How to Continue Filming a TikTok Draft

Ever film a few perfect clips for a TikTok, save it as a draft, and then have no idea how to go back and add more footage? You’re not alone. This guide walks you through the exact steps to find, reopen, and continue filming any TikTok draft, so you can finish that brilliant video you started.

Where to Find Your TikTok Drafts

First things first - you can't add to a draft if you can't find it. When you save a video as a draft on TikTok, it doesn’t go into some hidden folder in the cloud. It’s saved directly to your device’s storage, accessible only through the TikTok app on that specific phone. This is important: if you delete the app or get a new phone, your drafts will be gone for good.

Finding them is simple. Here’s how:

• Open the TikTok app and go to your Profile tab (the icon of a person in the bottom-right corner).
• Right at the top of your feed of published videos, you’ll see a box labeled Drafts with a number next to it indicating how many you have saved. It will be the very first video tile. If you don't have any drafts saved, this option won't appear.
• Tap on the “Drafts” box to open your drafts gallery.

That's it. All your saved works-in-progress are right there, waiting for you to finish them. Just remember, these are tied to your physical device, not your account. You can't access your phone's drafts from your iPad, even if you’re logged into the same TikTok profile.

How to Continue Filming a TikTok Draft: A Step-by-Step Guide

Okay, you’ve found your draft. Now comes the part that trips most people up. The process feels a little counterintuitive, but once you know the trick, it's incredibly simple. You don’t need to start over or try to hack together a workaround. The feature is built right into the app.

Let's walk through it, from opening the draft to filming your next clip.

Step 1: Open Your Draft and Go Back (Yes, Back)

From your Drafts gallery, tap on the video you want to continue working on. This will open it up in the final editing screen - the one where you can add text, stickers, and adjust final effects before posting. You'll see your previously recorded clips here, along with options like "Add sound," "Effects," "Text," and "Stickers."

Here’s the key move: to get back to the recording screen, you need to tap the <, Back arrow in the top-left corner of the screen.

This is what confuses everyone. Tapping "back" feels like it should discard your work or take you out of the draft entirely. But in this specific screen, it does the opposite - it reopens your project in the phone’s camera mode, with all your previously filmed clips already loaded into the timeline at the bottom.

Step 2: Set Up Your Next Shot

You should now be looking at the familiar TikTok recording interface. Your camera is active, and you can see your old clips below. You’re ready to add new footage.

Before you hit record, take a moment to set up the shot just like you did for your other clips. This is where you can maintain consistency and make your video feel seamless:

• Filter/Effect: If you used a filter or effect in your previous clips, make sure to re-select it from the 'Effects' menu.
• Camera Speed: Match the recording speed (0.3x, 0.5x, 1x, 2x, 3x) to what you used before if that's part of your video's style.
• Timer &, Tripod: If you’re filming yourself, use the 'Timer' function on the right sidebar to get a countdown. This frees up your hands and lets you get into position without fumbling with your phone.

Step 3: Record Your New Clip

With everything set up, press and hold the red record button (or start the timer) to capture your new footage. Film just as you would for any other TikTok. When you’re done, release the button or let the timer run its course.

You’ll see your new clip appear in the timeline at the bottom of the screen, added right after your original clips.

Step 4: Edit and Finish Your Video

Once you’ve captured your new clip, tap the red checkmark in the bottom-right corner. This will take you back to the main editing screen we started at. From here, all your clips - new and old - are merged into one continuous video.

Now, you can:

• Add a sound or voiceover.
• Use the “Adjust clips” tool to trim the length of each segment, delete a clip you don't like, or reorder the clips.
• Add text overlays that appear and disappear at specific times.
• Add stickers and final effects.

When you're happy with the final product, you can either tap "Next" to prepare it for posting or tap "Drafts" in the bottom left again to save the updated version.

Pro-Tips for Seamlessly Managing Multi-Clip Drafts

Knowing how to add clips is one thing. Doing it well is what separates good content from great content. Here are a few pieces of advice to keep in mind when working on drafts over multiple sessions.

Maintain Consistent Lighting and Audio

When you’re filming clips at different times or on different days, the biggest giveaway is a sudden change in light or sound. If your first clip is in warm indoor light and your second is in cool outdoor daylight, the jump can be jarring for the viewer.

Actionable advice: Try to film all clips for a single video in the same location and around the same time of day. If that’s not possible, use a ring light to create consistent artificial lighting. For audio, filming in a quiet spot is a must. Minor background noise differences between clips can make your video feel disjointed.

Hold Off On Text &, Sticker Layers

It's tempting to add text overlays to your first few clips as soon as you film them. Resist the urge. It’s far easier to time your text, stickers, and other on-screen elements once all your video clips have been filmed and arranged in their final order.

If you add text perfectly timed to a 3-second clip, and later decide to trim that clip to 2 seconds, you’ll have to readjust the text duration anyway. Wait until your video’s foundation - the clips themselves - is final. Then, add your layers.

Beware of Disappearing Sounds

Trending sounds come and go on TikTok. Sometimes, a sound gets removed for copyright reasons. If you start a draft with a popular audio track but wait a week to finish it, there’s a small chance that sound might no longer be available when you go back to editing. If that happens, your video draft will often be muted, and you won’t be able to get that specific audio back.

To avoid this: If a video concept relies heavily on a specific, unique sound, try to film it all in one go or within a day or two. For less time-sensitive videos, you can always pick a new sound if your original one disappears.

Common Issues &, How to Troubleshoot Them

Even when you know the steps, things can sometimes go wrong. Here are a few common hangups and what to do about them.

"My drafts are completely gone!"

This is the most painful one. Since drafts are stored on your device, not your account, they will disappear if you:

• Delete and reinstall the TikTok app.
• Clear the app's cache or data through your phone’s settings.
• Get a new phone and migrate your account.

Unfortunately, there is no way to recover them. The best way to protect an important work-in-progress is to finish it in a timely manner or save a nearly-finished version privately to your phone’s camera roll as a backup.

"I opened a draft accidentally. How do I get out without posting?"

No problem. If you tap into a draft but don't want to edit or post it, just tap the <, Back arrow from the editor screen, then tap the X on the filming screen to exit. It will ask if you want to "Start over" or "Save draft." Just choose "Save draft" again to put it back where you found it.

"Re-ordering my clips is a nightmare."

The "Adjust clips" tool is powerful but can be a bit clunky. To use it effectively, tap and hold on the clip you want to move. Once it "lifts" off the timeline, you can drag it left or right to its new position. This is also the best place to make precise trims to the start and end of each clip. Take your time here, small adjustments can make a big difference in the rhythm of your video.

Final Thoughts

Knowing how to seamlessly add new clips to an existing TikTok draft is a small but powerful skill. It boils down to a simple trick: opening your draft and hitting the back button to re-enter the recording screen. This allows you to build more complex videos step-by-step, making content creation far more flexible.

Streamlining this kind of multi-step recording is always easier when you have a clear plan. When our team was juggling multiple video concepts in various stages of completion, we found that planning them on a visual calendar made all the difference. That's a core reason we built Postbase with a clean, visual planner - so you can map out your entire content strategy, from simple posts to complex, multi-clip TikToks, and always know what’s next on your plate.