How to Use TikTok: A Beginner's Guide to Every Task
How to use TikTok in three moves: download the app and choose a sign-up method, tap Add post + to record or upload a video, then add a description and tap Post. TikTok’s US Terms don’t allow anyone under 13 (14 in Florida) outside its separate Under 13 Experience, and accounts for ages 13 to 17 start private.
Where the app and a computer differ, both are covered, and an index of every TikTok how-to closes the page.
Table of Contents
- How to use TikTok for the first time: sign-up, age and privacy
- How do you post your first video, photo or text post?
- How do editing, sounds, effects and AI tools work?
- How do comments, messages and community features work?
- How does TikTok decide what you see? (For You and search)
- What business, ads and money features does TikTok have?
- Which records, news and alternatives are worth knowing?
- Every TikTok how-to, by task
- Frequently asked questions
How to use TikTok for the first time: sign-up, age and privacy
Start in the app: download TikTok from the App Store or Google Play, open it and pick a sign-up method. Instagram and X aren’t supported sign-up methods, and each phone number, email address or social account can be linked to only one TikTok account. Checked against TikTok Help Center: How to create a TikTok account TikTok’s US Terms, last updated 15 July 2026, also say anyone under 18 must review them with a parent or guardian.
In the app:
- Download the TikTok app from the App Store or Google Play.
- Open the app.
- Choose a sign-up method, then follow the steps to create your account.
Checked against TikTok Help Center: How to create a TikTok account.
Checked against TikTok Terms of Service (United States), last updated July 15, 2026.
In a browser, tiktok.com/signup offered three routes when checked: phone or email, Facebook and Google. TikTok publishes no numbered steps for signing up on the web, and the options can differ by region. Checked against TikTok sign-up page (tiktok.com/signup), read 2026-10-07
Find your way around the app
TikTok’s own steps put Add post +, Inbox and Profile along the bottom of the app and Search at the top. For You, TikTok’s recommendations, is the first feed you see when you open the app; TikTok also has a Following feed but doesn’t say where its tab sits. Checked against TikTok Help Center: For You
In search, the most relevant results land in the Top tab, and some people see a Friends tab where others see Discover. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Discover and search
The defaults TikTok sets by age
Several features depend on age, which explains a lot of “missing” buttons:
- 13 to 17: accounts are private by default, and some features wait until 16 or 18. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Default privacy settings on TikTok (users under 18)
- 13 to 15: no direct messages, which TikTok offers only to registered accounts aged 16 and older (parents and guardians can restrict them through Family Pairing). Checked against TikTok Help Center: Who can send direct messages on TikTok Nobody can Duet or Stitch their videos, and that can’t be changed; at 16 and 17, Duet and Stitch on a public account default to Friends. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Who can Duet / Stitch with your videos (users under 18)
- Under 16: TikTok’s Creator Academy says their content isn’t eligible for recommendation. Checked against TikTok Creator Academy: Understanding the Recommendation System
A General account can be switched to private: you approve who follows you and watches your videos, and nobody can Duet, Stitch or download your posts. Your name, username and profile photo stay visible to anyone, on or off TikTok. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Choosing between a private or public account
In the app:
- In the TikTok app, tap Profile at the bottom.
- Tap the Menu ☰ button at the top.
- Tap Settings and privacy, then tap Privacy.
- Turn Private account on or off.
Checked against TikTok Help Center: Choosing between a private or public account.
Go deeper:
- How to make a new TikTok account: signing up, then adding a second account and switching between them by tapping your nickname on your profile. Checked against TikTok Help Center: How to add or switch between accounts
- Which type of TikTok account to choose: TikTok’s Help Center lists three types, General (also called Personal), Verified Business and Organization, and no separate Creator account. It recommends General for general users, content creators and most public figures. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Account types on TikTok
- Adding a website link to your bio: you need at least 1,000 followers or a Verified Business Account, and TikTok no longer supports links that open or log you into other social media apps. Checked against TikTok Help Center: How to add a link to your TikTok profile
- What “link in bio” means, on TikTok and on other apps.
