How to Search on TikTok: Filters, Tips and Hidden Features

To search on TikTok, tap the magnifying glass at the top of the Home screen, type what you want and tap Search; results open in tabs for Top, Videos, Users, Sounds, LIVE and hashtags. To narrow them, tap the More options button above the results, choose Filters, pick a sort order or a date range, and tap Apply.

TikTok search works for people, videos, sounds, hashtags and effects, and it has a few features most people never find, such as searching with a screenshot. This guide covers all of them, then links to a guide for each part of TikTok: comments, profiles, trends, your data and more.

How Do You Search on TikTok?

You search on TikTok from the search bar at the top of the app, or from the Discover tab where your region has one. TikTok’s Help Center describes the same steps, and notes that the most relevant results appear in the Top tab (TikTok Help Center). Listed below are the 4 steps.

1. Tap the magnifying glass at the top right of the Home feed.
2. Type a word, a phrase, a username or a hashtag.
3. Tap Search.
4. Switch tabs to see only videos, users, sounds, LIVE videos or hashtags.

On a computer, the search bar sits at the top of tiktok.com and works the same way.

How Do You Use TikTok Search Filters?

TikTok’s search filters sit behind the More options button above your results: tap it, choose Filters, select your options and tap Apply. Nothing changes until you tap Apply (TikTok Help Center). The filters let you sort results by relevance or by likes, and limit them to a date range, such as the past day, week or month, which is the quickest way to find something posted recently.

TikTok uses the word “filters” for two different things. Search filters change which results you see. Camera filters and effects change how your own video looks, and you find those from the record screen, not from search.

What Can You Search For on TikTok?

You can search TikTok for videos, people, sounds, hashtags, LIVE videos, effects and, in some regions, TikTok Shop products. The table shows what to type for each.

You want	What to type	Tab to open
Videos on a topic	A few words, such as pasta recipe	Videos
A person	Their name or @username	Users
A song or sound	The song title or a lyric	Sounds
A hashtag	The tag with #	Hashtags
A live stream	A topic or a creator’s name	LIVE
A camera effect	The effect’s name	Search, then tap the effect

Finding a specific person, including without their username, is covered in how to find someone on TikTok.

How Do You Search TikTok With a Screenshot?

TikTok’s screenshot visual search lets you search with an image instead of words: TikTok looks at what’s in the picture and shows related videos and products. It’s listed in TikTok’s search help alongside the search bar (TikTok Help Center), and it’s useful for finding a product, a place or an outfit you can’t name. The feature isn’t available in every region.

TikTok Search Tips That Save Time

A few habits make TikTok search far more precise. Listed below are the 5 that matter most.

1. Search the hashtag and the plain words. #booktok and book recommendations return different videos.
2. Use the Sounds tab for songs. Typing a lyric there finds the sound even when you don’t know its name.
3. Filter by date for news and trends. Older viral videos crowd recent ones out of the Top tab.
4. Sort by likes to find the best version of a trend or tutorial.
5. Clear old searches when your suggestions get stuck on a topic; see how to clear your TikTok search history.

Can People See What You Search on TikTok?

No, other people can’t see what you search on TikTok; your search history is visible only to you on your own account. The details, including what TikTok itself stores, are in can people see what you search on TikTok.

Why Is TikTok Search Not Working?

TikTok search stops working when the app is out of date, the connection is weak, the account has restrictions, or TikTok has filtered the results. TikTok says content that isn’t appropriate won’t appear in search results (TikTok Help Center). The full checklist is in why can’t I search on TikTok, and resetting suggestions you don’t want is in how to turn off “Find Similar” and reset search suggestions.

Can You Search TikTok Without an Account?

Yes, you can search and watch most public TikTok videos on tiktok.com without logging in, though TikTok limits how much you can browse before it asks you to sign in. The methods are in how to watch TikTok without the app or an account.

TikTok Guides in This Series

Each part of TikTok has its own guide, linked from here. Listed below are the 8 guide hubs.

• TikTok comments: how to pin, delete, filter and find them
• TikTok profile views: how to see, turn on and turn off viewers
• How to block someone on TikTok
• How to see TikTok analytics
• How to find trends on TikTok
• How to download your TikTok data
• How to download TikTok videos
• How to scrape TikTok data in 2026

How to Search TikTok at Scale With apidojo

The TikTok app shows search results one screen at a time; apidojo’s TikTok Scraper on Apify runs the same keyword search and returns every video as JSON, CSV or Excel, with views, likes, comments, shares, hashtags and the creator’s profile. Its sortType input uses the same sort options as the app: RELEVANCE, MOST_LIKED or DATE_POSTED (Apify).

{
  "keywords": ["pasta recipe"],
  "sortType": "MOST_LIKED",
  "location": "US",
  "maxItems": 500
}

It costs $0.30 per 1,000 posts, and each search must return at least 10 posts. The developer version is how to scrape TikTok search results, and the full toolkit starts at apidojo.io.