How to Upload a TikTok Video to YouTube

You’ve created a TikTok video that’s hitting all the right notes, and now you’re wondering how to give it a second life on YouTube. You're in the right place. Expanding your content to another platform is one of the smartest moves a creator can make, but it’s more than just a copy-and-paste job. This guide will walk you through exactly how to upload your TikTok video to YouTube, covering everything from downloads and formatting to optimization and platform-specific best practices.

Why You Should Repurpose Your TikToks for YouTube

Dedicating time to reposting content can feel like extra work, but the payoff from cross-promoting your TikToks on YouTube is massive. It's not just about reaching more people, it's about building a more sustainable and diverse brand as a creator. If you're on the fence, here's why you should start today.

• Expand Your Reach: TikTok's audience is huge, but YouTube's is even bigger, with over 2.7 billion monthly active users. Tapping into this user base allows you to connect with a completely new community that might never have found you on TikTok.
• Build a Long-Term Library: The TikTok For You Page moves incredibly fast. A video can go viral one day and be forgotten the next. YouTube is different. It functions as a video search engine, giving your content a much longer shelf life. A video you upload today can continue to attract views, subscribers, and revenue for years.
• Diversify Your Audience: Your YouTube audience often has different consumption habits than your TikTok followers. YouTube viewers may be more interested in longer-form content, deeper dives, and tutorials. Repurposing your TikToks can act as a gateway, introducing them to your style and funneling them toward your long-form videos.
• Unlock Better Monetization: While TikTok has creator monetization programs, the YouTube Partner Program is generally seen as more mature and lucrative. By building a presence on YouTube, you open up more reliable streams of income through ad revenue, channel memberships, and Super Chats, which can provide a more stable foundation for your creator business.

Part 1: Preparing Your TikTok Video for YouTube

Before you run to upload your video, a few quick preparation steps can make the difference between a video that lands flat and one that thrives on its new platform. Taking the time to get this right signals to both the YouTube algorithm and your viewers that you’re a serious creator.

Step 1: Download Your TikTok Video (Without the Watermark)

The first and most important step is getting a clean, high-quality copy of your video. Uploading a video with the TikTok watermark is a mistake for a few reasons. First, it looks unprofessional and lazy. Second, platforms are smart, YouTube’s algorithm isn't a fan of promoting its competitor’s branding. A watermarked video is less likely to be pushed to a wide audience.

Fortunately, you have a few ways to get a crystal-clear, watermark-free video:

• The Best Method: Save it as a Draft. The easiest way to get a clean video is to save it *before* you publish it on TikTok. After you finish editing your video in TikTok - but before you hit the "Post" button - look for a "save" or download icon. This saves the fully edited video to your phone's camera roll without any watermarks or end cards. This is the highest-quality method.
• Using a Third-Party Tool. If you've already posted the video, you'll need a different approach. There are many free web-based apps and services that can remove the watermark for you. A quick search for a "TikTok video downloader without watermark" will give you plenty of options. The process is simple: copy the video link from TikTok, paste it into the downloader tool, and save the resulting MP4 file. Just be careful, as some of these sites are heavy on pop-up ads.

Step 2: Choose Your Format: YouTube Shorts vs. Long-Form Video

Once you have your video file, you need to decide where it belongs on YouTube. You have two main options, each with its own strategy.

Option A: Post as a YouTube Short

YouTube Shorts is the platform’s direct answer to TikTok and Instagram Reels. The format is designed for short, snappy, vertical content that’s easily discoverable through the Shorts feed.

When to choose YouTube Shorts:

• Your video is a single, self-contained clip.
• It's under 60 seconds long.
• It's filmed in a vertical (9:16) aspect ratio.

This is the most straightforward way to repurpose a single TikTok. It’s a direct 1-to-1 transfer and is perfect for trends, quick tips, funny skits, or any stand-alone video that grabs attention quickly.

Option B: Use It in a Long-Form Video

A standard, long-form YouTube video is anything over 60 seconds and is typically filmed in a horizontal (16:9) aspect ratio. You can't just upload a single vertical TikTok this way - it will look awkward on the screen.

When to use TikToks in a long-form video:

• You want to create a compilation video (e.g., “My Top 5 Funniest TikToks of October”).
• You're making a "reaction" video where you comment on your or others' TikToks.
• You’re using multiple TikTok clips as B-roll or examples in a larger tutorial or vlog.

This approach requires more editing work but delivers more value to your YouTube audience. Watch time is a key metric on YouTube, and a well-curated compilation can keep viewers engaged much longer than a single 15-second clip.