- Free profile tools: the TikTok name generator for display names and usernames, the TikTok username checker, the TikTok bio generator, the TikTok font generator for styled text and the TikTok emoji codes.
How do you post your first video, photo or text post?
Tap Add post + at the bottom of the app, then record, or tap Upload to use a video from your device. Tap Next to add a description, hashtags, a location or a link and to tag people, then tap Post, or Drafts to save it for later. Check who can watch before you post: a new post keeps your previous post’s privacy setting, so if your last post was Only you, this one is too. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Making a post
In the app:
- In the TikTok app, tap the Add post + button at the bottom.
- Select a maximum length for your video. You can also tap Upload to add videos from your device, then continue to step 4.
- Tap the Record button, and when you're finished, tap the Continue ✓ button at the bottom.
- Tap Your Story to post to your Stories or Next to make additional edits, including: Add description, Add hashtags, Tag people, Add a location, Add link.
- Tap Post to publish your video, or tap Drafts to save it. Your drafts are visible only to you on your profile.
Checked against TikTok Help Center: Making a post.
In the app, recorded videos can run up to 10 minutes and uploads up to 60, but if you pick a sound first, the sound’s length sets the video’s length. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Camera tools The same Add post + button makes two other kinds of post. A photo post holds up to 35 photos, with a filter, sound, text or stickers added before you post. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Making a post A text post starts from Text, where you style the words and the background and can add stickers, emojis or GIFs. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Making a post
Posting isn’t final: you can change who sees a post afterwards, and its view count doesn’t reset. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Post privacy settings A deleted post stays in Recently deleted for up to 30 days and can be restored with its comments and likes. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Editing, posting, and deleting Drafts are less safe: they can’t move between accounts and may be removed if you reinstall TikTok or move the account to another device. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Editing, posting, and deleting
App or browser: what works where
On a computer you post from a web browser, and TikTok says the whole video uploads, so trimming its length needs the app.
On a computer:
- Click Upload at the top.
- Click Select video to upload or Select file.
- Choose the video you'd like to upload.
Checked against TikTok Help Center: Making a post.
| Task | In the TikTok app | In a browser on a computer |
|---|---|---|
| Sign up | Download from the App Store or Google Play | tiktok.com/signup: phone or email, Facebook or Google |
| Post a video | Record up to 10 minutes, upload up to 60 | MP4 or WebM, 720x1280 or higher, up to 30 minutes, under 10 GB |
| Photo post | Up to 35 photos | Not documented in TikTok’s Help Center |
| Text post | Add post +, then Text | No web steps published |
| Schedule a post | No Help Center steps | 15 minutes to 10 days ahead; scheduled posts can be deleted, not edited |
| Manage comments | Choose who can comment; delete up to 100 at once | TikTok Studio: delete, like, dislike and reply |
| Go LIVE | 18 or older with 1,000 followers (may vary by region) | Download LIVE Studio (Windows) or OBS Studio first |
| Direct messages | Ages 16 and older | No computer steps published |
Checked against TikTok Help Center: Tools for creators (TikTok Studio).
Checked against TikTok Help Center: Making a post.
Checked against TikTok Help Center: Tools for creators (TikTok Studio) and Making a post (searched).Not verified
Checked against TikTok Help Center: Schedule video.
Checked against TikTok Help Center: Comments.
Checked against TikTok Help Center: Tools for creators (TikTok Studio).
Checked against TikTok Help Center: About TikTok LIVE.
Checked against TikTok Help Center: Comments on TikTok LIVE.
Checked against TikTok Help Center: How to send a direct message.
Go deeper:
- Posting from a PC or Mac: uploading on tiktok.com or in TikTok Studio on the web, and which tasks TikTok documents only for the app.
- Making a slideshow: what TikTok’s Help Center calls a photo post, step by step.
- Duets: a Duet plays your video beside another creator’s in a split screen, and others can Duet you only if your account is public. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Duets
- Reaction videos: reacting through Duet or Stitch. TikTok says content that reuses others’ material without adding anything new isn’t eligible for the For You feed. Checked against TikTok Community Guidelines: Integrity and Authenticity (effective 24 September 2026)
- How to schedule TikTok posts: TikTok’s desktop scheduler step by step, and who TikTok says can use it. For other networks, see how to schedule social media posts.
