How to Set Up TikTok Privacy Settings

Step by step

1. 1 min

   Open privacy and safety settings

   Tap your profile icon in the bottom right corner. Tap the hamburger menu (three lines) in the top right. Select Settings and privacy > Privacy.

   Note: You can also access privacy settings directly from your profile by tapping the three dots next to Edit profile.
2. 1 min

   Set account privacy to private

   Toggle on Private account at the top of the Privacy menu. This requires approval for all follow requests and makes your videos visible only to followers.

   Note: Private accounts still allow your profile picture and username to be visible in search results.
3. 1 min

   Configure who can interact with your content

   Tap Interactions. Set Who can comment on your videos to Friends or No one. Set Who can duet with your videos and Who can stitch with your videos to Friends or No one. Set Who can mention you to Friends or No one.

   Note: Setting interactions to Friends instead of No one maintains some social features while limiting exposure to strangers.
4. 1 min

   Control direct message access

   In the Interactions menu, tap Who can send you direct messages. Select Friends to limit messages to people you follow who also follow you back. Select No one to disable direct messages entirely.

   Note: You can still receive notifications about message requests even when set to No one, but messages won't be delivered to your inbox.
5. 1 min

   Limit data collection and personalization

   Return to Privacy menu and tap Personalization and data. Toggle off Personalized ads. Toggle off Ads based on your activity on TikTok's advertiser websites. Turn off Use activity for ad targeting.

   Note: Disabling ad personalization may result in less relevant ads, but significantly reduces data collection for advertising purposes.
6. 1 min

   Restrict content downloading and sharing

   In Privacy menu, tap Safety. Toggle off Download your video to prevent others from saving your content to their device. This setting applies to all future videos you post.

   Note: This setting doesn't prevent screen recording or screenshots, but removes the built-in download option from your videos.
7. 1 min

   Configure search and discoverability

   In Privacy menu, tap Safety > Discoverability. Toggle off Suggest your account to others to reduce recommendations to other users. Turn off Sync contacts and Facebook friends to prevent contact-based discovery.

   Note: Keeping contact sync enabled helps friends find you, but shares your contact list with TikTok for matching purposes.