The way to bulk obtain and save your TikTok movies

There’s a common sense of doom on the TikTok feeds lately, and no surprise: it seems just like the video service could also be banned within the US as of January nineteenth. TikTok creators are providing satirical goodbyes to their Chinese language spies and questioning how shortly they will obtain the a number of hundred — or thousand — movies they’ve up on the service.

TikTok itself apparently doesn’t like the concept of permitting its creators to bulk obtain their movies. You can obtain — in TXT or JSON format — a specific amount of your knowledge, which, in line with the help web page, “could embrace however isn’t restricted to your username, watch video historical past, remark historical past, and privateness settings.” Once I tried it, it didn’t embrace my movies. 

You can too share particular person movies — the identical manner you may any file — however when you’ve acquired a library of a few hundred or extra TikTok movies, that’s going to be fairly a job. In that case, it’s rather a lot higher to have a bulk obtain technique.

To learn the way to try this, I went into TikTok and waded by a bunch of movies providing completely different strategies for downloading your content material. I attempted a number of of the strategies and located three that labored comparatively painlessly. (All, by the way, have to be accomplished on a pc reasonably than a telephone.) 

A caveat earlier than I start: not being an precise TikTok creator, I solely had two revealed TikTok movies on my account, which I had made as an experiment a while in the past. In consequence, it didn’t take a lot time for me to obtain them utilizing any of the strategies. In case you’re a real TikTok creator, count on downloads and conversions to take a while.

A number of individuals really helpful an app known as Repurpose.io. This isn’t a free app — it prices $35 a month or $349 a yr. For a short while, Repurpose.io was providing free downloads from TikTok to Google Drive and Dropbox however needed to withdraw the supply “on account of excessive demand.” Nonetheless, you continue to get to obtain 10 movies free of charge over 14 days, so you may attempt it out first. 

Repurpose.io permits you to distribute your content material on completely different platforms: you merely inform it the place to add the movies (moreover TikTok, it’s going to pull knowledge from Instagram, YouTube, Zoom, and a variety of different companies) and the place you need it to ship them (moreover Instagram and different companies, it can save you them to Dropbox, SoundCloud, Google Drive, and different apps). You’ll be able to schedule common transfers, repurpose solely future content material or all present content material, and even create clips (if, for instance, you’re sending YouTube movies to TikTok).

Once I tried it, Repurpose.io simply picked up my two TikTok movies and transferred them to my Google Drive in a few minutes. Whereas it ought to take a lot longer in case you have, say, a number of hundred movies, the interface retains you updated on which movies have been transferred and what number of are left.

The paid app means that you can switch an infinite variety of revealed movies to as much as 5 completely different accounts. It may make lots of sense if you’re a devoted TikTok video creator and are pondering of transferring your movies to a different service.

(Replace: as of January 18th, DownloadTok seems to be unavailable with a 503 error. One other website, Snaptik, could also be accessible.)

In case you don’t thoughts taking part in slightly with code, there’s a free technique to do it as nicely. A marketing consultant named Joanne Moxam has revealed a useful step-by-step YouTube video on how you can use Chrome’s browser console to avoid wasting all of your hyperlinks in a single fell swoop, transfer the information to a spreadsheet, after which use an internet software to bulk obtain your movies.

Beneath, I’ve summarized the steps that Moxam suggests (which I efficiently tried). She strongly recommends that you just do that through the use of the Chrome browser.

• Go to your Profile web page (by clicking in your private icon within the top-right nook).
• Deliver up the browser console by hitting the F12 key. (In case you’re on a Mac, it’s possible you’ll want to make use of Fn-F12.) You’ll see a window open on the correct full of code; when you’re not used to that, don’t let it hassle you — you received’t should deal an excessive amount of with it. Simply make it possible for the menu on the very high (which is able to say Parts / Console / Sources) has Console underlined.
• On the backside of the console, the place there’s a single >, paste within the following:

let goToBottom = setInterval(() => window.scrollBy(0, 400), 1000);

In line with Moxam, this scrolls all of your movies all the way down to the underside, making them a part of a single window to allow them to be chosen.