- Sizes and lengths: TikTok video size, how long TikTok videos can be by upload route, and every network in one social media image sizes table.
- The free TikTok script generator drafts a timed script from hook to call to action.
Schedule a TikTok video or photo post with Outfeed AI
How do editing, sounds, effects and AI tools work?
Record or upload first, then tap Edit on the side panel to open TikTok’s advanced tools: overlays, sound effects, video effects, multi-track and AI editing. One editing session takes up to 35 photos and videos and up to 8 overlay items, and each post gets one sound. Effects sit at the bottom of the camera screen; some work only before recording and others only after.
Checked against TikTok Help Center: Editing TikTok videos and photos.
Checked against TikTok Help Center: Editing TikTok videos and photos.
Checked against TikTok Help Center: Effects.
Sounds can go on before you record, from Add sound at the top of the recording screen:
In the app:
- In the TikTok app, tap the Add post + button at the bottom.
- Tap Add sound at the top of the recording screen. From here, you can: tap a sound to preview it; select a sound from the For You, Favorites, or Recent tab; or tap the Search button to search for a sound, then tap the Continue ✓ button to confirm your choice.
- Tap the Favorites button to save the sound or the Edit button to adjust the sound clip.
- Tap anywhere on the video to add the sound to your post.
Checked against TikTok Help Center: Sounds.
On a Business Account, Add sound shows only Commercial Sounds from TikTok’s Commercial Music Library, a pre-cleared library of about 1 million songs. Checked against TikTok Business Help Center: How to use the Commercial Music Library
AI rules apply whichever tool made the video. TikTok requires a label on AI-generated or significantly edited content that shows realistic scenes or people, and may remove, restrict or label content that lacks one. Checked against TikTok Community Guidelines: Integrity and Authenticity (released 25 August 2026, effective 24 September 2026) Content made with TikTok’s own AI effects is labelled automatically. Checked against TikTok Help Center: About AI-generated content
Go deeper:
- TikTok sounds: finding, saving and trimming sounds, and the music rules for Business Accounts. If you remove an original sound you added, TikTok removes it from every video that uses it, other creators’ included. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Remove original sounds
- Filters: filters are separate from effects. Tap Filters on the side panel, pick one and set its strength with a slider. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Effects
- Green Screen: TikTok’s 2019 instructions put it under Effects, with any photo from your phone as the background; today’s menus may differ. Checked against TikTok Newsroom: How to use the green screen effect on TikTok (22 October 2019)
- Voiceovers: from the editing screen, tap Voice, then Record. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Editing TikTok videos and photos
- Text to speech: add text to your video, tap it and select Text-to-speech to have it read aloud. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Accessibility for your videos
- AI Alive: turns a photo into a video from a text prompt, and the result goes to your Story. Checked against TikTok Help Center: AI Alive
- TikTok’s AI settings: what you can switch off, and what TikTok doesn’t document. A Manage topics control for how much AI-generated content you see was still a test in July 2026. Checked against TikTok Newsroom: Helping people spot and understand AI generated content on TikTok (10 July 2026)
How do comments, messages and community features work?
Comments and direct messages each have their own privacy settings. Under Settings and privacy, then Privacy, then Comments, you allow comments from Everyone (public accounts only), Followers (private accounts only) or Friends, and you can turn comments off on any single post. Direct messages are for accounts aged 16 and older, and TikTok says they’re encrypted while sent and stored but not end-to-end encrypted.
Checked against TikTok Help Center: Manage comments.
Checked against TikTok Help Center: Direct messages — FAQs.
