How to Do a Voice Over on TikTok (Plus Voice Effects)
TikTok voiceovers are recorded from Voice on the editing screen’s side panel: record or upload your video, open the editor, tap Voice, then tap Record. Tap Done when you finish, pick a voice effect if you want one, and tap Save. That’s how to do voice over on TikTok in the current app; if an older guide shows a microphone button labeled “Recording”, that matches TikTok’s 2020 launch steps.
Want TikTok to read typed words instead? That’s text to speech, a different tool. For the rest of the app, see our guide to using TikTok. Voice-over narration is also one of the main formats for a faceless YouTube channel, and a way to narrate a vlog filmed without talking to camera.
Table of Contents
- How do you do a voice over on TikTok?
- Where did the TikTok voiceover button go?
- How do you add a voice effect on TikTok?
- Can you mix your voice with a sound?
- Can you do a voice over on a computer?
- Voice over or text to speech: which should you use?
- Does Outfeed record voice overs for TikTok?
- Voice over on TikTok: FAQ
How do you do a voice over on TikTok?
Open the editing screen, then record under Voice. First, get into the editor after you record or upload:
In the app:
- In the TikTok app, tap the Add post + button at the bottom.
- Take a photo or video. Alternatively, you can also tap the Upload button to use a photo or video from your device. If you recorded a video, tap the Edit button on the side panel (you may need to tap the Continue ✓ button at the bottom). If you took a photo, tap the Edit button on the side panel. If you uploaded content, tap Next, then tap the Edit button on the side panel.
Checked against TikTok Help Center: Editing TikTok videos and photos.
Then record the voiceover:
In the app:
- From the editing screen, tap Voice on the side panel.
- Tap Record at the bottom.
- Tap the Record button to record your voiceover.
- Tap Done to save your voiceover audio.
- If you want to add a voice effect, select an effect.
- Tap Save at the top.
Checked against TikTok Help Center: Editing TikTok videos and photos.
A script keeps the take tight: our free TikTok script generator lays out a timed beat sheet with a hook and on-screen text. For the video’s own length limits, see how long TikTok videos can be.
Where did the TikTok voiceover button go?
It’s under Voice on the editing screen’s side panel in TikTok’s current steps; TikTok’s 20 April 2020 launch post described a microphone icon labeled “Recording” on the editing page. Older guides may still describe that layout.
| TikTok’s 2020 launch post | TikTok’s Help Center today | |
|---|---|---|
| Where you tap | A microphone icon labeled “Recording” on the editing page | Voice on the editing screen’s side panel, then Record |
| Volume | An “Original sound” volume toggle | No volume step in the voiceover steps |
Checked against TikTok Newsroom: Giving a VOICEover to TikTok creators (20 April 2020).
Read the left column as history: the current steps are the ones in the first section.
How do you add a voice effect on TikTok?
Tap Voice on the editing screen, choose an effect (tap any one to preview it), then tap Save. You can also pick one straight after recording, at step 5 of the voiceover steps.
In the app:
- From the editing screen, tap Voice on the side panel.
- Select a voice effect. You can tap any effect to preview it.
- Tap Save at the top.
Checked against TikTok Help Center: Editing TikTok videos and photos.
TikTok’s Help Center doesn’t name its voice effects, so we don’t list any here; preview them in the app instead.
Can you mix your voice with a sound?
Plan the order, because changing the music later can wipe your voice. TikTok allows one sound per post. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Editing TikTok videos and photos Its Sounds article also warns that once you change the music, all previous background music and voices are replaced. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Sounds
That warning suggests a simple routine: settle the sound first, record your voice last, then play the whole video back before you post. The sound goes on from Sound at the bottom of the editing screen, with Add sound, or Replace if the clip already has one. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Editing TikTok videos and photos Our TikTok sounds guide has those steps, plus trimming and saving.
Can you do a voice over on a computer?
Not with the web tools TikTok documents: its voiceover steps are for the app, and a web-browser upload sends your entire video. So record the voiceover in the app, or build it into the video file before you upload it from a computer:
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.
After the upload, TikTok Studio on the web lets you set a caption, a cover and who can watch, choose whether others may Duet or Stitch, allow comments, and run a copyright check on the sounds. A voiceover isn’t on that list, and TikTok notes that tool availability varies across the app and web, with some features not available in every region. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Tools for creators (TikTok Studio)
Recording on your phone but posting later? Tap Drafts on the Post page to keep the edit. Drafts are saved to your profile, can’t be shared or transferred between accounts, and may be removed if TikTok is uninstalled and reinstalled or the account moves to another device. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Editing, posting, and deleting
Voice over or text to speech: which should you use?
Record a voice over when your own voice is the point; use text to speech when you’d rather type the words and have TikTok read them out. Text-to-speech starts from Text on the side panel: type, tap your text, then select Text-to-speech. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Accessibility for your videos
TikTok covers it in its accessibility help, next to auto-generated captions, which it creates for uploaded videos in the language you choose and which you can edit or remove afterwards. Checked against TikTok Help Center: Accessibility for your videos The typed route has its own walkthrough in our guide to text to speech on TikTok.
Does Outfeed record voice overs for TikTok?
Inside TikTok, the voiceover steps at the top of this page do the job.
Voice over on TikTok: FAQ
Where is the voiceover button on TikTok now?
On the editing screen. TikTok’s current steps say to tap Voice on the side panel, then Record. Its 20 April 2020 launch post described a microphone icon labeled ‘Recording’ on the editing page, so older guides may show a different button.
Can you add a voice over to a video you uploaded?
Yes. Tap Add post +, then Upload to pick the video, tap Next, then tap Edit on the side panel to open the editing screen. From there, tap Voice, then Record, record your voiceover, tap Done and then Save.
How do you change your voice on TikTok?
Use a voice effect. On the editing screen, tap Voice on the side panel, select an effect (you can tap any effect to preview it) and tap Save. You can also pick one right after recording a voiceover. TikTok’s Help Center doesn’t list the effects by name.
Can you do a voice over on TikTok on a computer?
Not with the tools TikTok documents. Its voiceover steps are for the app, a web-browser upload sends your entire video, and the TikTok Studio web settings it lists, such as the caption, cover, comments and a sound copyright check, don’t include a voiceover.