TikTok has been heavily criticized for its invasive privacy policies. As a result, we’ve seen online searches for “how to delete TikTok account” shoot right up. Do you want to deactivate TikTok or delete your account permanently?
The process is pretty simple, but you need to know where to look in the TikTok settings menu:
- Open TikTok and click on your profile icon.
- Click the three-line menu button and open “Settings and privacy.”
- Click on “Account” and then “Deactivate or delete account.”
If in doubt, give deactivation a try. You can reactivate your account at any time by simply logging back in. Whether you want to delete TikTok, deactivate it, or continue using the app, we strongly recommend using a VPN to protect your privacy.
TikTok is known to track people across the web – even if you don’t have a TikTok account. A VPN counters this by encrypting your data, preventing third parties from monitoring your online activities.
NordVPN is our top-ranking VPN, and it has a 30-day free trial that allows you to test the service risk-free.
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Ready to deactivate or delete your TikTok account? Read on for more details and how to go about it.
Are you considering deleting your TikTok account? Loads of users are deleting TikTok for privacy reasons. Perhaps you want to start over after a failed TikTok account. Either way, it’s easy. We’ve tested it ourselves, and it’ll only take a few minutes.
First, though, save any videos you want to keep. All of our TikTok videos vanished once we deleted our account. We’ll show you how to back up your TikTok account further below.
How to Delete Your TikTok Account: A Step-by-Step Guide
Deleting your TikTok account is straightforward if you know where to look. But the process is different depending on whether you’re using the TikTok mobile app or accessing TikTok via a desktop browser.
How to delete TikTok on an iOS or Android phone
- Open the TikTok mobile app on your phone, then click on the profile icon in the bottom left corner.
- Tap the three-line menu icon in the top-right corner of your screen.
- Go to “Settings and privacy.”
- Choose “Manage account” or “Account.”
- Scroll down and tap on “Deactivate or delete account.”
- Finally, tap “Delete account permanently” to go ahead.
If you’re done with TikTok, you can permanently delete the TikTok app from your phone, too. But if you’re on the fence and need a break, you might want to take the temporary option.
Delete TikTok from a desktop browser
- Go to the TikTok website on your browser.
- Click on your profile photo in the upper right corner of your screen.
- Select “Settings,” then under “Account control,” click “Delete account.”
- Follow the steps on your screen to delete your TikTok account.
There you have it. Your TikTok account has been permanently deleted. If you only want to deactivate TikTok, the next section explains how!
How to Deactivate Your TikTok Account: A Quick Guide
Deactivating your TikTok account follows the same process as deleting TikTok that we outlined above. The process is the same until the final screen, where you tap “Deactivate account” instead of delete.
What happens if I deactivate TikTok?
If you deactivate your account, nobody will be able to see it. Everything in your profile, including your videos, will be hidden to other users. Essentially, you’ll be invisible!
Bear in mind that you can only deactivate your account from within the mobile app. You won’t see an option to do so on the browser. Even if you don’t use the app, you can download it quickly, log in, and follow the process we outlined above.
Can you reactivate your TikTok account?
Yes, you can reactivate your TikTok account at any time. All you need to do is log in to the app and tap reactivate. Your account will be there waiting for you in the same state you left it.
How to Back up Your TikTok Data
Before you delete TikTok, consider whether you want to keep your content. Before we deleted the app, we backed up our data to save our videos. Backing up TikTok will also preserve other data, like your:
- Profile information
- App activity
- App settings
Here’s how to back up your TikTok account:
- Go to TikTok in your web browser — it works on desktop, so you can easily store your TikTok videos on your hard drive. Click on your profile photo, then go to settings. Under “Settings and privacy,” select “Data.” Select the file format to choose how your data is saved (TXT or JSON). We recommend choosing Text for simplicity.
Important:
Once your backup is complete, you’ll have four days to download the file before TikTok deletes it.
Should You Deactivate or Delete TikTok?
Even the most avid social media users need a break sometimes. We’ve seen people opt to delete TikTok for various reasons, including:
- Online privacy concerns: The app’s got a history of privacy issues that had us (and many others) concerned for the safety of our data.
- Online harassment: Unfortunately, social media provides an easy way for bullies to harass others. Bullying is one of the main reasons some TikTok users take a 30-day break or delete TikTok altogether. Deactivated TikTok accounts don’t appear in searches and can’t receive direct messages.
- Just plain boredom: Eventually, doom scrolling begins to grate on you and affect your focus. You might want to take a break for a while, which is why deactivation can be useful.