Comments gained new formats in 2026. On 3 September 2026 TikTok announced Comment Polls (up to 5 options) and Live Photo Comments, available globally, plus Voice Comments (up to 60 seconds, for accounts aged 18 and older) and comments with up to 9 photos, both announced as rolling out. Checked against TikTok Newsroom: Say More in the Comments: Introducing Voice, Polls, and Carousels on TikTok (3 September 2026)
Go deeper:
- Commenting with a photo: tap Comments, then Add comment, then Upload photo. TikTok’s Help Center says photo comments work in select regions. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Comments
- Pinning comments: during a LIVE, the creator or a moderator can pin a comment to the top of the chat for a short time, in the app only. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Comments on TikTok LIVE TikTok Studio on a computer lists delete, like, dislike and reply for comments, with no pin, Checked against TikTok Help Center: Tools for creators (TikTok Studio) and TikTok’s Help Center documents no way to pin a comment on a regular video. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Manage commentsNot verified
- Direct messages: you can send one message request until it’s accepted, and if it’s deleted or ignored you can’t message that person again. Checked against TikTok Help Center: A few things to know about message requests
- Bulletin boards: a one-to-many channel in the inbox Checked against TikTok Help Center: What is a bulletin board on TikTok? for creators aged 18 or older with at least 50,000 followers, where the feature is available. Checked against TikTok Creator Academy: Engaging your followers with the bulletin board feature (last updated Aug 18, 2026)
- Reposting: how to repost and how to undo it. Removing a repost also deletes all its replies. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Repost
- Challenges: joining a trend, and Add Yours, which puts a prompt on your post that anyone can answer with a post of their own. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Add Yours TikTok’s Community Guidelines don’t allow content that shows or promotes dangerous challenges. Checked against TikTok Community Guidelines: Mental and Behavioral Health (released 25 August 2026, effective 24 September 2026)
- The free TikTok comment generator suggests replies to comments on your own videos.
How does TikTok decide what you see? (For You and search)
For You runs on three kinds of signal, TikTok says: your interactions (what you like, share, comment on, watch in full or skip), content information such as sounds and hashtags, and user information such as device, language and location. For most users, interactions such as watch time generally weigh most. Search works differently: there, how well a post matches the words typed generally weighs most.
Checked against TikTok Help Center: How TikTok recommends content.
Checked against TikTok Help Center: How TikTok recommends content.
Follower count isn’t one of those signals. In 2020 TikTok said neither follower count nor a history of high-performing videos is a direct factor in its recommendations, though accounts with more followers are likely to get more views. Checked against TikTok Newsroom: How TikTok recommends videos #ForYou (18 June 2020) To see why a post was recommended to you:
In the app:
- In the TikTok app, tap the Share button on the side of a post in the For You feed.
- Tap Why this post.
Checked against TikTok Help Center: For You.
You can steer your own feed, too. Manage topics, under Settings and privacy, then Content preferences, moves a slider for each topic and affects only For You. Filter keywords hides up to 100 words or hashtags from feeds such as For You and Following. Refresh your For You feed shows popular content to reshape your recommendations, and it can’t be undone.
Checked against TikTok Help Center: Managing topics on TikTok.
Checked against TikTok Help Center: How to manage your keyword filters.
Checked against TikTok Help Center: How to refresh your For You feed.
Growth has to be organic. TikTok’s Community Guidelines ban the trade of services that artificially boost engagement and strictly prohibit automation tools and scripts designed to bypass its systems, and TikTok removes fake likes and followers it detects. Checked against TikTok Community Guidelines: Integrity and Authenticity — Deceptive Behaviors and Fake Engagement (effective 24 September 2026)
Go deeper:
- Getting found in TikTok search: what decides search results, and Creator Search Insights, which shows topics people search for; open it by searching its name in the app. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Creator Search Insights
- Growing followers organically: TikTok’s Help Center suggests uploading high-quality content regularly, making videos longer than one minute and collaborating with similar creators. Checked against TikTok Help Center: How to grow your audience
- Raising engagement: TikTok’s Creator Academy calls the first few seconds the most critical for hooking viewers, and suggests replying to comments with videos, text replies or likes. Checked against TikTok Creator Academy: Understanding and engaging with your audience
- Creator strategies: the Creator Academy says longer watch times signal compelling content, and that trends can lift visibility when balanced with original posts. Checked against TikTok Creator Academy: Understanding the Recommendation System
- What FYP means, and how to get more views when a video stalls.
- Timing and text: the best time to post on TikTok, best hashtags for TikTok, TikTok captions that go viral and TikTok video ideas.