Part 2: The Step-by-Step Upload Process

With your video file in hand and a format in mind, it's time to upload. The process is slightly different for Shorts and long-form videos, so let’s break both of them down.

Uploading a YouTube Short (The Easy Way)

Uploading a Short is best done directly from your phone, as the interface is optimized for it.

1. Open the YouTube app and tap the plus sign (+) at the bottom of the screen.
2. Select "Create a Short."
3. Tap the icon in the bottom-left corner to open your phone's camera roll and select your watermark-free TikTok video.
4. Make any final edits. You can add text, filters, or - most importantly - replace the audio. If you used a popular song on TikTok, you should swap it with audio from YouTube’s Sound Library to avoid copyright issues. We'll touch on this more later.
5. Tap "Next" and write a compelling caption. This is the "Title" of your Short. Make it short, descriptive, and engaging. Be sure to include the hashtag #shorts in either the title or the description so YouTube properly categorizes it.
6. Choose your audience settings (typically "No, it's not made for kids"), and tap "Upload Short." That's simple. Your Short will process and go live in just a few minutes.

Uploading a Long-Form Video (The Strategic Play)

For compilations or longer thematic videos, you’ll get more control and better optimization tools by uploading from a computer.

1. Go to studio.youtube.com and sign in.
2. Click the "CREATE" button in the top-right corner and select "Upload videos."
3. Drag and drop or select your edited compilation video file.
4. Write an SEO-Optimized Title: Don't just call it "TikTok Compilation." Think like a search engine. What would a viewer type to find it? A title like "My Funniest Dog TikToks of 2024" or "Trying Viral TikTok Life Hacks (That Actually Work)" is much stronger.
5. Craft a Detailed Description: The description is your secret weapon.
   • Write 2-3 paragraphs describing what happens in the video, using relevant keywords people might search for.
   • Add timestamps if your video covers different topics (e.g., 0:00 Hack 1, 1:15 Hack 2).
   • Include links to your other social profiles (including your TikTok!).
6. Create a Custom Thumbnail: This is arguably the most important element for a long-form video’s success. Your thumbnail is the first thing people see. It needs to be bright, clear, and intriguing. Use a high-quality still from the video, add bold text, and create a consistent style across your channel.
7. Add Relevant Tags: Add a mix of broad and specific tags that describe your video. For a dog compilation, tags might include "funny dogs," "dog videos," "golden retriever," "TikTok dogs," etc.
8. Once all the details are filled out, you can set the video’s visibility (Private, Unlisted, or Public) and schedule it for a future date or publish it immediately.

Beyond the Upload: Maximizing Your Success

Just uploading the video isn't the final step. To genuinely succeed, you need to understand YouTube's unique culture and algorithm.

Warning: Beware of Copyrighted Music

This is the number one trap for creators new to YouTube. The trending sound you used on TikTok is almost certainly not licensed for use on YouTube. If you upload a video with commercial music, one of three things will happen:

• The video will get a copyright claim, and all ad revenue will go to the music owner.
• The video will be muted in certain regions.
• The video might be blocked or taken down entirely.

The Solution: For Shorts, always swap out copyrighted audio with a track from YouTube's Sound Library during the editing process. For long-form videos, use royalty-free music from services like Epidemic Sound or Artlist, or directly from the YouTube Audio Library during your edit.

Think Like a YouTube Creator

Success on YouTube isn’t just about making great content, it’s about making content that YouTube’s audience wants. Don’t just dump your TikToks and hope for the best. Engage with your new community.

• Reply to comments. Ask questions in your video descriptions and pin the best comments.
• Create "Community" posts. Once you have access, use the community tab to run polls and share behind-the-scenes updates.
• Study what works. Pay attention to your YouTube Analytics. Which videos get the most views? The most subscribers? Double down on what your new audience is responding to.

Final Thoughts

Repurposing your killer TikTok content on a platform like YouTube is a potent strategy for expanding your brand, connecting with a fresh audience, and building a more resilient creator business. It does require a thoughtful approach - one that respects the differences between platforms and prioritizes things like video quality, SEO, and copyright compliance.

Managing and scheduling content across multiple platforms like TikTok and YouTube can quickly become overwhelming, turning a creative passion into a logistical headache. At Postbase, we built our tool for ambitious creators like you who are active on multiple video-first social networks. You can visually plan your entire content calendar in one place, schedule posts that we guarantee will publish reliably every time, and track what’s working with clean, simple analytics, so you can spend less time updating spreadsheets and more time creating.