TikTok Reaction Videos: Duet, Stitch or Green Screen?
To make a TikTok reaction, start from the video you’re reacting to: tap Share, then Duet to appear beside it, or Stitch to use part of it in your own video. A Green Screen Duet uses the original as your background instead. Each works only when the creator allows it, and TikTok’s copyright and originality rules apply to all three.
Reactions are one format among many in our complete TikTok how-to.
Table of Contents
- What is a TikTok reaction video?
- Duet, Stitch or Green Screen: which reaction format fits?
- How do you react with Duet?
- How do you react with Stitch?
- How do you react with Green Screen Duet?
- Why can’t I react to a TikTok video?
- Are reaction videos allowed? Copyright, credit and originality
- TikTok reaction FAQ
What is a TikTok reaction video?
A TikTok reaction video shows you responding to another creator’s video, with theirs on screen through one of TikTok’s own tools: Duet, Stitch or Green Screen Duet. In TikTok’s terms, React is a Duet layout: when it launched Green Screen Duet on 12 May 2021, TikTok listed the existing Duet layouts as Left & Right, React and Top & Bottom. Checked against TikTok Newsroom: Introducing Green Screen Duet (12 May 2021) Its current Duet help article names no layouts, so the menu in your app may differ.
Duet, Stitch or Green Screen: which reaction format fits?
Duet if the original should play beside you, Stitch if you only need a moment of it to set up your response, Green Screen Duet if you want to talk in front of it. TikTok says a Duet or a Stitch appears only on the profile of the person who made it, not the original creator’s.
| Duet | Stitch | Green Screen Duet | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What viewers see | Your video beside the original in a split screen, both playing at the same time | A part of the original, used as part of your video | The original playing as the background of your new video |
| How you start | Share, then Duet | Share, then Stitch, then choose the part | Duet the video, then pick Green Screen from the layouts |
| Who the creator can allow | Everyone or Friends | Everyone, Friends or Only you | Not stated in TikTok’s 2021 post |
Checked against TikTok Help Center: Duets.
Checked against TikTok Help Center: Stitch.
Checked against TikTok Newsroom: Introducing Green Screen Duet (12 May 2021).
- Comment on it as it plays: Duet.
- Answer one moment or question: Stitch, using only the part you choose.
- Present in front of it: Green Screen Duet.
Need something to react to? Our TikTok video ideas include Duet and Stitch formats.
How do you react with Duet?
Tap Share on the video, tap Duet (you may need to swipe to find it), record your reaction, then post it to your Story or tap Next and Post. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Duets Full steps, layouts and fixes for a missing Duet option are in our guide on how to duet on TikTok.
How do you react with Stitch?
Tap Share on the video, tap Stitch, choose the part you want to respond to, then record your reaction.
In the app:
- In the TikTok app, tap the Share button on the side of the video you'd like to Stitch.
- Tap Stitch and choose the part of the video you'd like to Stitch, then tap Next.
- Select a maximum length for your video.
- Tap the Record button to create your Stitch, then tap the Continue ✓ button.
- 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, Manage privacy settings.
- Tap Post to publish your Stitch or Drafts to save it. Your drafts are visible only to you on your profile.
Checked against TikTok Help Center: Stitch.
At launch in September 2020, a Stitch could use up to five seconds of the other video; TikTok’s current article gives no clip length. Checked against TikTok Newsroom: New on TikTok: Introducing Stitch (3 September 2020) For your own part, see how long TikTok videos can be.
How do you react with Green Screen Duet?
Duet the video you want as your background, then choose Green Screen from the Duet layout options. That’s how TikTok described it at launch on 12 May 2021, with the original playing as the background of your new video. Checked against TikTok Newsroom: Introducing Green Screen Duet (12 May 2021)
TikTok’s current Help Center has no Green Screen article, so labels may have changed since. Checked against TikTok Help Center: EffectsNot verified For the Green Screen effect with your own photos and videos, see how to use green screen on TikTok.
Why can’t I react to a TikTok video?