- Free tools: the hook generator, TikTok caption generator, TikTok hashtag generator and engagement rate calculator.
What business, ads and money features does TikTok have?
Promote is TikTok’s in-app ad tool: it boosts a video, photo post or LIVE, typically as an ad, but not a Story, and TikTok calls its results estimates, not guarantees. To use it you must be 18 or older and promote public content with original or commercially usable sound. Separately, any post that promotes a brand, product or service needs TikTok’s content disclosure setting, which labels it Promotional content or Paid partnership.
Checked against TikTok Help Center: Use Promote to grow your TikTok audience.
Checked against TikTok Help Center: Use Promote to grow your TikTok audience.
Checked against TikTok Help Center: Promoting a brand, product, or service.
Earning from TikTok directly has stricter gates. The Creator Rewards Program needs a Personal Account (Business and political or government accounts aren’t eligible), age 18 or older (19 in South Korea), at least 10,000 followers and 100,000 video views in the last 30 days, and videos at least one minute long. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Creator Rewards Program Each program’s bar, side by side, is in TikTok monetization requirements.
Going LIVE needs you to be 18 or older with 1,000 followers, a number that may vary by region, and sending or receiving LIVE Gifts needs 18 or older (19 in South Korea). LIVE and Gifts aren’t available everywhere.
In the app:
- In the TikTok app, tap the Add post + button at the bottom.
- Tap LIVE at the bottom. You may need to scroll across.
- Add a title, use LIVE tools, or adjust your LIVE settings.
- Tap Go LIVE to start your LIVE.
Checked against TikTok Help Center: About TikTok LIVE.
Go deeper:
- TikTok Promote: how it works and what it costs. Paying with Coins, Apple Pay or Google Pay can add a service fee set by Apple or Google, which TikTok says is typically around 30%. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Use Promote to grow your TikTok audience
- Creative Center: TikTok’s free site of high-performing ads and trending hashtags. A login isn’t required, though TikTok recommends one to see everything. Checked against TikTok Business Help Center: About Creative Center (last updated July 2026)
- Subscription and Super Fan: since September 2025, LIVE subscriber perks belong to Super Fan, which upgraded the old LIVE Subscription, while Subscription now focuses on exclusive content and subscriber engagement. Checked against TikTok Creator Academy: Super Fan FAQ (last updated Oct 6, 2026)
- How much TikTok pays: estimated Creator Rewards ranges per million views, plus the free TikTok money calculator for a range from your own numbers.
- TikTok affiliate program: in the US, creators can apply to TikTok Shop’s affiliate program at 1,000 followers and earn commission on products they promote, at a rate each seller sets. Checked against TikTok Shop Seller University (US): Creator Eligibility Policy Checked against TikTok Shop Seller University (US): Setting Up Affiliate Collaborations
Which records, news and alternatives are worth knowing?
Guinness World Records lists Zach King’s “Magic Broomstick” as the most viewed TikTok video, at about 2.2 billion views as verified by TikTok on 15 March 2022. For news, go to the source: TikTok’s Newsroom and Help Center. TikTok’s current Community Guidelines, for example, were released on 25 August 2026 and took effect on 24 September 2026.
Checked against Guinness World Records: Most viewed video on TikTok.
Checked against TikTok Community Guidelines.
In the US, TikTok is run for US users by TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, established on 23 January 2026, which said it would retrain the US recommendation algorithm on US user data. Checked against TikTok Newsroom: Announcement from the new TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC (23 January 2026)
Go deeper:
- TikTok updates: a dated log of TikTok’s official announcements, newest first, such as the 5 October 2026 update that brought the TikTok Ad Network to US advertisers. Checked against TikTok Newsroom: TikTok Unveils AI-Powered Updates for Advertisers (5 October 2026)
- Most viewed TikToks: the record holders, each with its source and date. Guinness World Records lists Bella Poarch’s lip-sync as the most liked TikTok video, with 54.9 million likes as of 25 January 2022. Checked against Guinness World Records: Most liked video on TikTok
- Apps like TikTok: other short-video apps, each described from its own help pages. Snapchat’s Spotlight, for one, takes videos of 5 seconds or longer, and its Post button appears for users aged 16 or older where Spotlight posting is available. Checked against Snapchat Support: How do I post Snaps to Spotlight?
