# How to Download Your TikTok Data (and What's Included)

To download your TikTok data, go to Profile, the menu, Settings and privacy, Account, then Download your data; choose what to include and TXT or JSON, and tap Request data.

[![apidojo](/blog/authors/apidojo.png)**Apidojo** *15+ years of experience in data retrieval.*](/blog/authors/apidojo/)

**12 October 2026** Published

**4 min** Read

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**To download your TikTok data, go to Profile, the menu, Settings and privacy, Account, then Download your data; choose what to include and TXT or JSON, and tap Request data.** TikTok prepares the file, which can take from minutes to a few days, then notifies you. Download it from the Download data tab within 4 days, before it expires.

Your export holds your profile, watch history, searches, comments, likes, messages and more. This guide covers how to request it, which format to choose, what’s inside and how to read it. Every other TikTok guide starts from [how to search on TikTok](/blog/tiktok-search/how-to-search-on-tiktok/). Drafts that never left your phone are covered in [how to find TikTok drafts and save them to your camera roll](/blog/tiktok-data/drafts-camera-roll/), and the app’s data plan use in [how much mobile data TikTok uses](/blog/tiktok-data/mobile-data-usage/).

## How Do You Request Your TikTok Data?

**You request your data in the app’s account settings, or on tiktok.com in the privacy settings.** Listed below are the 7 steps in the app.

1.  **Tap** **Profile**, then the menu (three lines).
2.  **Tap** **Settings and privacy**.
3.  **Tap** **Account**.
4.  **Tap** **Download your data**.
5.  **Select** the data to include, or keep all of it.
6.  **Choose** a file format: **TXT** or **JSON**.
7.  **Tap** **Request data**.

When it’s ready, return to the same screen, open the **Download data** tab and tap **Download**. The file is a ZIP.

## Should You Choose TXT or JSON?

**Choose JSON if you want to analyse the data or open it in another tool; choose TXT if you only want to read it.** JSON keeps the structure, such as dates and links in separate fields, which makes it easy to load into a spreadsheet or script. TXT is easier to skim but harder to work with.

## How Long Does a TikTok Data Download Take?

**A data request can be ready in minutes or take a few days, depending on how much activity your account has.** The finished file stays available for 4 days; after that you must request it again ([TikTok for Developers](https://developers.tiktok.com/doc/data-portability-api-get-started)). The newest 24 to 48 hours of some categories may not be included yet because of processing time.

## What’s Included in Your TikTok Data?

**Your TikTok export is grouped into categories covering your profile, activity, videos, messages and settings.** The table shows what each one holds.

| Category | What it holds |
| --- | --- |
| Profile | Username, bio, profile photo, and the email, phone and birth date on the account |
| Activity | Watch history, search history, likes, favorites, follower and following lists, shares, and login history |
| Comments | Comments you posted, with dates |
| Videos | Videos you posted |
| Direct messages | Your chat history |
| App settings | Privacy, notification and language settings |
| Ads and data | Ad interests and off-TikTok activity, where available |

Some data isn’t included, such as data that would affect other people’s privacy. What TikTok collects in general, including data that isn’t in the file, is covered in [what data does TikTok collect about you](/blog/tiktok-data/what-data-tiktok-collects/).

## How Do You Read Your TikTok Data File?

**Unzip the file, then open the TXT files in any text editor or the JSON file in a code editor, spreadsheet tool or script.** The JSON file can be large; don’t try to open a big one in a basic text editor. Your watch history and search history are the sections people look for most, and each has its own guide: [how to see your TikTok watch history](/blog/tiktok-data/watch-history/) and [how to clear your TikTok search history](/blog/tiktok-search/clear-search-history/).

## What Can You Do With Your TikTok Data?

**You can use your export to keep a backup, find an old video, see your full watch history, or move your data to another service.** Listed below are the 4 most common uses.

-   **Back up** your own videos and comments.
-   **Find an old video** you watched, through the links in your watch history.
-   **Review** what you’ve searched, liked and saved.
-   **Move** your data with apps that use TikTok’s Data Portability API, which needs your permission.

Saved videos and collections in the app are covered in [how to find saved videos and manage collections on TikTok](/blog/tiktok-data/saved-videos-collections/).

## How Do Apps Get Your TikTok Data?

**Apps can only get your private TikTok data with your permission, through TikTok’s official developer APIs, such as the Data Portability API.** That API lets an approved app request the same export on your behalf, by category: all data, activity, videos, profile or direct messages (TikTok for Developers). Which APIs exist and what they allow is covered in [TikTok API in 2026](/blog/tiktok-api/tiktok-api-guide/).

Public data is different: anyone can see your public videos and their numbers, and tools such as apidojo’s [TikTok Scraper](https://apify.com/apidojo/tiktok-scraper) read that public layer only, never your private export. Keeping your account private limits what’s public.

## The scrapers behind this

-   [TikTok Scraper Profiles, videos, hashtags, music and locations; 460 posts/sec measured $0.30 / 1K posts](/scrapers/tiktok-scraper/)

## Questions people ask

### Why is my TikTok data download not working?

Check the Download data tab for its status; if the file expired after 4 days, request it again.

### Does the TikTok data download include deleted videos?

It includes what TikTok still holds for your account; videos you deleted aren't kept as files.

### Can you download your TikTok data on a computer?

Yes, on tiktok.com open your settings, then the privacy section, and find Download your data.

### Can you download someone else's TikTok data?

No, only your own account's data.

## More on your TikTok data

-   [What Data Does TikTok Collect About You? What TikTok's privacy policy says it collects, what changed in 2026 on location, how to see your own data and how to limit collection.](/blog/tiktok-data/what-data-tiktok-collects/)
-   [How to See Your TikTok Watch History Find your TikTok watch history in the Activity center, how far back it goes, how to delete it, and why it sometimes doesn't show.](/blog/tiktok-data/watch-history/)
-   [Find Saved Videos and Manage Collections on TikTok Find your saved TikTok videos, create and delete collections, control who sees them, and fix saved videos showing as unavailable.](/blog/tiktok-data/saved-videos-collections/)
-   [How to Find TikTok Drafts and Save Them to Camera Roll Find your TikTok drafts, back them up to your camera roll, and avoid losing them when you reinstall the app or change phones.](/blog/tiktok-data/drafts-camera-roll/)
-   [How Much Mobile Data Does TikTok Use? Why TikTok uses so much mobile data, how to check your own usage, how to turn on Data Saver and other ways to use less.](/blog/tiktok-data/mobile-data-usage/)

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