How to Post Music on TikTok Without Copyright

You’ve spent hours editing the perfect TikTok video, found a trending song that fits the vibe perfectly, and hit post only to see the dreaded notification: Sound removed due to copyright. It's incredibly frustrating and can derail your entire content strategy. This guide breaks down exactly how to use music on TikTok without getting your videos muted or taken down, giving you creator-approved ways to keep your content live and engaging.

Why Does TikTok Mute Sounds? A Quick Look at Copyright

That "sound removed" notification pops up because of music copyright laws. At its core, copyright is a legal protection for creators - in this case, musicians, songwriters, and record labels - giving them exclusive rights over how their work is used. When you use a popular song in a video without permission, you’re technically infringing on that copyright.

To handle this, TikTok has licensing agreements with many major record labels. It also uses a sophisticated automated system, similar to YouTube's Content ID, that scans uploaded videos to detect copyrighted audio. If the system finds a match to a song that isn't covered by their agreements for your specific use case (more on that below), it will automatically mute the audio or, in some cases, take down the entire video.

One of the biggest factors that determines what music you can use is your account type.

• Personal Accounts have access to a massive library of popular and trending songs because the licenses TikTok holds largely cover personal, non-commercial use.
• Business Accounts, however, have different rules. Since their content is inherently commercial (promoting a product or service), using a popular hit song could be seen as an endorsement, which requires a much more expensive and specific type of license. To protect both users and themselves from lawsuits, TikTok gives Business Accounts access to a different, more limited library of commercially-licensed, royalty-free music.

The Safest Bet: Using TikTok's Pre-Cleared Music Library

The easiest and most foolproof way to avoid copyright issues is to use the music TikTok provides directly within the app. The company has already done the legal work to secure the licenses, so you don't have to worry. How you access this depends on your account type.

For Personal Accounts: Millions of Popular Songs

If you have a personal account, you're in luck. You have access to the huge General Music Library, which includes an enormous range of hits from every genre imaginable.

Here’s how to add a popular sound:

1. Tap the (+) icon to start creating a new TikTok.
2. Record your video clips or upload them from your camera roll.
3. At the top of the editing screen, tap "Add sound."
4. Here you can browse recommended sounds, look through playlists like "TikTok Viral," or search for a specific song or artist.
5. Once you find one you like, tap the sound and then tap the red checkmark to add it to your video. You can then use the scissors icon to choose which part of the song you want to play.

Since this sound is from TikTok's licensed library, you won't face any copyright issues for using it in your video.

For Business Accounts: The Commercial Music Library

If you're running a Business Account, you can't access the library of pop songs. Instead, you have the Commercial Music Library, which contains over a million tracks that have been professionally licensed for commercial and promotional use at no cost to you.

While you won't find the latest chart-topper from Taylor Swift here, this library is filled with high-quality, professional-grade music sorted by genre, mood, and theme. It's designed to give your branded content a polished feel without landing you in legal trouble.

How to find great audio in the Commercial Music Library:

• Follow the standard steps: Tap "Add sound" just like a personal account would. You will automatically be shown the Commercial Music Library.
• Search with keywords: Instead of searching for an artist, search for a vibe. Try terms like "upbeat," "cinematic," "acoustic," "lo-fi," or "corporate." You'll be surprised at the quality.
• Find what's trending: The library has its own recommended playlists and trending sections. Using audio that is popular within the Commercial Library can still give your video an algorithmic boost, as many other businesses are using those same sounds.

Quick Tip: Hear a sound on another business account's video that you like? Tap the spinning record icon at the bottom of their video. If it's from the Commercial Library, you'll be able to click "Use this sound" and add it directly to your own video.

Going Off-Platform: Using Royalty-Free Music Sources

What if the perfect sound for your video isn't on a creator account you follow or inside TikTok's library? Your next best option is to source pre-cleared, royalty-free music from a third-party service. "Royalty-free" doesn't necessarily mean free of charge, it means you pay for a license once (or subscribe to a service) and can then use the music in your projects without paying ongoing royalties to the original creator.

This method gives you much more creative control and helps you develop a unique sound for your brand that isn't tied to fleeting TikTok trends.

