How to Block Hashtags, Sounds and Keywords on TikTok

To block a hashtag or keyword on TikTok, go to Profile, the menu, Settings and privacy, Content preferences, then Filter video keywords, and add the word or hashtag. Videos using it stop appearing in your For You and Following feeds. To stop seeing a sound or a topic, press and hold a video that uses it and tap Not interested.

TikTok’s keyword filter is the closest thing to a block for topics rather than people. This guide covers keyword filters, “Not interested”, refreshing your feed, and what these tools can’t do. Blocking accounts is covered in how to block someone on TikTok. Blocking a person has its own follow-up questions: how to know if someone blocked you on TikTok and how to unblock someone on TikTok.

How Do You Filter Video Keywords on TikTok?

You filter keywords from the Content preferences section of your settings. Listed below are the 6 steps.

1. Tap Profile, then the menu (three lines).
2. Tap Settings and privacy.
3. Tap Content preferences.
4. Tap Filter video keywords.
5. Tap Add, then type a word or a hashtag.
6. Choose whether to filter it from the For You feed, the Following feed, or both, and save.

Add variants and misspellings as separate keywords, because the filter matches what you type.

How Do You Block a Hashtag on TikTok?

To block a hashtag, add it, with or without the #, as a filtered keyword in Content preferences. Videos that use the hashtag in their caption are filtered out of your feeds. Hashtags in general are covered in how to use hashtags on TikTok.

How Do You Block a Sound on TikTok?

TikTok has no keyword filter for sounds, so the way to see less of a sound is to press and hold videos that use it and tap Not interested. Repeating this on several videos with the same sound teaches your feed to show it less. You can also add the sound’s name as a filtered keyword, which catches videos whose captions mention it.

What Does “Not Interested” Do?

“Not interested” tells TikTok to show you fewer videos like the one you pressed, and in some versions lets you pick what to see less of, such as the creator or the sound. Listed below are the 3 steps.

1. Press and hold the video, or tap the share arrow.
2. Tap Not interested.
3. Choose what you want to see less of, if options appear.

How Do You Reset What TikTok Shows You?

To start your feed over, go to Settings and privacy, then Content preferences, then Refresh your For You feed. It clears the signals TikTok uses for recommendations, so it suits a fresh start rather than one topic. Resetting search suggestions is covered in how to turn off “Find Similar” and reset search suggestions.

Which Tool Should You Use?

Pick the tool by what you want to stop seeing. The table compares them.

You want to stop seeing	Use
A topic, word or hashtag	Filter video keywords
A sound	Not interested on its videos, plus a keyword filter on its name
One creator	Not interested, or block them
Everything you’ve been recommended	Refresh your For You feed
Words in comments on your own videos	Comment keyword filters; see how to limit, filter and hide comments on TikTok

What Can’t Keyword Filters Do?

Keyword filters can’t catch videos that never use the word in their caption or hashtags, and they don’t filter search results you ask for directly. A video can be about a topic without naming it, so some will still get through. Combine filters with Not interested for the best result.