Be aware: you might even see a warning to not paste code into the console that you just don’t perceive; you’ll be requested to sort “permit pasting” and hit Enter first. Go forward; I used each of those codes with out a problem.

• Now enter the second code, which is able to mechanically choose and obtain a CSV file of your hyperlinks to all of the movies in your profile to your laptop. It’s a bit lengthy: right here’s a hyperlink to Moxam’s code.
• The ensuing file might be known as my_data.csv. 
• Import the CSV file to a spreadsheet.

Now you should utilize the hyperlinks to do a bulk obtain of your movies. Moxam recommends a free on-line service known as TOKdownload, which is what I used. 

• Copy the hyperlinks from the spreadsheet and paste them into the designated discipline. (Be aware: since I used to be solely downloading a few movies, I had no issues; as Moxam suggests, when you’re coping with massive numbers, it’s possible you’ll need to obtain in batches of fifty or so with the intention to not overwhelm the app.)
• Click on the Obtain button.

• The app will obtain and course of the hyperlinks each because the movies and covers. It may take some time.
• As soon as it’s accomplished, you’ll get buttons to Obtain All Movies and Obtain All Covers. Click on on the previous, and you’ll get a zipper file containing MP4 recordsdata of your movies.

In case you’re nonetheless uncertain of your self, you may undergo Moxam’s video — she’s sluggish and cautious in her directions. And ensure to additionally verify her related webpage for any updates.

There are additionally a variety of browser extensions that may allow you to obtain your content material. This specific technique is courtesy of TikToker bari.cait — it entails utilizing a free Chrome app in a considerably roundabout however efficient manner. You could find the instructions in bari.cait’s TikTok video; I attempted it and it labored properly on my two posts.

• First, when you’re planning to obtain your individual movies, you’re going to wish a “burner” TikTok account — in different phrases, an account that isn’t your authentic one. Why? As a result of the app that you just’ll use solely permits you to obtain movies you favourite or movies from individuals you comply with (and you may’t precisely comply with your self). In case you have any bother making a second account, maybe see when you can borrow a buddy’s — or have a buddy obtain your movies for you.
• Open your new TikTok account on the internet and comply with your individual common account (the one with all of your movies in it).
• Obtain the Chrome app myfaveTT from the Chrome Net Retailer and set up it. You’ll have to provide it entry to your recordsdata.
• Return to your TikTok web page and click on on the myfaveTT icon, which ought to now be in your extensions listing. In case you don’t see it, click on on the extension icon within the higher proper of your Chrome browser — it seems like a file folder — which gives a drop-down listing of your extensions. Be certain myfaveTT is activated.
• Reload your TikTok web page. You must now have the myfaveTT sidebar on the left aspect of your window.

• The app provides you the selection of downloading all of your likes, your Favorites, or the individuals you comply with. Choose the final. You’ll get an inventory of all of the those that your new account is following; make certain yours is the one one chosen.
• You’ll then be requested to pick a folder to avoid wasting the movies to (if that is the primary time you’re utilizing the app, it’s going to ask you to create a brand new empty folder). Then go forward and hit Subsequent.
• The app will obtain the movies related to that account. How lengthy it’s going to take will rely upon what number of movies there are to obtain. When it’s accomplished, the app will let you already know. The MP4 movies might be in your new folder beneath knowledge > Following > [number] > movies.

There are literally a variety of browser and cell apps accessible that can allow you to obtain and save your TikTok movies. In case you don’t have entry to a pc and should use your telephone, it’s possible you’ll discover the cell apps helpful, however I attempted a pair and located them awkward to make use of, normally restricted to at least one video at a time, and (except you have been prepared to pay) ad-heavy.

Nonetheless you do it — and even when there needs to be some type of last-minute reprieve for TikTok — it’s at all times a good suggestion to again up your on-line movies, particularly if they’re both personally important to you or signify inventive work that you’ll want to maintain on to and look again on within the years to come back.

Replace, January 18th, 2025: This text was initially revealed on January fifteenth and has been up to date so as to add the tactic utilizing myfaveTT and to notice that DownloadTok seems to be unavailable.