Popular Royalty-Free Music Platforms:

• Epidemic Sound: A subscription-based service hugely popular with YouTubers and TikTok creators. It offers a massive catalog of high-quality tracks and sound effects.
• Artlist: Another subscription service known for its well-curated library of music from indie artists. A license covers you across all platforms.
• Soundstripe: Provides both subscription and single-track licenses with a focus on cinematic-quality music.
• YouTube Audio Library: A completely free option from YouTube. Tucked inside your YouTube Studio is a library with thousands of free songs and sound effects you can use across platforms, including TikTok. Just be sure to check the license type - some tracks require you to credit the artist in your video description.

How to Use Royalty-Free Music in Your TikToks:

Using externally-sourced audio requires a few extra steps, as you'll have to edit outside of TikTok.

1. Download the Music: Find and download your chosen audio track from your royalty-free service of choice. Save the license document just in case you ever need to prove you have the rights to use it.
2. Edit in a Third-Party App: Use a video editing app like CapCut, InShot, or Adobe Premiere Rush to assemble your video clips.
3. Add Your Music: Import the downloaded audio file into your video editing project. Adjust the volume, and sync the clips to the music.
4. Export the Final Video: Once you're done, export the final video file. The audio will now be permanently "baked into" the video.
5. Upload to TikTok: Open TikTok, tap the (+), and upload your finished video. Since the sound is part of the video file, you don’t need to select a sound from the TikTok library.

Pro-Tip: After uploading your video, you can still tap "Add sound" in TikTok, choose a trending sound, and then drag the volume slider for that sound down to 0%. Your original audio will still be the one people hear, but your video may be associated with the trending sound in the algorithm, potentially increasing its visibility.

Get Creative: Original Audio, Remixes, and Parodies

The single best way to never worry about copyright notices is to create your own audio. Not only is it legally safe, but it can also make your content stand out and even start a new trend.

• Create Original Sound: Simply talk to the camera. Record a voiceover explaining a process, telling a story, or sharing a tip. You can also create audio with unique sound effects you've recorded. If your original audio goes viral, TikTok will credit you as the original creator, giving your account a huge boost in authority and visibility.
• Leverage Fair Use (Carefully): "Fair Use" is a legal doctrine that allows the use of copyrighted material without permission under very specific circumstances, such as for commentary, criticism, or parody. This is a very complex legal area, and what truly counts as "fair use" can be subjective. Making a video that directly reviews a song and only uses short clips for context might fall under fair use. Simply posting a song with a new background image will not. For most creators, it's safer to avoid relying on a fair use argument and stick to the other methods here.
• Duet and Stitch: These native TikTok features are designed for engagement and are perfectly safe from a copyright perspective. When you Duet or Stitch a video, you are using the original creator's audio (including any music they used) within the bounds of TikTok's terms of service. It’s an approved way to engage with trending content and popular music.

Oops! What to Do When Your Audio Gets Muted Anyway

Sometimes, despite your best intentions, a sound might get flagged. Don't panic and delete the video - all your hard work isn't lost. When TikTok mutes your video for a copyright claim, you’ll get a notification with an option to fix it.

1. Check Your Notifications: You’ll see a notice that says, "This sound has been removed due to a copyright claim." Open the video from this notification.
2. Tap "Change sound": TikTok will provide an option right on the muted video to swap the removed audio for something else.
3. Choose a New Sound: Tapping this button will open the Commercial Music Library, where you can select a pre-approved, royalty-free track to replace the copyrighted one.
4. Select and Post: After you pick a new track, TikTok will add it to your existing video, and you can post it immediately. While the new sound might not match the original vibe perfectly, this process is the fastest way to get your video live again and keep the views and engagement it might have already received.

Final Thoughts

Navigating music copyright on TikTok feels restrictive at first, but it opens the door to more creative and strategic content creation. Sticking to TikTok's own pre-cleared libraries is the simplest route, while royalty-free services and creating original sounds give you the freedom to build a truly unique brand identity on the platform.

Being a creator means juggling dozens of tasks at once, and worrying about copyright is a mental load you can do without. From our experience, we’ve found that the best way to handle this is to have a system for sourcing and planning your audio choices ahead of time. We actually designed the visual content calendar inside Postbase to help with exactly this kind of roadblock, making it simple to plan your video concepts and audio choices together so you're never scrambling at the last minute for a compliant sound to use.