Have you attempted to view someone’s TikTok page, only to find out that their account is private?
This can be frustrating, especially if you want to view their videos without you knowing.
Private accounts prevent non-followers from being able to see the videos that they’ve posted, meaning that the videos are not accessible to the public.
So if you run into a private page, what can you do? Is there any way to view private TikTok accounts?
In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know!
Can You View Private TikTok Accounts?
Unfortunately, there aren’t any hacks or tricks you can use to view private TikTok accounts.
You need to either be following the person, or access TikTok from an account that has already been approved by the person you’re trying to follow.
That being said, there are a few things you can do that may be able to help.
A Word Of Warning – Scam Websites / Services
Before we begin, I must make this clear.
There are no services or websites available that will let you view private accounts.
Before I wrote this article, I did a ton of research to make sure that there was nothing that I was missing. Over and over again, I ran into services that promised something like the following – you’d put the account URL in, send over your TikTok login information, and the website would claim that it would be able to pull up the private account for you.
This is entirely fake.
There is NO tool, website, or service that is able to access or view private accounts. TikTok takes security very seriously, and there is no way some random tool would be able to access private accounts or videos.
Instead, these tools are designed to do nothing but hack your TikTok account, or infect your device with malware.
They are best avoided – again, there are no exceptions to this. I’ve read far too many stories of people’s accounts getting hacked because they were desperate to view someone’s private TikTok.
So, I wanted to put this out to warn you.
With that being said, let’s look into some things you CAN do.
1. Send A Follow Request
This is the obvious one, and the way things are meant to be done.
If you believe the person won’t have a problem with it and you aren’t afraid of drawing attention to yourself, just visit their profile and tap on that follow button.
Unfortunately, it’s not even enough to just follow them though, and you won’t be able to view their videos immediately after following – at least not yet.
After following the person, TikTok will send out a follow request. The owner of the account will then be able to choose whether or not they want to accept it.
Only after accepting will you finally be able to view the TikToks that they have posted.
You should keep in mind that TikTok may send a notification to the person who you are attempting to follow. You should keep this in mind to avoid any worrisome situations.
Additional Reading: TikTok Follow Limits – How Many People Can You Follow On TikTok?
2. Follow On An Alternate Account
Did you know that TikTok lets you have up to 3 accounts?
Some people take advantage of this to make an anonymous account that hides their identity, so they can use TikTok without having to worry about people realizing who they are.
It can also be used to view a private TikTok account.
If you believe that the person will accept your follow request but you don’t want them to know who you are, this is a great option.
Once they accept, you’ll be able to view their feed and they will have no idea who is behind the account.
It should be noted that while it’s okay to conceal your identity, you shouldn’t try to impersonate somebody else – even if you think it might increase your chances.
I’ve heard stories of other people impersonating the account holder’s friends, in attempt to gain access to their private pages.
This is not only unethical, but can get you into serious trouble.
If the account holder doesn’t want you viewing their page, you should respect their privacy and deal with that.
3. Look For Them On Other Social Media Platforms
The next option is to look for them on other social media sites like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or Snapchat.
Often times, people crosspost the exact same videos on other social networking sites. In fact, this has become much more common practice ever since Instagram Reels have begun in popularity, and other apps like Snapchat and Facebook have also begun implementing TikTok-like features.
Recreating the same video on a ton of websites takes too much time, so many people simply download their TikToks and reupload them on these other platforms.
Therefore, if you’re able to find their account on other websites, you may get to view all of the same videos.
So how can you do this?
One way is to simply search for their name, as well as their exact username on the other apps. Often times, people reuse the exact same username across multiple apps.
Another thing you can do is find friends you have in common on other apps, then look at who they’re following (as well as who is following them.)
By paying attention to usernames as well as profile pictures, you may be able to find the same person on these other apps.
4. Use A Mutual Friend’s Account
Finally, if you have a mutual friend that’s already able to view that person’s private TikTok, you could ask if they could check for you (or simply let you borrow their phone.)
If you’d like, you may even request that they download the videos and send them to you so you can continue viewing them even when your friend is not around.
Of course, you should make sure this is a friend that you can trust – if you tell them you specifically want to stalk someone’s page, they may let that person know, which will only backfire on you and make things worse.
Additionally, you should take the account holder’s privacy into account. If they have already rejected your follow request and have made it clear that they do not want you viewing their TikToks, you should certainly take this into account and respect their wishes.
Beware Of Sideloading Apps
Some websites and YouTube creators have misled people into believing that if they sideload a modded version of TikTok, they will be able to view people’s private accounts.
This is false.
Although modded versions of TikTok (like TikTok++ and Unicorn) exist that allow you to have some additional features, viewing private accounts is not one of them.
Sideloading random apps on your iPhone or Android Phone is risky. Because these apps aren’t officially supported and they bypass many of the security checks built-in to your device’s official app store, there is a chance that you could actually be installing malware without realizing it.
In fact, this is one of the most common ways Android phones are infected with viruses.
Therefore, in order to avoid having your accounts hacked or your information stolen, we recommend only downloading apps from Apple’s App Store or Android’s Google Play. If you do sideload apps, you should be absolutely sure where they’re coming from, verify your sources, and avoid anything that promises things that are unrealistic.
TikTok++ nor Unicorn (two of the most common sideloaded apps) allow you to view private profiles. Anybody that claims they can is likely pushing an unofficial version infected with malware. Avoid these at all costs.
Note: Using non-official versions of the TikTok app may introduce additional risks to your account.
Conclusion
Private accounts are a core TikTok feature, and TikTok goes to great lengths to ensure that they cannot be bypassed.
Sideloaded apps, nor any website or service will allow you to see a private account if you’re not meant to.
However, if you can visit the person’s TikTok page on an account that has been authorized to view it, you will be able to watch their TikToks without any problems.
I apologize, because I know this isn’t the answer you might have been hoping for. No tricks or secret tips exist that allow you to view private TikToks, and understanding this will keep your account safe.
Of course, if you have any other questions about TikTok, feel free to ask them using the comment form below.