- Instagram Reels vs TikTok: the two short-video formats compared side by side.
- How to use Instagram: the same task-by-task guide for Instagram.
Every TikTok how-to, by task
All 31 guides, grouped as above, with the question each one answers.
| Task group | Guide | What it answers |
|---|---|---|
| Start | Make a new TikTok account | Sign-up, age rules, extra accounts |
| Start | Choose an account type | Personal or business, and switching |
| Start | Add a link to your bio | Who can add a profile link |
| Post | Post from a computer | Uploading on a PC or Mac |
| Post | Make a slideshow | Photo posts of up to 35 photos |
| Post | Duet a video | Split screens, and who can Duet you |
| Post | Make a reaction video | Duet, Stitch and copyright |
| Edit and AI | Find and use sounds | Adding, saving and licensing audio |
| Edit and AI | Use filters | Filters versus effects |
| Edit and AI | Use Green Screen | Swapping your background |
| Edit and AI | Record a voiceover | Voiceovers and voice effects |
| Edit and AI | Add text to speech | Text read aloud |
| Edit and AI | Try AI Alive | Turning a photo into a video |
| Edit and AI | Check TikTok’s AI settings | What you can and can’t switch off |
| Community | Comment with a photo | Photo comments, and where they work |
| Community | Pin a comment | What TikTok documents about pinning |
| Community | Send messages | DMs, requests and group chats |
| Community | Run a bulletin board | Broadcast channels for big creators |
| Community | Repost a video | Reposting and undoing it |
| Community | Join a challenge | Trends, Add Yours and safety |
| Growth | Get found in search | How TikTok search ranks posts |
| Growth | Grow followers | Organic growth within the rules |
| Growth | Raise engagement | Hooks, comments and replies |
| Growth | Plan a strategy | TikTok’s own creator advice |
| Money | Promote a post | In-app ads and their cost |
| Money | Use Creative Center | Trending hashtags and top ads |
| Money | Subscribe or offer subscriptions | Subscription, Super Fan, cancelling |
| Records | Follow TikTok updates | New features, dated |
| Records | See the most viewed TikToks | Record holders, with dates |
| Records | Compare apps like TikTok | Other short-video apps |
| Records | Compare Reels and TikTok | Which suits your videos |
Frequently asked questions
Can you use TikTok on a computer?
Yes. In a web browser you click Upload at the top and select a video, and TikTok Studio on the web takes MP4 or WebM files at 720x1280 or higher, up to 30 minutes long and under 10 GB. TikTok’s Help Center documents scheduling on desktop web, 15 minutes to 10 days ahead, but gives photo post and text post steps for the app only.
What are the length limits in the app and on the web?
Videos you record in the TikTok app can be up to 10 minutes long, and videos you upload in the app up to 60 minutes. TikTok Studio in a web browser accepts uploads of up to 30 minutes and less than 10 GB. If you pick a sound before recording, the sound’s length sets the video’s length.
How do I make my TikTok account private?
In the TikTok app, tap Profile, tap the Menu button, then Settings and privacy, then Privacy, and turn on Private account. You then approve who can follow you and watch your videos, and nobody can Duet, Stitch, download or add your posts to their Stories. Your name, username and profile photo stay visible to anyone, and accounts for ages 13 to 17 are private by default.
Who can see my TikTok posts?
You choose for each post. On a public account the options are Everyone, Friends or Only you; on a private account they are Followers, Friends or Only you. You can change it before or after posting without resetting the view count, though depending on your age and location it may default to Only you and be locked. A new post keeps your previous post’s setting, so check it before you tap Post.
Does follower count decide who sees my videos?
Not directly. TikTok said in 2020 that neither follower count nor a history of high-performing videos is a direct factor in its recommendations, though accounts with more followers are likely to get more views. Its Help Center now says that for most users, interactions such as time spent watching generally weigh most in the For You feed.