How to Fade Out Music on TikTok

Ending a TikTok video with a song that cuts off abruptly can feel jarring, pulling viewers out of the moment you’ve just created. Adding a simple fade-out gives your content a professional polish that helps hold an audience’s attention. This guide will show you exactly how to do it using TikTok's built-in editor and explain how to get even more control with other tools for a perfect finish every time.

Why Fading Your Music Out on TikTok is a Game-Changer

You might think a two-second sound fade at the end of a 15-second video is a tiny detail, but in the fast-paced world of short-form video, these details are what separate good content from great content. A smooth audio fade is more than just a technical trick, it’s a powerful tool for branding, storytelling, and audience retention. Before we get into the "how," let's talk about the "why."

It Creates a Professional and Polished Feel

The simplest reason to fade your music is that it just *sounds better*. Think about your favorite movies, TV shows, or even YouTube videos. They rarely end with an audio track that just stops dead. The sound gracefully tapers off, guiding the viewer out of the experience. This small production touch signals a higher level of care and quality. For brands and creators looking to build authority, this kind of polish makes their content feel more intentional and less amateurish, which in turn builds follower trust.

It Enhances Your Storytelling

Audio is half of the storytelling equation on TikTok. A well-timed fade-out can serve as a powerful narrative device. Imagine a video that ends with a reveal, a funny punchline, or a pensive look into the camera. Fading the music out right at that moment gives the ending space to breathe and lets the final visual hit with greater impact.

For example:

• In a comedic sketch: The music can fade as you deliver the final line, letting the joke land in silence.
• In a DIY or tutorial video: You can fade the background music down as your voiceover comes in for a concluding remark or a call-to-action, like "Follow for more tips!"
• In a cinematic travel vlog: Fading the music out as the video fades to black creates a sense of closure and makes the reel feel complete.

It Can Improve Watch Time and Engagement

TikTok’s algorithm prioritizes watch time. A jarring ending - whether it’s visual or audible - can make a user swipe away a fraction of a second sooner. That may not seem like much, but those fractions add up. A smooth, satisfying conclusion can encourage viewers to watch your video all the way to the end, and maybe even watch it again. It’s part of creating a seamless viewing experience that keeps them on your video, which is a positive signal to the algorithm. Abrupt endings can literally feel like an audio full-stop, prompting the brain to move on. A fade is an invitation to linger.

How to Fade Out Music on TikTok (The New Method)

TikTok constantly updates its user interface, and features come and go. For a while, there was an explicit "Fade in/Fade out" toggle in the audio editing settings. That feature is largely gone now, which is why so many people are looking for a new solution. Worry not, because a slightly more manual but equally effective method is built right into the app's advanced editor. It involves using volume keyframes, which sounds technical but is surprisingly easy once you do it once. Let's walk through it.

Step-by-Step Guide to Adding a Sound Fade

Here’s the process for getting that perfect fade-out using TikTok's own editing tools.

Step 1: Get Your Video Ready and Add Your Sound

Start your project as you normally would. Record your video clips or upload them from your camera roll. Then, tap on "Add sound" at the top of the screen to choose your music or audio from TikTok’s extensive library.

Step 2: Enter the Advanced Editing Mode

Once you've added your sound and are back on the main editing screen, look for an icon on the right-hand panel that looks like a pair of scissors or a video clip called "Edit." Tap this to enter the detailed editor. Here, you'll see timelines for your video clips and the audio track below them.

Step 3: Select the Audio Track and Find "Volume"

Tap on the timeline for the sound you added. A white border should appear around it, indicating that it's selected. Once it's selected, you'll see a new menu of options appear at the bottom of the screen. Look for the button that says "Volume" and tap it.

Step 4: Add Your First Volume "Bookmark" (Keyframe)

Now, here's where the magic happens. On the audio timeline, drag the white playback line to the exact spot where you want the fade-out to begin. A good starting point is usually about 1-2 seconds before the video ends. Don’t start it too early, or the dip in sound will feel premature. Once you have the line in place, look at the volume controls. You should see a diamond shape with a plus sign. This is the "Add volume point" button (also known as adding a keyframe). Tap it.

Nothing will visibly change yet. All you've done is tell TikTok, "At this point in time, I want the volume to be 100%."

Step 5: Create the End Point of the Fade

Next, drag the white playback line all the way to the very end of your audio clip. Now, look at the volume slider at the bottom. Simply slide the volume all the way down to 0%. When you do this, TikTok automatically adds a second volume point at the end of the clip.

You’ll now see the waveform for your audio visually dip down between your first volume point and the silent end point. This slope you've created *is* the fade-out. The app automatically smooths the transition between those two points.

Step 6: Preview and Adjust

Play the last few seconds of your video to hear the result. Does the fade feel too fast? Too slow? To adjust it, you can simply tap and hold the first diamond keyframe you made and slide it earlier or later in the timeline. Moving it further from the end creates a longer, more gradual fade. Moving it closer to the end makes it quicker. That's it! Tap "Save" and you're ready to post your professionally polished video.

For Maximum Control: Use a Third-Party Editing App

While the TikTok keyframe method works well enough for a simple fade, it can be a little clunky. If you find yourself wanting more precision, or if your audio editing needs are more complex, using a dedicated mobile video editor can be a lifesaver. Apps like CapCut, InShot, and VN Video Editor are incredibly popular because they offer features you'd normally find on desktop software, but packed into a free and intuitive mobile experience.

Why Use Another App?

• Dedicated Fade Tools: Most editors have a built-in "Fade" button. You simply tap it and specify how many seconds you want the fade-in or fade-out to last. It’s a one-tap solution.
• More Audio Control: You can layer multiple sounds, easily adjust the volume of each track relative to others, and even detach the audio from your original video clip.
• Higher Quality Exports: These apps often give you more control over your export settings, helping preserve the quality of your video before you upload it to TikTok.

The General Workflow with a Third-Party App:

1. Import your video clip into the app (e.g., CapCut).
2. Add your desired music or sound effect from their library or your own files.
3. Tap on the audio clip in the timeline.
4. Look for an option labeled "Fade" or "Volume."
5. You’ll usually see sliders for "Fade in duration" and "Fade out duration." Drag the fade-out slider to set how long you want the music to taper off (e.g., 2.0 seconds).
6. Export the final video file to your phone's camera roll.
7. Open TikTok, tap the "+" button, and upload the video you just saved. You'll upload it with the audio already mixed in, so you can skip adding a sound within TikTok.

This process adds an extra step to your workflow, but for creators who want every detail to be perfect, the control you gain is often worth the extra minute or two.

Final Thoughts

Mastering the audio fade-out on TikTok, whether through the keyframe workaround in the native app or a dedicated editing tool, represents a major step forward in content quality. It's a subtle but effective technique that elevates your videos from being just "posted" to being "produced," helping you hold audience attention and tell better stories.

We know that managing sophisticated details like this across a packed content calendar can be a serious challenge. That's why we built Postbase with today's video-first creators in mind. Instead of wrestling with a clunky tool that treats video like an afterthought, our platform lets you drag-and-drop your finished, polished TikToks into a visual calendar. You can plan weeks ahead, ensuring that all the hard work you put into perfecting your content actually goes live when it's supposed to, without the chaos.