So, it depends on why you’re thinking about leaving TikTok in the first place. If you’re bored or sick of replying to notifications and messages, you can deactivate your account for up to a month. Otherwise, you can just delete TikTok to avoid cyberbullies or protect your privacy.
You’d probably be shocked to realize how much of your data is harvested and traded online. Chances are that tens of data brokers, at least, have created profiles of you, your habits, and your interests. Fortunately, you can get a free scan from Incogni to see how widespread the problem is.
You can learn more about how Incogni can wipe your data from brokers’ databases in our Incogni review.
Why can’t I delete TikTok on my device?
Occasionally, users encounter a “Delete Failed” error message when trying to follow the steps above. The solution is simple — delete the app from your phone and reinstall it from the App Store. This should let you get around the error message and delete your TikTok account.
What Data Does TikTok Collect About You?
TikTok is one of the more data-hungry apps we’ve encountered, hoovering loads of personal information. Every app needs at least a little data to give you an account, but TikTok goes beyond what we consider reasonable. The data TikTok collects include your:
- Name and email address
- Date of birth
- Profile information
- Device information
- Location data
- App activity
- Your phone’s contacts list
- Browser and search history
- Information stored in your device’s clipboard
- Biometric data
- Information from other social media accounts
What’s more, TikTok’s Ads Manager suggests that marketers might know your household’s approximate income and the cost of your device. Perfect for targeting you with income-appropriate advertising.
In short, TikTok gathers a ton of data, and that’s one reason why we consider it bad for your privacy. You can learn more about how much you’re tracked online in our guide to who can see your browsing data.
Use a VPN to Improve Your Privacy on Social Media Apps
Worried about your browsing and search history falling into the wrong hands? Want better protection for your data? It’s pretty shocking when you start to pay attention to how apps use your personal information. Companies even track your precise location and internet browsing habits!
That’s why we never go online without a VPN. A virtual private network encrypts your data and hides your online activity, keeping you private online. Right now, you can get a massive discount on NordVPN!
At $ 3.39 per month, NordVPN is quite affordable, and its security has been vetted through multiple independent audits. You can learn more about how this VPN protects you in our NordVPN review.
Wrapping Up: How to Deactivate or Delete TikTok
Deactivating TikTok lets you take a break for up to 30 days — it makes your TikTok account private and invisible. But if you want to ditch the app altogether, here’s how to delete a TikTok account permanently:
- Open TikTok and click on your profile icon.
- Tap the three-line menu button, then open “Settings and privacy.”
- Click on Account and then “Deactivate or delete account.”
- Chooe “Delete account permanently.”
If you want to continue using TikTok but are worried about your privacy. We strongly recommend getting a VPN to safeguard your data. NordVPN is our top pick. It encrypts your data, making it unreadable. It’ll also hide your location and browsing activity — and you can use it free for 30 days!
Want to learn more about privacy and TikTok? Check out the articles below:
- The Ultimate Guide to TikTok: Is TikTok Safe for Kids?
- How to Get Unbanned From TikTok: A Step-by-Step Guide
- Best TikTok Alternatives: Our Top Picks for Better Privacy
- Best Data Removal Services: Remove Personal Information From the Internet
- Online Anonymity Test: What Data Does Your Browser Leak?
Got questions about how to delete TikTok or deactivate your account temporarily? Check out the frequently asked questions below.
To permanently delete a TikTok account, follow the steps below:
- Open TikTok and click on your profile icon.
- Click the three-line menu button and tap “Settings and privacy.”
- Click on Account and then “Deactivate or delete account.”
- Choose “Delete account permanently.”
After 30 days, your account won’t be recoverable, so make sure you’re certain about the decision, and don’t forget to back up your TikTok data!
If you get a “Delete Failed” message when you try to delete TikTok, you’ll need to uninstall the app from your phone and then download it again. It’s tedious, we know, but this is currently the only workaround we’ve had success with when the app glitches.
It’s really up to you and why you’re considering a break with TikTok in the first place. Some users delete their TikTok account due to online harassment, privacy concerns, or boredom. If you delete your account, it’ll be gone forever after 30 days, so think it through carefully before going ahead.
Absolutely nothing! Your account will remain visible to other users, and they’ll be able to interact with it. If you want to stop people from seeing your profile, you’ll need to delete or deactivate your TikTok account first. Here’s how:
- Open TikTok and click on your profile icon.
- Click the three-line menu button and open “Settings and privacy.”
- Click on Account and then “Deactivate or delete account.”
