How to bulk download and save your TikTok videos

There’s a common sense of doom on the TikTok feeds nowadays, and no marvel: it appears to be like just like the video service could also be banned in the US as of January 19th. TikTok creators are providing satirical goodbyes to their Chinese spies and questioning how shortly they’ll obtain the a number of hundred — or thousand — movies they’ve up on the service.

TikTok itself apparently doesn’t like the concept of permitting its creators to bulk obtain their movies. You can obtain — in TXT or JSON format — a specific amount of your information, which, based on the help web page, “could embody however shouldn’t be restricted to your username, watch video historical past, remark historical past, and privateness settings.” Once I tried it, it didn’t embody my movies. 

You can even share particular person movies — the identical means you’ll be able to any file — however in the event you’ve bought a library of a few hundred or extra TikTok movies, that’s going to be fairly a job. In that case, it’s loads higher to have a bulk obtain technique.

To learn the way to try this, I went into TikTok and waded by a bunch of movies providing completely different strategies for downloading your content material. I attempted a number of of the strategies and located three that labored comparatively painlessly. (All, by the way, must be carried out on a pc relatively than a telephone.) 

A caveat earlier than I start: not being an precise TikTok creator, I solely had two revealed TikTok movies on my account, which I had made as an experiment a while in the past. Consequently, it didn’t take a lot time for me to obtain them utilizing any of the strategies. In case you’re a real TikTok creator, anticipate downloads and conversions to take a while.

A number of folks advisable an app referred to as Repurpose.io. This isn’t a free app — it prices $35 a month or $349 a yr. For a short while, Repurpose.io was providing free downloads from TikTok to Google Drive and Dropbox however needed to withdraw the supply “due to high demand.” Nonetheless, you continue to get to obtain 10 movies without spending a dime over 14 days, so you’ll be able to attempt it out first. 

Repurpose.io enables you to distribute your content material on completely different platforms: you merely inform it the place to add the movies (moreover TikTok, it should pull information from Instagram, YouTube, Zoom, and a lot of different providers) and the place you need it to ship them (moreover Instagram and different providers, it can save you them to Dropbox, SoundCloud, Google Drive, and different apps). You’ll be able to schedule common transfers, repurpose solely future content material or all present content material, and even create clips (if, for instance, you’re sending YouTube movies to TikTok).

Once I tried it, Repurpose.io simply picked up my two TikTok movies and transferred them to my Google Drive in a few minutes. Whereas it ought to take a lot longer you probably have, say, a number of hundred movies, the interface retains you updated on which movies have been transferred and what number of are left.

The paid app permits you to switch an infinite variety of revealed movies to as much as 5 completely different accounts. It might make a number of sense in case you are a devoted TikTok video creator and are pondering of transferring your movies to a different service.

In case you don’t thoughts taking part in a little bit with code, there’s a free technique to do it as properly. A marketing consultant named Joanne Moxam has revealed a handy step-by-step YouTube video on how one can use Chrome’s browser console to avoid wasting all of your hyperlinks in a single fell swoop, transfer the info to a spreadsheet, after which use an internet software to bulk obtain your movies.

Under, I’ve summarized the steps that Moxam suggests (which I efficiently tried). She strongly recommends that you just do that through the use of the Chrome browser.

• Go to your Profile web page (by clicking in your private icon within the top-right nook).
• Convey up the browser console by hitting the F12 key. (In case you’re on a Mac, you might want to make use of Fn-F12.) You’ll see a window open on the correct crammed with code; in the event you’re not used to that, don’t let it trouble you — you gained’t need to deal an excessive amount of with it. Simply guarantee that the menu on the very prime (which can say Parts / Console / Sources) has Console underlined.
• On the backside of the console, the place there’s a single >, paste within the following:

let goToBottom = setInterval(() => window.scrollBy(0, 400), 1000);

Based on Moxam, this scrolls all of your movies all the way down to the underside, making them a part of a single window to allow them to be chosen.

