How to Recover a Deleted TikTok Post

That sinking feeling when you realize you've just deleted a TikTok video is all too real. One moment you're cleaning up your profile, the next moment a post you loved is gone for good. But is it really? Before you give up on that video, take a breath. This guide walks you through every possible method to recover your deleted TikTok post, from simple tricks hidden in the app to official channels you might not know about.

Before You Panic: Check These Two Spots First

Sometimes the solution is simpler than you think. In the rush of creating content, it's easy to forget where everything ends up. Before you attempt the more involved recovery methods, quickly check these two locations - you might be pleasantly surprised.

1. Your Phone's Photo Gallery or Camera Roll

This is the most common and easiest way people find their "deleted" videos. By default, TikTok often has a setting enabled that saves every video you post directly to your phone's gallery. You may have turned it off and forgotten, or it might still be active.

Here’s how to check:

• Open your phone's main photo app (e.g., Photos on iPhone, Google Photos or Gallery on Android).
• Look through your most recent files. If you just deleted it, it might be right at the top.
• Check for specific albums. Sometimes, your phone will automatically create an album named TikTok. If you find your video here, it will be the clean, original file without a watermark - perfect for reposting.

If you find it, you're all set! If not, a good preventative measure for the future is to enable this setting. You can do this by tapping the More options button before you post a video and making sure the Save to device toggle is turned on.

2. Your TikTok Drafts Folder

Are you sure you deleted it? It's possible that instead of deleting it from your public profile, you accidentally saved it back to your drafts. This happens more often than you'd think, especially if you were editing a live post and decided to change something.

To check your drafts:

1. Go to your Profile screen in the TikTok app.
2. Look at your content feed. The very first box in the top-left corner, before your public videos, will be labeled Drafts.
3. Tap on it to see if your missing video is waiting for you there.

Drafts are saved locally on your device, not on TikTok's servers. This means if you delete the app or get a new phone, your drafts won't transfer over. But if you're using the same device, your video could be sitting right there, ready to be posted.

If you’ve checked both these places and still can't find your video, don't worry. It's time to move on to more direct recovery methods.

Method 1: Recover Your Video From Your 'Liked Videos' Tab

This is a clever workaround that taps into how TikTok indexes content. Your "Liked Videos" folder serves as a personal archive of every post you’ve ever double-tapped, including your own. If you liked your own video before you deleted it, there's a good chance it's still accessible there, even if it's no longer on your main profile.

How to Check Your Liked Videos:

1. Navigate to your Profile page in the TikTok app.
2. Look for the row of icons below your bio. Find and tap the one that looks like a heart symbol. This is your Liked Videos feed.
3. Carefully scroll through the list. Since your profile is no longer attached to it as the creator, it can feel like looking for a needle in a haystack, but persistence can pay off. Look for the video's thumbnail and caption.

If you find it, tap on it. The video might appear with a "Video is currently unavailable" message for some users, but for many, it will still play. From here, you have a valuable recovery option: you can tap the save video button to download a copy directly to your phone.

The Limitation: The version you save will most likely have the TikTok watermark on it. This isn't ideal if you want a perfectly clean copy, but it's far better than losing the video entirely. It gives you the file you need to repost and saves all your hard editing work.

Method 2: How to Find Deleted TikToks in Your Data Archive

If the easy tricks don't work, it's time to use an official, though much slower, method: requesting your data file from TikTok. As part of data privacy regulations, platforms like TikTok are required to provide users with a copy of all the data associated with their account. This includes your profile info, comment history, and most importantly, your video history.

Your deleted videos may still exist on TikTok’s servers for a period of time before they are permanently purged. Requesting your data archive is your best shot at intercepting them before that happens.

Step-by-Step Guide to Requesting Your Data:

1. Go to your Profile in the TikTok app.
2. Tap the three horizontal lines (hamburger menu) in the top-right corner to open the menu.
3. Select Settings and privacy.
4. Tap on Account.
5. Choose Download your data.

From there, you'll see a request form. You can choose either a .TXT file (a human-readable format) or a .JSON file (better for transferring to another service). For the purpose of finding your videos, a .TXT file is easier to navigate. After selecting your file format, tap the Request data button at the bottom.

What to Expect Next

This process is not instant. It can take TikTok a few days to compile your data. Once it's ready, you'll get a notification, and you can come back to this same screen to download it.

• The data will arrive as a ZIP file. You'll need to unzip it on your phone or computer.
• Inside, you’ll find several folders. Look for one named Videos or something similar.
• This folder should contain separate video files for the content you've posted. It's often where you can find videos that have already been deleted from your public-facing profile.

While a bit technical, this method is an absolute top way of getting back the original, un-watermarked video file directly from the source.

Method 3: When All Else Fails, Contact TikTok Support

If you've tried everything else and the video was extraordinarily important - say, it had massive engagement, was for a major brand partnership, or held deep sentimental value - your final option is to contact TikTok's support team directly.

There is absolutely no guarantee this will work. With millions of users, support teams are inundated with requests. But if your situation is compelling enough, a human representative might be able to help.

How to Submit a Support Ticket:

1. Visit your Profile.
2. Tap the three-line menu >> Settings and privacy.
3. Scroll down to the Support & about section and tap Report a Problem.
4. Instead of choosing a pre-selected topic, scroll all the way to the bottom and tap Submit a report.

This will give you a text box to explain your issue. This is your chance to make your case.

Tips for a More Effective Support Ticket:

• Be Specific and Clear: Start by stating exactly what happened. For example, "I accidentally deleted a video from my profile and I am hoping it can be recovered."
• Provide Key Information: Include your TikTok username (@yourhandle) and give as much detail about the video as possible: the date and approximate time you posted it, what the content was, any text on screen, and the sound or music used. If you ever shared the link, include that too.
• Explain Why It's Important: Politely explain why recovery is critical. Mentioning that "this was part of a paid brand partnership that needs to be live for another week" is much more compelling than "I miss my video."
• Be Patient and Polite: Support teams are more likely to help users who are courteous. Remember that you're asking for something that is outside of the normal user process.

A Word of Warning: Avoid Recovery Scams

When you're desperate, you might search online and find third-party apps or services claiming they can recover any deleted TikTok instantly. Be extremely cautious.

These services are almost always too good to be true. They often make money by getting you to fill out surveys, making you download unrelated software, or, worst of all, stealing your login credentials. Never give your TikTok password to an untrusted third-party recovery app or website. The risk of losing your entire account is not worth it.

There is no "magic button" or secret software that can access TikTok’s servers and retrieve deleted content for you. The only legitimate ways to recover a post are the ones outlined in this article.

Final Thoughts

Losing a piece of content you worked hard on is always frustrating, but it doesn't have to be a lost cause. By systematically checking your phone's gallery, your drafts, your liked videos history, and, if needed, filing a data request, you have multiple legitimate paths to finding that deleted TikTok video. The real takeaway is prevention - always make sure your content is saved and backed up.

Here at Postbase, we believe the best way to avoid the stress of social media mishaps is to have a simple, reliable system in place. We built our social media management platform for the way people actually use social now: with a heavy focus on short-form video. By planning your TikToks, Reels, and Shorts in our visual calendar, you not only get a bird's-eye view of your content strategy but also maintain a central library of your published videos. This way, if a post ever disappears, you have the original file safely stored and ready to reschedule.