How to Import Sound to TikTok

Want to use a specific voiceover, a custom jingle, or that perfect royalty-free track in your next TikTok video? While you can’t directly upload an MP3 file into the app, you absolutely can import your own sound. This guide will walk you through the simplest methods for adding custom audio to your videos and explain the fundamentals of making your content stand out with unique, original sound.

Why Bother with Custom Sounds?

TikTok’s built-in sound library is enormous, but using your own audio is a powerful way to define your brand and create truly original content. A viral sound might get you views, but a custom sound builds your identity.

Here’s why it matters:

• Brand Recognition: Using a consistent audio signature – like a short jingle, a sound effect, or a unique voiceover style – makes your content instantly recognizable as someone scrolls through their For You Page.
• Unleash Creativity: You're no longer limited to what's already trending. You have complete creative control to pair any audio with your visuals, opening the door for more complex storytelling, comedy, and educational content.
• Start Your Own Trend: The ultimate goal for many creators is to have their sound become the next big trend. Every viral "Original Sound" started with one person uploading a video with custom audio. It could be a funny quote, a relatable thought, or a catchy music loop.
• Avoid Copyright Issues (If You're Smart): For businesses and serious content creators, using pre-cleared, royalty-free music is essential. Importing your own licensed audio ensures your videos won't get muted or taken down for copyright violations.

The "Pre-Editing" Method: Baking the Audio into Your Video

The secret to "importing" sound to TikTok is to add the audio to your video before you upload it to the platform. You simply create your video in another app, combine your visuals with your desired audio track there, save the finished clip to your phone, and then upload it to TikTok as a new video. The audio, because it’s part of the video file, comes along for the ride.

There are countless video editing apps available, but let's cover the process using some of the most popular and user-friendly options.

Step-by-Step Guide with a Mobile Video Editor (like CapCut or InShot)

Apps like CapCut are incredibly powerful and free to use, making them a creator's best friend. They are designed for mobile, vertical video, making your workflow seamless.

Step 1: Get Your Audio File Ready

First, make sure the audio you want to use is on your phone. This could be:

• A voiceover you recorded using your phone’s voice memo app.
• A royalty-free music track you downloaded from a service like Epidemic Sound or Artlist.
• A sound effect from a free library.
• An original piece of music you created.

Quick tip: You can also use screen recording as a last resort to capture audio from another source, but be extra cautious about copyright here.

Step 2: Create a New Project in a Video Editing App

Open your chosen app (we'll use CapCut as the example, but the steps are very similar in others like InShot, Funimate, or VLLO).

• Start a new project and import the video clips you plan to use from your phone’s camera roll.
• Arrange and trim your video clips on the timeline until the visual story is complete. Don't worry about the sound just yet.

Step 3: Add and Sync Your Custom Audio

Now, it's time to layer in the sound. In most mobile editors, the process is straightforward:

• Tap on the "Audio" or "Music" icon in the editor's main menu.
• Select "Sounds" or "From Device." This will let you access the audio files saved on your phone.
• Browse for your MP3 or audio file and add it to the project. It will appear as a new layer on your timeline, usually below your video clips.
• Drag the audio track left or right to position it exactly where you want it. Trim the beginning or end of the sound to fit your video's length. This is where you can achieve perfect lip-syncing or have a sound effect hit at the exact right moment.

Step 4: Adjust Volumes and Mix Your Audio

One of the biggest advantages of pre-editing is the ability to mix audio levels. Let’s say your original video clips have background noise you want to remove.

• Select your original video clip on the timeline and find the "Volume" control. Turn it down to 0 to mute the original audio entirely.
• Select your newly added music track. Adjust its volume to make sure it’s not overpowering. If you have both a voiceover and background music, you’ll want the voiceover to be much louder and the music to be quiet and atmospheric. Simple, clean audio is a hallmark of professional-looking content.

Step 5: Export and Upload to TikTok

Once you’re happy with how everything looks and sounds, export the video. Choose the highest quality setting (e.g., 1080p, 60fps) and save the final file to your phone's camera roll.

Now, open TikTok:

1. Tap the (+) button to create a new video.
2. Tap the "Upload" button and select the video you just saved from your editing app.
3. Your video will now be in the TikTok editor with your custom sound perfectly embedded. You can still add text overlays, stickers, and filters as usual.
4. When you post, TikTok will label your sound as "Original sound - [Your Username]." Tapping on the sound allows you to rename it to something memorable, making it easier for others to find and use if it starts catching on!

The Copyright Warning: A quick but important note

Using popular, copyrighted songs from your personal music library is risky. TikTok has agreements with major music labels, but those licenses only apply to songs used from their official library. If you upload a video with a hit song you added yourself, it's likely to be flagged by their content ID system. This can lead to your video's audio being muted, or in some cases, the video being removed entirely. For anyone building a brand or business, this is a risk you should avoid.

To stay safe, stick to:

• TikTok's Commercial Music Library (for Business Accounts).
• Royalty-free music services.
• Completely original audio works, such as your own voice, music, or field recordings.

Finding and Using Sounds Already on TikTok

Of course, one of the best ways to participate in the TikTok community is by using sounds other creators have popularized. This isn’t "importing," but it’s a necessary skill for any creator. The process is simple and you have two main options for saving sounds for later.

How to Use a Sound Immediately

1. When you find a video with a sound you want to use, tap on the spinning circular icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen. This is the sound page.
2. On the sound page, you'll see a big red button that says "Use this sound." Tap it, and it will take you directly to the camera screen with that audio ready to go.

How to Save a Sound for Later

1. Navigate to the sound’s page the same way (by tapping the spinning icon).
2. At the top of the sound page, you’ll see an option to "Add to Favorites." Tap this.
3. Later, when you're ready to create a video, tap the (+) button to open your camera. At the very top of the camera screen, tap "Add sound." This opens the sound library. Instead of browsing, just tap on the "Favorites" tab to see all the audio you’ve saved.

Best Practices For Your Original Sounds

Creating your own sound can be a pathway to viral success, but there are a few things to keep in mind to make your audio more appealing for others to use.

• Keep it Clean: A crisp, clear voiceover without background hiss will always perform better and be more usable than a muffled, noisy one. Invest in a simple microphone if you plan to do a lot of voice work.
• Make it Loopable: Sounds that loop seamlessly are incredibly satisfying. If your sound ends abruptly, it can be jarring for a viewer watching multiple videos using it.
• Create Versatility: The best original sounds are versatile. A quote, reaction, or music clip that can be applied to many different situations has a higher chance of being adopted by other creators. Think, "How could someone else use this sound to tell their own story?"

Final Thoughts

Importing your own sound to TikTok is an essential skill for standing out, giving you full control over your content's tone and branding. By simply "pre-baking" your audio into a video clip with a mobile editor before you upload, you unlock a universe of creative possibilities far beyond the trending charts, and always remember to use licensed or original audio to protect your content.

Of course, once you’ve perfected your video with that totally unique sound, coordinating publish times and keeping your content organized becomes the next step. At Postbase, we focused on making this part of the workflow feel just as empowering. By building a visual calendar designed specifically for short-form video, we allow you to easily see how your custom-sound videos fit into your broader strategy across TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels - and our scheduling is built to be so reliable you never have to wonder if your hard work will go live on time.