Your TikToks are worth backing up. Accounts get banned by mistake, phones get lost, and apps change. TikTok offers an official data export, but it doesn’t include clean copies of your videos. This guide shows how to request the export and how to fill the gap with Tik4DL.
Part 1: Request TikTok’s data export
- In the TikTok app, go to your Profile and tap the ☰ menu → Settings and privacy.
- Tap Account → Download your data.
- Choose what to include and the file format. TXT is easier to read; JSON is better if you want to process the data with software.
- Tap Request data.
- Check the Download data tab later. Preparing the file can take a few days. Download it before the link expires.
Menu names change from time to time. If you can’t find the option, search TikTok’s help center for “download your data”.
What’s inside the export?
The export typically contains your profile information, a list of your videos with dates and links, comments, likes, favourites, watch history, messages and login history. What it usually doesn’t contain is a full set of your original videos as high-quality files.
Why back up the videos separately?
The data export tells you what you posted. To keep the videos themselves, you need the actual MP4 files, ideally without the watermark so you can reuse them anywhere.
Part 2: Save clean copies of your videos
- Open each of your videos and tap Share → Copy link. (Or use the video links listed in your data export.)
- Paste the link into Tik4DL and tap Download HD.
- Store the files in a dedicated folder in your cloud drive, for example TikTok backup / 2026.
Videos from private accounts can’t be fetched. If your account is private, temporarily set individual videos to public, or use TikTok’s in-app save for those.
Keep your backup organised
- Tik4DL file names include your username and the video ID, which makes it easy to match files to your data export.
- Back up regularly, for example once a month, rather than all at once.
- Keep at least two copies: one in the cloud and one on a computer or external drive.
Reposting to Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts? Clean files without the TikTok logo usually perform better there. See downloading without watermark.
TXT or JSON?
The export format only matters if you plan to work with the data:
- TXT is readable in any text editor. Choose it if you just want a record.
- JSON is structured data. Choose it if you want to import your history into a spreadsheet or a script, or keep a clean archive of links and dates.
What else to back up
Beyond videos and the official export, consider keeping:
- Captions and hashtags of your best posts, copied with the caption copier, so you can reuse what worked.
- Original sounds you recorded, saved as MP3 with the MP3 downloader.
- Cover images, saved with the cover downloader, if you designed custom covers.
- Your profile picture in full size, from the profile picture viewer.
Keep your account itself safe
A backup is half the job; the other half is not losing access. Turn on 2-step verification under Settings and privacy → Security, keep your email and phone number up to date, and never give your password to third-party “tools”. Tik4DL never asks for it.
Common questions
How long does the export take?
Usually from a few hours to a few days, depending on the size of your account. TikTok shows the status in the Download data tab.
Does requesting my data affect my account?
No. It’s a read-only copy and nothing changes on your account.
Copy the link, paste it into Tik4DL, pick your format.