TikTok's Save video button: when it shows and what it does

TikTok itself lets you save many videos to your phone. The option is in the Share menu and puts the video straight into your gallery. It has limits: it doesn’t show up on every video, it only exists inside the app and the file comes with the TikTok watermark over the picture.

How to use TikTok’s button

1. Open the video in the TikTok app.
2. Tap Share, the arrow in the column of icons on the right.
3. In the row of options at the bottom, tap Save video.
4. Wait for the app to finish preparing the file. The video goes to your phone’s gallery; on iPhone, to the Photos app.

If the option isn’t in the row, swipe the row sideways. If it still isn’t there, that video can’t be saved from the app. The names and order of the options change a little with the app version.

When the button doesn’t show up

• The creator turned downloads off. Each creator chooses, in the account’s privacy settings, whether people can save their videos.
• The account is private. On private accounts, the option usually isn’t there for viewers.
• The account belongs to a teenager. TikTok has stricter rules for younger users’ accounts, and downloads are usually off.
• Your app is out of date. Update TikTok and try again.

In a photo post, the saving options change with the app version. If they don’t show up, the TikTok photo downloader page shows how to do it on the site.

What’s in the file

A video saved from the app comes with the TikTok watermark: the app’s logo and the creator’s username, burned into the picture. The watermark sits in a corner and usually moves during the video. In many app versions, the file also gets a few seconds at the end with the TikTok logo.

The watermark helps credit the creator, but it gets in the way when you want to use the video in an edit, a class or a personal archive. The guide on the TikTok watermark explains where it comes from and how to credit the creator when the video goes without it.

TikTok’s button or the site?

Use TikTok’s button when it shows up and the watermark doesn’t bother you. Use the site to download on a computer, to save just the sound, to get all the photos from a post or when you need the video without the watermark. The site’s steps are in the guides for iPhone, Android and computer.

Respect the creator’s choice

When a creator turns downloads off, they’re saying they don’t want the video passed around outside TikTok. If you download it anyway, keep it to watching later or personal use, and don’t post it again. To repost someone else’s video, ask for permission and give credit. Rights holders can ask us to block their content here on the removal page.

For creators: turning downloads on or off

In the app’s settings, look for the privacy section and the downloads option. The names change a little with the app version. Turning it off applies to TikTok’s button, but it doesn’t stop anyone from recording the screen. To keep one of your videos out of our tools, use the removal page: we reply within 2 business days.

FAQ

The button disappeared from a video that used to allow saving.

The creator may have turned downloads off after posting, or made the account private. It’s the creator’s choice.

Is Save video the same as adding to favorites?

No. Favorites keep the video inside your account, so you can find it later in the app. They don’t create any file on your phone. Save video creates the file in your gallery.

Why does the site give me the video without the watermark?

Because it downloads the same file TikTok uses to play the video in the app and on the website. The watermark is only added when the app makes a copy for saving. Nothing is erased or edited.

Can I use the site to save a video from a private account?

No. The site only reads public videos, the same ones anyone can see without logging in.