How to Add a TikTok Song to CapCut

Struggling to pair that perfect trending TikTok audio with your CapCut video? You're not alone. The right sound can transform a simple clip into viral gold, but getting it from one app to the other isn't always obvious. This guide cuts through the confusion, showing you exactly how to add any TikTok song to your CapCut projects, step by step.

The Official Sync: Linking Your TikTok and CapCut Accounts

The simplest way to use TikTok sounds in CapCut is by connecting your accounts. Since both apps are owned by ByteDance, they have a built-in integration that makes this process incredibly smooth. When you use this method, you can directly access the sounds you've favorited on TikTok.

Step 1: Open Your Project in CapCut

Start by either opening an existing project you're working on or creating a new one. Tap the New project button, select the video clips or images you want to use from your camera roll, and tap Add to bring them into your timeline.

Step 2: Navigate to the “Add Audio” Menu

At the bottom of the editing screen, you'll see the primary toolbar. Tap on Audio. This is your main hub for all sound-related edits. From here, you'll see several options like Sounds, Copyright, Effects, Extracted, and Record.

Tap on the first option, Sounds (the one with a music note icon).

Step 3: Select the “TikTok” Tab

Inside the Sounds menu, you'll see a screen with different audio categories and a search bar. Look for the tabs at the top. You should see a search bar with a TikTok icon next to it and a label. Tap on the TikTok logo. If it's your first time doing this, you'll be prompted to sign in.

Step 4: Authorize Your TikTok Account

CapCut will ask for permission to access your TikTok account. Tap the big red Authorize button. This will redirect you to a TikTok login page. Enter your credentials and sign in. Once you sign in, your account will be linked, and you will be able to see your favorite sounds directly in CapCut.

Pro Tip: This is a secure authorization. You're giving CapCut permission to view your saved sounds, not your private messages or other sensitive account information.

Step 5: Browse and Add Your Saved Sounds

Once authorized, you'll see a list of every sound you've ever saved to your Favorites on TikTok. The list is organized with your most recently saved sounds at the top. Scroll through the list until you find the audio you want to use.

Tap the plus sign (+) next to the sound to add it directly to your video timeline. From here, you can trim the audio, adjust its volume, and sync your video clips to the beat just as you would with any other sound clip.

The Screen-Recording Method: How to Use Sounds from Any TikTok Video

What if you want to use a sound from a TikTok you just saw but forgot to favorite? Or what if a particular sound just isn't showing up in your synced library? The screen-recording workaround is your backup plan. It takes a few extra steps but lets you grab audio from any video on the platform.

Step 1: Find and Prepare the TikTok Video

Open the TikTok app and find the video containing the audio you want to use. Let the video play through once to fully load. This helps prevent any buffering or glitches during your screen recording.

Step 2: Screen Record the Video with Sound

Pull down your phone's control center (or swipe up, depending on your device) and start a screen recording. Make sure your microphone is turned off so you only capture the device's internal audio. Go back to the TikTok app and play the video from the beginning. Let the portion of the sound you want to use play all the way through before stopping the recording.

The screen recording will automatically save to your phone's photo gallery or camera roll.

Step 3: Trim the Screen Recording (Optional but Recommended)

Before importing it into CapCut, it's a good idea to trim your new video. Open the screen recording in your phone's photo app and use the basic editing tools to trim the beginning and end. Cut out the parts where you were starting and stopping the recording, leaving only the portion of the video with the sound you need. This makes it much cleaner to work with in CapCut.

Step 4: Import the Trimmed Video into CapCut

Go back to your project in CapCut. Instead of adding audio, add a new video clip. Tap the plus icon (+) at the end of your main video timeline to add a new clip. Select your trimmed screen recording from your gallery. It will now appear on your timeline.

Step 5: Extract the Audio

Now, it's time to separate the sound. With the new clip of your screen recording selected in the timeline, find the Extract audio option in the bottom toolbar (you may need to scroll to the right). Tap it.

CapCut will instantly create a separate audio track using the sound from your screen recording and place it underneath your main video clips. Now you can delete the screen recording clip from your timeline, leaving just the extracted audio behind. Voila! You have the sound, and you can edit it just like any other audio track.

Important: Understanding Copyright and Using Commercial Sounds

Adding trendy music to your videos is fun and effective, but it's essential to be mindful of copyright, especially if you're creating content for a brand or business.

Original Sounds vs. Commercial Music

Not all sounds on TikTok are equal. A sound can be an "Original Audio" uploaded by a creator (like a voiceover or a funny noise) or a licensed commercial song from a famous artist. Licensed music comes with restrictions. TikTok has agreements that allow its use within their app, but these permissions don't always extend elsewhere.

The Problem for Business Accounts

If you have a TikTok Business Account, you've likely noticed that your music options are limited. This is intentional. Business Accounts are restricted from using most mainstream commercial music due to licensing laws. Instead, they are given access to TikTok's Commercial Music Library - a collection of over a million royalty-free tracks cleared for marketing and promotional use.

If you extract a trending pop song and use it in a video promoting your business, your video could be muted or taken down by TikTok for copyright infringement after you post it.

What's the Safest Approach?

• For personal accounts: You have more flexibility. Using trending sounds from other creators or mainstream artists is generally fine for creative, non-commercial content.
• For business and brand accounts: Stick to sounds from the Commercial Music Library whenever possible. If you must use a trending sound, choose an "Original Audio" from another creator (like a dialogue snippet or meme sound) rather than a track from a major music artist. It's a safer bet against potential copyright flags.

Troubleshooting: What to Do When It's Not Working

Even with the official sync, you can run into a few snags. Here are some quick solutions to common problems.

Why can't I see the TikTok sound I just saved?

Sometimes, there's a delay for the apps to sync. Try this:

• Force close both apps: Completely close both TikTok and CapCut on your phone and then reopen them.
• Refresh the sync: In CapCut, navigate back to the TikTok sounds section. Occasionally, there's a refresh option, or just navigating away and back can trigger one.
• Try again later: If it's still not there, give it a few minutes. Syncing isn't always instantaneous.

Why does my sound have a "not available for commercial use" label?

This warning appears in CapCut if you've chosen a licensed commercial song. CapCut displays this to remind you that using this audio for an advertisement or branded content technically violates music licensing agreements. While TikTok may not immediately flag a personal video using it, a video for a product or service risks being muted upon upload.

Why is my screen-recorded audio quality bad?

The number one cause of poor audio quality with the screen-recording method is accidentally recording your phone's microphone at the same time. To avoid this, make sure the microphone icon is off in your screen record settings before you start. Re-record the clip with only the internal device audio enabled to capture a clean sound.

Final Thoughts

Whether you use the direct TikTok sync or the screen-recording workaround, adding the perfect audio is one of the most powerful ways to elevate your video edits. By understanding these two methods, you'll never be stuck without the sound you need to bring your creative vision to life.

Once your video is perfectly synced to that trending audio, the next step is getting it in front of your audience across every platform. Here at Postbase, we streamlined social media management because we got tired of fighting clunky tools that were built for a different era. Our platform is designed from the ground up for short-form video, so you can plan your content calendar, schedule your TikToks, Reels, and Shorts, and manage a dozen accounts from one clean dashboard. It's built to just work, so you can trust your content goes live when it's supposed to, every single time.