TikTok Audio: How to Find, Save and Use Sounds
Add TikTok audio with the Add sound button at the top of the recording screen, then pick a sound from the For You, Favorites or Recent tab, or search for one. From there you can trim where it starts, swap it in the editor and save it to Favorites for later. Each post takes one sound, and a business account can only use music licensed for commercial use.
Every step below is TikTok’s own, taken from its help pages. Filters, effects and the rest of the camera are in our guide to using TikTok.
Table of Contents
- How do you add a sound to a TikTok?
- How do you trim, replace or save a TikTok sound?
- How do you make your own sound on TikTok?
- Why can’t business accounts use some TikTok sounds?
- How do you check a sound for copyright before posting?
- TikTok audio FAQ
How do you add a sound to a TikTok?
Tap Add post +, then Add sound at the top of the recording screen, choose a sound and tap anywhere on the video to add it. Tapping a sound previews it, and the Search button looks for one. TikTok’s steps:
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.
The same Help Center article flags two catches. Once you change the music, all previous background music and voices are replaced. And if you upload a long video, sounds that aren’t available for long videos won’t show in your Favorites; TikTok’s fix is to set the length to 15s or 60s on the recording page.
Stuck for something to put the sound under? Our TikTok video ideas are built to work with your own voice, so a trending track is optional. Sounds can turn into slang, too: Bustle reported that a drawn-out “sheeeeeeesh” sound began circulating on TikTok in February 2021, and by that July sheesh could signal anything from bragging to excitement there.
How do you trim, replace or save a TikTok sound?
Trim sets where a sound starts, Sound on the editing screen replaces it, and the Favorites button saves it for later. Trimming, as TikTok publishes it:
In the app:
- Select a sound to add to your post.
- Tap the Trim button next to the sound you selected.
- Drag the slider to set the starting point of the sound.
- Tap the Confirm button ✓.
Checked against TikTok Help Center: Sounds.
To swap the track once you’re on the editing screen, or to add a sound effect, tap Sound at the bottom:
In the app: Add or replace a sound:
- From the editing screen, tap Sound at the bottom.
- Select Add sound or Replace if there is a sound on the clip. You can also tap the sound below the track to replace it.
- Select or search for a sound. The sound will automatically be added to your post.
- Tap the sound clip to make additional edits.
In the app: Add a sound effect:
- From the editing screen, tap Sound at the bottom, then select Sound effect.
- Select any sound to preview it. You can tap the Favorites button to save a sound for later use.
- Tap Use to save the sound effect to your video.
Checked against TikTok Help Center: Editing TikTok videos and photos.
Whatever you choose, TikTok allows one sound per post. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Editing TikTok videos and photos
Saving is the Favorites button: tap it on a sound you picked from Add sound (step 3 of adding a sound), and it’s listed under the Favorites tab next time. The sound effect list has a Favorites button of its own. That’s TikTok’s built-in way to keep a sound for later.
Want the whole song rather than a clip? On 11 March 2026, Apple Music and TikTok announced Play Full Song, which lets Apple Music subscribers play full tracks inside TikTok from the For You feed or a Sound page. It was announced with Listening Party, both rolling out worldwide over the following weeks. Checked against TikTok Newsroom: Apple Music and TikTok Introduce New 'Play Full Song' Experience (11 March 2026)
How do you make your own sound on TikTok?
Record it: a voiceover puts your own voice on a post, from Voice on the side panel of TikTok’s editing screen, then Record. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Editing TikTok videos and photos Our voice over guide has every step, plus the voice effects you can add.
Think twice before you remove a sound you made. If you remove an original sound you added, TikTok permanently removes it from every video that uses it, including other creators’ videos, and those creators are notified:
In the app:
- In the TikTok app, tap the sound at the bottom of the video to go to the original sound screen.
- Tap the Share button at the top.
- Tap Remove sound, then tap Remove on the next screen and confirm to delete the sound from all videos that use it.
Checked against TikTok Help Center: Remove original sounds.
Why can’t business accounts use some TikTok sounds?
Because a business account can only use music licensed for commercial use, and the songs in TikTok’s general music library aren’t cleared for it. TikTok’s Sounds article puts it plainly: “If you have a Business Account, you cannot use music on TikTok that’s not licensed for commercial use.” Non-commercial music can only go on a non-commercial post from a personal account. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Sounds
What business accounts get instead is the Commercial Music Library: a pre-cleared library of about 1 million songs, free for businesses. Checked against TikTok Business Help Center: How to use the Commercial Music Library
| Music | Personal (General) account | Business account |
|---|---|---|
| General music library | Yes, on non-commercial posts | No: its songs aren’t cleared for commercial use |
| Commercial Music Library | Yes: pick Commercial Sounds from the Sounds dropdown | Yes: the only sounds shown under Add sound |
Checked against TikTok Help Center: Account types on TikTok — Verified Business Accounts.
TikTok’s account-types page calls these General TikTok Accounts and Verified Business Accounts. Deciding between them? Our guide to TikTok account types covers what else changes. Cross-posting the clip as a Reel? Instagram runs its own music rules for business accounts, covered in our Instagram audio guide.
How do you check a sound for copyright before posting?
Run TikTok Studio’s sound copyright check: in the app it can check every new post automatically, and on the web you tick Run a copyright check before posting. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Tools for creators (TikTok Studio) If the web check finds infringements on the sounds you used, TikTok says you can edit the video before you post it. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Tools for creators (TikTok Studio)
A check isn’t permission. TikTok’s Terms and Community Guidelines don’t allow posting someone else’s copyrighted content without permission, though fair use and exceptions such as quotation, criticism or review may apply. “Only a small portion of the work was copied” is on TikTok’s list of appeal reasons it generally rejects without evidence. Copyright strikes expire after 90 days, and too many lead to a permanent ban. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Copyright
What about adding the sound in a scheduling tool such as Outfeed AI instead?
In TikTok itself, the sound goes on with the Add sound steps earlier on this page.
Schedule a finished TikTok video, sound included, with Outfeed AI
TikTok audio FAQ
Can you use more than one sound on a TikTok?
TikTok says you can add one sound to a post. Its editor has a separate Sound effect option under Sound, and TikTok warns that once you change the music, all previous background music and voices are replaced.
How do you save a sound on TikTok for later?
Tap the Favorites button on the sound after you pick it from Add sound. The Add sound screen has a Favorites tab next to For You and Recent. If you upload a long video, sounds that aren’t available for long videos won’t show in your Favorites.
What happens if I delete my original sound on TikTok?
TikTok permanently removes it from every video that uses it, including other creators’ videos, and those creators are notified. To do it, tap the sound on your video, tap Share on the original sound screen, then tap Remove sound and Remove, and confirm.
Is the TikTok Commercial Music Library free?
Yes, for businesses. TikTok’s Business Help Center describes it as a pre-cleared library of about 1 million songs, free for businesses. Business accounts see only these Commercial Sounds under Add sound; personal accounts can pick Commercial Sounds from the Sounds dropdown.
What is Play Full Song on TikTok?
A feature Apple Music and TikTok announced on 11 March 2026. It lets Apple Music subscribers play full tracks inside TikTok from the For You feed or a Sound page. It was announced with Listening Party, both rolling out worldwide over the following weeks.