How to Import a Song to TikTok

Got the perfect video clip but can't find the exact song you need in TikTok's massive music library? You're not alone. This guide skips the fluff and shows you exactly how to import your own custom song, audio clip, or sound into your TikTok videos. We'll walk through the entire process step-by-step, using simple tools you probably already have on your phone.

Why It's a Bit Tricky to Add Your Own Music to TikTok

Before we jump into the "how," let's quickly cover the "why." TikTok doesn't have a simple "Upload MP3" button. The platform's entire model is built around its licensed library of sounds, which protects them (and often, you) from complicated copyright issues. When you use a sound from their library, the licensing is already handled.

This is also why you'll see a difference between a personal account and a Business Account. Business Accounts have access to the Commercial Music Library - a collection of over a million royalty-free tracks cleared for marketing and promotional use. Personal accounts get access to a much larger library of popular, trending songs, but using them for overtly commercial purposes can be a gray area.

So, how do you get your own audio on the platform? The workaround is simple: you have to attach the audio to your video file before you upload it to TikTok. Instead of uploading a video and a separate audio track, you'll upload a single video that already has your perfect sound baked in. From TikTok's perspective, this is just a video with an "Original Sound."

The Go-To Method: Adding Your Song with a Video Editor

The most reliable and flexible way to add a custom song to your video is by using a third-party mobile video editing app. This gives you complete control to sync your clips to the music, adjust volumes, and get everything just right before it even touches TikTok. The basic steps are nearly identical across all major apps.

Step 1: Choose Your Video Editing App

You don’t need professional desktop software for this. Your phone is more than powerful enough. Here are a few of the best and most popular free options:

• CapCut: Made by ByteDance (the same parent company as TikTok), CapCut is the unofficial official editor for many creators. It’s free, incredibly powerful, has no watermarks, and integrates seamlessly with TikTok. We'll use this for our main example.
• InShot: A long-standing favorite, InShot is intuitive, fast, and packed with features for social media editing. The free version has ads and a small watermark, which you can typically remove by watching an ad or upgrading.
• VN Video Editor: A fantastic free option with a surprisingly professional interface and no watermarks. It gives you a lot of control and is a great choice if you find CapCut a bit too playful.

Step 2: Start a New Project and Import Your Clips

First, make sure the video clips and the song you want to use are saved directly to your phone. The audio file should be in a common format like MP3, M4A, or WAV.

1. Open CapCut and tap the big blue + New project button at the top.
2. This will open your phone’s camera roll. Select the video (or videos) you plan to use for your TikTok and tap the Add button.
3. Your clips will now appear in the editing timeline at the bottom of the screen.

Pro Tip: Even if you just want to post a static image with your custom song, you still need to treat it as a video. Simply import the image into your editing app, and then stretch its duration on the timeline to match the length of your song.

Step 3: Import Your Custom Song or Audio

Now it's time to bring in your music.

1. In the main editing menu (at the bottom), tap on the Audio icon (it looks like a music note).
2. Select Sounds.
3. CapCut gives you a few options. Tap the folder icon and select From device. This will scan your phone for all compatible audio files.
4. Find your song in the list and tap the + button to add it to your timeline. You'll now see a new purple bar below your video clips - that’s your audio track.

Step 4: Edit Your Video to the Beat

This is where the magic happens. Your aural and visual masterpiece comes together here.

• Silence the Original Clips: This is the most important step! Your original video clips might have unwanted background noise. To get rid of it, tap on your video track in the timeline, find the Volume button in the bottom menu, and drag the slider all the way down to 0. If you have multiple clips, you’ll need to do this for each one.
• Trim the Audio: Your song might be three minutes long, but your TikTok is only going to be 15-60 seconds. Tap on the audio track and drag the white handles at the start and end to isolate the best part of the song.
• Sync the Action: Play the timeline and watch your video with the music. Use the "Split" tool to make cuts in your video clips that align with key moments in the music, like a beat drop or a chorus. This simple editing technique can make your video feel much more dynamic and professional.

Step 5: Export the Final Video

Once you’re happy with your edit, it’s time to save it.

1. In CapCut, tap the resolution setting at the very top right of your screen (it probably says "1080p").
2. For TikTok, a Resolution of 1080p and a Frame rate of 30 is perfect. It provides high quality without creating a massive file.
3. Tap the Export button (the arrow pointing up) next to the resolution setting. CapCut will render your video and save it directly to your phone’s camera roll/photos app.

Uploading Your Video to TikTok

You’ve done the hard part. The rest is just the standard TikTok upload process.

Step 1: Open TikTok and Upload Your Video

Tap the + icon in the bottom-center of the TikTok app. On the bottom right, tap the Upload button and select the video you just exported from CapCut. It will have your custom audio already embedded. Trim if necessary and tap Next.

Step 2: Make Final Edits (But Don't Touch the Sound!)

On this screen, your video will play with its custom "Original Sound." You can still add all the usual TikTok goodies - text overlays, stickers, filters, and effects. It all works great.

Heads Up: Avoid tapping the "Add sound" button at the top of this screen, choosing a song from TikTok’s library will replace your custom audio. If you only need to adjust the volume of your original sound, tap the down arrow in the right-side menu and select Volume to make your changes.

Step 3: Name Your Sound and Post!

Write your amazing caption, add your hashtags, and set your privacy settings. After you tap Post, your video will go live.

But there’s one more cool step. Once it's live, go to your profile and tap on the video. In the bottom-left corner, you'll see a small spinning record icon next to the name "Original Sound - [YourUsername]." Tap it! This takes you to the audio page for your new sound. At the very top, tap the title and you can edit the name to whatever you want. Change it from "Original Sound" to "80s synth for late night drives" or "Sad chihuahua zoomies song." Giving it a memorable name is a great way to encourage others to use it.

Tips for Making Your Original Sound Go Viral

Creating a custom sound is a gateway to starting a trend. It's a powerful tool for branding and organic growth. Here’s how to make the most of it:

• Name It Carefully: As mentioned above, a descriptive and fun name is much more appealing than the generic one. Think about what people might search for. "Chill study beats" is better than "MyCoolSong.mp3."
• Make It Loopable and Short: The most viral TikTok sounds are often short (10-20 seconds) and loop almost perfectly. Find the catchiest snippet from your song or audio and isolate it. This makes it easy for other creators to use without a lot of effort.
• Start a Clear Trend: Your first video using the sound should be an obvious template for others to follow. Use on-screen text to set up a prompt like, "Show me your biggest business win of the month" or "That one outfit that makes you feel amazing." Make it simple to recreate.
• Remember Copyrights: We have to say it again - if you’re uploading a popular song by a major artist that you don't have the rights to, there's a chance it could get muted or taken down due to a copyright claim. This method is safest for your original music, royalty-free audio, or sounds you have explicit permission to use.

Final Thoughts

Adding your own music or audio to TikTok is simply a matter of prepping your content first. By using a free video editor like CapCut to bake your song into the video file before uploading, you gain complete creative freedom over your content's soundscape. This opens up doors for unique branding, trend-setting, and making content that's authentically yours.

Creating all of this custom content is exciting, but it also creates a new challenge: how to plan and schedule everything when you're working with so many unique video files. At Postbase, we designed our platform specifically for the modern creator who lives and breathes short-form video. Since our tools were built from the ground up for Reels, Shorts, and TikToks, we make managing your video-heavy calendar simple with a visual planner and rock-solid scheduling you can actually trust to post every single time.