How to Find TikTok Drafts and Save Them to Your Camera Roll
Your TikTok drafts are on your profile, in the Drafts folder at the start of your video grid.
Your TikTok drafts are on your profile, in the Drafts folder at the start of your video grid. To save a draft to your camera roll, open it, tap Next, open the posting options, switch on saving to your device, and post it with visibility set to Only me; the video saves to your phone. Drafts are stored only on the phone where you made them, so uninstalling TikTok or changing phones deletes them.
That last point is why drafts get lost so often. This guide covers finding drafts, backing them up, and what to do before you reinstall or switch phones. Saving finished videos is covered in how to download TikTok videos. This guide is one of the data tasks that start from downloading your TikTok data. Finished videos you saved from others are a different list, in saved videos and collections on TikTok, and videos you watched but never saved are in your TikTok watch history.
Where Are Your Drafts on TikTok?
Drafts sit in a Drafts folder on your own profile, shown as the first tile in your video grid when you have any. Listed below are the 3 steps.
- Tap Profile.
- Tap the Drafts tile at the start of your videos.
- Open a draft to keep editing or post it.
If there’s no Drafts tile, there are no drafts saved in TikTok on this phone.
How Do You Save a Draft to Your Camera Roll?
TikTok has no direct export for drafts, so the reliable way is to post the draft privately with saving to your device switched on. Listed below are the 5 steps.
- Open the draft and tap Next.
- Open the more options on the posting screen.
- Switch on saving the video to your device.
- Set who can watch to Only me.
- Post it; the video saves to your camera roll, and you can delete the private post afterwards.
Saving without the watermark is covered in how to download TikTok videos.
Do TikTok Drafts Delete if You Uninstall the App?
Yes, drafts are stored on your phone, not on your TikTok account, so deleting the app, clearing its data or moving to a new phone removes them. Logging in on another device won’t bring them back. Your TikTok data download doesn’t include them either; what it does include is covered in how to download your TikTok data.
| Action | What happens to drafts |
|---|---|
| Logging out and back in on the same phone | Drafts usually stay |
| Uninstalling and reinstalling TikTok | Drafts are deleted |
| Moving to a new phone | Drafts stay on the old phone only |
| Clearing the app’s data | Drafts are deleted |
What Should You Do Before Reinstalling or Changing Phones?
Save every draft you want to keep to your camera roll first, using the private-post method above. That’s the only dependable backup. Reinstalling is a common fix for app problems, so check your drafts before trying it; other fixes are in why can’t I search on TikTok.
How Do You Delete TikTok Drafts?
Open the Drafts folder, tap Select, choose the drafts and tap Delete. Deleted drafts can’t be recovered from TikTok.
Can You Recover Deleted TikTok Drafts?
No, TikTok has no recycle bin for drafts; once deleted, or lost with the app, they’re gone. If you saved a copy to your camera roll, that copy is your backup.
Questions people ask
Can other people see your drafts?
No, drafts are visible only to you.
Do drafts take up phone storage?
Yes, because they're stored on the device.
Can you see your drafts on a computer?
No, drafts made in the app stay on the phone where they were created.
Do drafts sync between devices?
No, drafts don't transfer to another phone or tablet.