menu (☰), then Settings and privacy.
- Tap Account, then Download your data.
- Choose what to include and a file format, then tap Request data.
- When TikTok tells you it’s ready (it can take a few days), go back to Download your data, open Download data and tap Download. The file is there for up to 4 days.
TikTok’s help page: Requesting your data.
What about TikTok downloader websites and apps?
They’re the sites that come up first when you search “TikTok downloader”: you paste a link and get a file, often without the watermark. They work on one video at a time, and they’re a different kind of risk from TikTok’s own button.
- Ads and worse. Many are covered in pop-ups and redirects, and some push fake download buttons, unwanted extensions or malware. Never install anything a downloader site asks you to.
- The creator’s choice is ignored. They download videos whose creators turned downloads off, and remove the watermark that credits them.
- Terms. Using them may break TikTok’s terms, and a video without a watermark is still someone else’s work.
Which way should I use?
| Way | Free | Others’ videos | Many at once | Watermark | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share, then Save video | Yes | Only if the creator allows | No, one at a time | May include TikTok’s and the username | None |
| Save to device, Download your data | Yes | No, your own only | Yes, your account | None on drafts | None |
| Downloader sites and apps | Usually, with ads | Yes, even when downloads are off | Mostly one at a time | Often removed | Ads, malware, breaking TikTok’s terms |
| Parsly | Yes | Public videos you can watch | Collects a whole profile, saves one at a time | Parsly adds none | Keep only what you have the right to |
What can’t you do?
- Save videos from private accounts or ones you can’t watch yourself. No honest tool can, Parsly included.
- Save many videos at once with TikTok’s own tools. The app saves one at a time.
- Get the right to reuse a video by downloading it. Permission comes from the creator, not the button.
How do I save a creator’s videos for research with Parsly?
Parsly is a free Chrome extension for studying what works for a creator. It keeps each video together with its numbers, so you’re not left with a folder of files and no idea which ones did well.
- Open the creator’s profile on tiktok.com, and open Parsly from Chrome’s toolbar. The first time, allow it on TikTok; it asks once per site.
- Click Collect. Parsly scrolls the profile like you would and reads each video’s views, likes, comments and date.
- Parsly marks the breakouts: videos that beat that creator’s usual views, such as “8x her usual views”.
- Save the videos you want to keep, and download the list as a spreadsheet (CSV) with each video’s numbers.
It reads only public pages you can see yourself. Downloading a creator’s videos doesn’t give you the right to repost them; use them to learn from, and ask the creator before using them anywhere else. To study the words as well, see how to get a TikTok transcript.
Questions people ask
Why can't I save a TikTok video?
The creator has turned off Video downloads, the account is private, or the creator is under 16, in which case downloads are off and can't be turned on. TikTok's help says that if Save video isn't in the Share menu, the creator doesn't allow it.
Do saved TikToks have a watermark?
They can. TikTok says saved videos may include its watermark and the creator's username, depending on the creator's settings. Drafts you save to your own device have no watermark by default.
Can I save TikTok videos on a computer?
TikTok's help pages describe saving in the app. On a computer, the simplest built-in route for your own videos is Download your data, or saving them in the app first.
Is it legal to download someone else's TikTok?
Saving a video TikTok offers you, for your own viewing, is what the button is for. Reposting it, editing it into your own content or using it commercially is a different matter: you need the creator's permission, and TikTok's terms set limits on others' content.
Can I save all of a creator's TikToks at once?
Not with TikTok's own tools, which save one video at a time. Parsly collects a creator's profile with each video's numbers in one go, and lets you save the videos you have the right to keep.
Sources
Checked against the real sites on 22 October 2026. Platforms change their buttons often; if something has moved, tell us at [email protected].