Be aware: you may even see a warning to not paste code into the console that you just don’t perceive; you’ll be requested to sort “permit pasting” and hit Enter first. Go forward; I used each of those codes with out a problem.

• Now enter the second code, which can mechanically choose and obtain a CSV file of your hyperlinks to all of the movies in your profile to your pc. It’s a bit lengthy: here’s a link to Moxam’s code.
• The ensuing file shall be referred to as my_data.csv. 
• Import the CSV file to a spreadsheet.

Now you should utilize the hyperlinks to do a bulk obtain of your movies. Moxam recommends a free on-line service referred to as TOKdownload, which is what I used. 

• Copy the hyperlinks from the spreadsheet and paste them into the designated area. (Be aware: since I used to be solely downloading a few movies, I had no issues; as Moxam suggests, in the event you’re coping with massive numbers, you might wish to obtain in batches of fifty or so with a purpose to not overwhelm the app.)
• Click on the Obtain button.

• The app will obtain and course of the hyperlinks each because the movies and covers. It might take some time.
• As soon as it’s carried out, you’ll get buttons to Obtain All Movies and Obtain All Covers. Click on on the previous, and you’ll get a zipper file containing MP4 information of your movies.

In case you’re nonetheless uncertain of your self, you’ll be able to undergo Moxam’s video — she’s sluggish and cautious in her directions. And ensure to additionally verify her associated webpage for any updates.

There are additionally a lot of browser extensions that may enable you obtain your content material. This specific technique is courtesy TikToker bari.cait — it includes utilizing a free Chrome app in a considerably roundabout, however efficient, means. Yow will discover the instructions in bari.cait’s TikTok video; I attempted it and it labored properly on my two posts.

• First, in the event you’re planning to obtain your personal movies, you’re going to wish a “burner” TikTok account — in different phrases, an account that isn’t your unique one. Why? As a result of the app that you just’ll use solely enables you to obtain movies you favourite or movies from folks you observe (and you may’t precisely observe your self). In case you have any bother making a second account, maybe see in the event you can borrow a good friend’s — or have a good friend obtain your movies for you.
• Open your new TikTok account on the internet and observe your personal common account (the one with all of your movies in it).
• Obtain the Chrome app myfaveTT from the Chrome Net Retailer and set up it. You’ll have to present it entry to your information.
• Return to your TikTok web page and click on on the myfaveTT icon, which ought to now be in your extensions record. In case you don’t see it, click on on the extension icon within the higher proper of your Chrome browser — it appears to be like like a file folder — which offers a drop-down record of your extensions. Ensure myfaveTT is activated.
• Reload your TikTok web page. You must now have the myfaveTT sidebar on the left facet of your window.

• The app provide the selection of downloading all of your likes, your Favorites, or the folks you observe. Choose the final. You’ll get a listing of all of the those that your new account is following; be sure that yours is the one one chosen.
• You’ll then be requested to pick a folder to avoid wasting the movies to (if that is the primary time you’re utilizing the app, it should ask you to create a brand new empty folder). Then go forward and hit Subsequent.
• The app will obtain the movies related to that account. How lengthy it should take, as ordinary, will rely on what number of movies there are to obtain. When it’s carried out, the app will let you realize. The MP4 movies shall be in your new folder below information > Following > [number] > movies.

There are literally a lot of browser and cell apps out there that may allow you to obtain and save your TikTok movies. In case you don’t have entry to a pc and should use your telephone, you might discover the cell apps helpful, however I attempted a pair and located them awkward to make use of, often restricted to at least one video at a time, and (until you had been prepared to pay) ad-heavy.

Nonetheless you do it — and even when there must be some kind of last-minute reprieve for TikTok — it’s all the time a good suggestion to again up your on-line movies, particularly if they’re both personally vital to you or symbolize inventive work that it would be best to maintain on to and look again on within the years to return.

Replace January sixteenth, 2025: This text was initially revealed on January fifteenth, and has been up to date so as to add the tactic utilizing myfaveTT.