Because the creator’s account, settings or age rule it out: Duet and Stitch need a public account and the creator’s permission, and nobody can Duet or Stitch videos from accounts aged 13 to 15.
- Private account. TikTok says you must have a public account to allow others to Duet or Stitch your videos.
- Reuse of content. One setting decides who can Stitch (Everyone or Friends), and TikTok says it also affects who can Duet. Creators can also turn it off for a single post. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Manage who can Stitch with your videos (Reuse of content)
- Age. Nobody can Duet or Stitch videos from accounts aged 13 to 15, and that can’t be changed. At 16 and 17, a private account blocks both, and a public one defaults to Friends. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Privacy and safety settings for users under age 18
If a creator has switched reuse off, that choice is theirs. Downloading their video to react to it in another app would get around it, so don’t.
Are reaction videos allowed? Copyright, credit and originality
TikTok’s reuse tools exist for building on other creators’ videos, but two sets of rules still apply to what you post: copyright, about using someone else’s content, and originality, about what the For You feed recommends.
Copyright. TikTok’s Terms and Community Guidelines don’t allow posting another person’s copyrighted content without permission. TikTok says fair use and exceptions such as quotation, criticism or review may sometimes apply, but IP laws vary by jurisdiction and it can’t give legal advice, so no reaction is automatically fair use. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Copyright Copyright strikes expire from your record after 90 days, and too many lead to a permanent ban. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Copyright
Originality. Content that includes unoriginal or reused material without anything new is ineligible for the For You feed, and unoriginal content is also ineligible for the Creator Rewards Program. Checked against TikTok Community Guidelines: Integrity and Authenticity (effective 24 September 2026) The program’s other rules are in TikTok monetization requirements. TikTok’s Creator Academy counts as unoriginal anything copied completely, largely repurposed without creative edits, combined from several sources with little or no added value, or carrying someone else’s visible watermark or logo. Checked against TikTok Creator Academy: Understanding TikTok's Originality Policy So a reaction that only replays the original, with nothing new from you, is the kind TikTok keeps out of the For You feed.
Credit. As TikTok described them at launch, Stitch (2020) and Green Screen Duet (2021) credit the original creator in your caption with a link. From the Post screen you can also credit up to 3 videos, and their creators are notified. A credit is a courtesy, not a copyright licence.
In the app:
- Tap Mention on the Post screen.
- Tap Videos, then select the video you want to credit from the Posted, Liked, or Favorites tab or tap a video to preview, then tap Confirm. Alternatively, you can copy and paste the video URL into the description of your post.
- Write a description, adjust the video settings, and tap Post. The selected video will appear in the post description and the creator will be notified.
Checked against TikTok Help Center: Credit a video.
YouTube’s nearest tool for sharing part of someone else’s video is Clip, which shares a link rather than a copy (how to clip a YouTube video).
TikTok reaction FAQ
Where is the React button on TikTok?
TikTok’s current Duet help article doesn’t mention React: it names no layouts. When TikTok launched Green Screen Duet in May 2021, it listed React as one of the Duet layouts, alongside Left & Right and Top & Bottom. A reaction made that way starts as a Duet, from the Share button on the video.
Can you react to any TikTok video?
No. Duet and Stitch work only on videos from public accounts whose owners allow reuse, and nobody can Duet or Stitch videos from accounts aged 13 to 15. Creators can limit reuse to Friends (followers they follow back) or turn it off for a single post, and TikTok notes that not all videos have Duet or Stitch turned on.
Are reaction videos allowed on TikTok?
TikTok’s Duet, Stitch and Green Screen Duet exist for building on other creators’ videos, within each creator’s settings. TikTok’s rules don’t allow posting another person’s copyrighted content without permission; fair use and exceptions such as quotation, criticism or review may sometimes apply, but TikTok can’t give legal advice. Content with reused material and nothing new is ineligible for the For You feed.
How do you credit the creator of a video you react to?
As TikTok described them at launch, Stitch and Green Screen Duet credit the original creator in your caption with a link. From the Post screen you can also credit up to 3 videos (Mention, then Videos), and their creators are notified. A credit is a courtesy, not a copyright licence.