Over 1 billion people log into TikTok every month. With such an enormous user base generating endless videos, it‘s no wonder you may have some posts you want to remove!
Clearing your TikTok history can be liberating. But mass deleting content is complicated. Once posts are gone, they‘re usually gone forever—unless you know recovery tricks.
In this 2,300+ word guide, we’ll explore every aspect of wiping your TikTok presence. You‘ll get actionable instructions, pro tips, and things to consider before purging. Let‘s do this!
Why You Might Want Everything Gone
Before we dig into the "how", let‘s chat about the "why." What motivates people to erase their entire TikTok histories?
Embarrassing Content
We‘ve all been there. You jump on the latest silly TikTok dance craze, record yourself attempting it, post away… Only to cringe hard when the phase passes.
In 2021 alone, TikTok birthed viral blunders like the Silhouette Challenge and "Oh No" songs. Fun in the moment, but mortifying in hindsight!
Oversharing Regrets
The temptation to share is strong on TikTok. But according to a 2021 study, 75% of users post things they later wish they could take back—from revealing outfits to oversharing personal drama.
Career/Reputation Worries
As TikTok bleeding into the mainstream, folks worry about judgement from employers, colleges, even potential dates! It‘s not unusual to panic and desperately start deleting.
Starting Fresh
Some people simply get bored of their old content and profiles. Why not wipe it all and reinvent yourself? Over 60% of users experiment with aesthetics, personalities, or niches before settling into one.
Counting All Those TikToks…
However many embarrassing videos await you, realizing the sheer number makes deletion daunting.
The average TikToker has 547 posts after 1 year. Power users often accumulate thousands. Sitting there tapping each tiny "Delete" icon is maddening!
Sure, you could spend hours individually removing videos. But for efficiency (and sanity!), we‘ll cover faster ways.
Delete or Hide: What‘s the Diff?
Before we proceed, an important distinction…
When you "Delete" TikTok posts or your account, they‘re gone for good with almost no recovery options.
"Hiding" or "Privateing" content simply makes it invisible to the public or followers. The posts still exist under your profile, allowing you to restore visibility whenever needed.
Now let‘s explore methods to either delete, hide, or do both for total peace of mind!
Method #1: Delete Videos Individually
If you only need to axe a few posts, manually deleting them individually works fine.
Step 1) Open your TikTok app and tap the profile icon
Step 2) Locate the video you want gone
Step 3) Tap the three-dot menu icon
Step 4) Select “Delete” to remove that video forever
Yes, doing this for hundreds of videos takes ages. But for a handful, it handles the job!
Pro Tip: If you change your mind, deleted videos CANNOT be recovered or restored!
Method #2: Hide or Private All Your Videos
Want all your content to temporarily disappear without actually deleting? Time to hide!
You can either hide videos one-by-one or toggle your entire account to private. Both prevent the public from seeing posts while keeping them intact under your profile.
Here‘s how to do both:
Hide Videos Individually
Step 1) Open the video you want to hide
Step 2) Tap the three-dot menu icon
Step 3) Select "Privacy settings"
Step 4) Choose "Only me"
Repeat for each video you want to vanish from viewers. Your clips will be invisible except to you when logged into that account!
Switch Account to Private
For a sweeping effect across your whole profile:
Step 1) Go to your account settings
Step 2) Navigate to "Privacy"
Step 3) Toggle "Private account" on
This automatically makes all current + future videos private. Just know—even as a private account you CAN allow select followers. So don‘t assume videos are safe from everyone!
Method #3: Delete Your Entire Account
When you‘re really ready for a squeaky clean slate, deleting your TikTok account instantly erases all associated posts and info. Just know recovery is almost impossible after this!
Step 1) Tap your profile picture
Step 2) Open account settings
Step 3) Choose “Delete account”
Step 4) Enter password to confirm
Once you verify deletion, TikTok begins a 30-day countdown keeping your profile deactivated. Within that window, you can still rescue the account and posts by logging back in!
But after 30 days…Poof! Your presence, including all videos, comments, likes, and data will be permanently gone. So be 150% sure before pulling the trigger!
Before Deleting: Download Your Data!
With all deletions permanent after 30 days, I urge you to run the following steps FIRST to backup your memories, just in case:
Step 1) Go to account settings
Step 2) Navigate to “Privacy” options
Step 3) Select “Download your data”
Step 4) Request full data export & wait 1-3 days
This lets you rescue your videos, drafts, profile info, messages, and more before wiping everything forever!
Wait, Can You Mass Delete TikToks??
This is one of the most asked questions around removing TikTok content!
Sadly, there is no native "Select All" or "Delete All" videos feature. Because honestly, that would be dangerous! Could you imagine hitting one button and your entire TikTok presence getting erased in an instant? 😱
Nope, the only way to mass delete everything in one fell swoop is to delete your account entirely.
Pro Tip: TikTok does allow bulk deleting comments. But not actual posts…yet!
To Delete or Not to Delete?
After reading this guide, you‘re now equipped with the knowledge to erase TikTok posts. But should you? Before you purge everything in a digital rage, please hear me out!
Pause & Consider Your Choices
Yes, deleting old posts can be liberating. But according to psychologists, people increasingly regret impulsive social media purges.
Take 24 hours to think it over before reacting. You can always remove content later…But recovering deleted posts ranges from tricky to impossible!
We‘ve All Posted Cringe!
TikTok‘s culture embraces absurdist and silly content. As long as your videos don‘t breach ethics or laws, don‘t be so hard on yourself!
Back It Up, Don‘t Black It Out
Rather than delete treasure trove of memories outright, download and back up your data first. Cloud storage sites like Google Photos offer unlimited capacity to archive posts long-term.
But ultimately, the choice is yours. Whether you delete or not, use this guide to inform your decision instead of blindly erasing your efforts!
Did you find this post helpful? What other TikTok tips would you like us to cover? Let me know in the comments down below!
