As TikTok has exploded from niche app to global sensation, with over 1 billion active monthly users, a whole new world of creative expression and community has emerged.
Yet enjoying everything TikTok has to offer means actively seeking out and connecting with other users – whether long-lost friends, talented creators, or amusing strangers that fill your feed.
If you‘ve ever wondered how to locate specific people on TikTok, not just random videos, you‘ve come to the right place! This comprehensive guide will walk you through several straightforward methods to find anyone you‘re searching for.
Below I‘ll explain each proven tactic, from syncing your contacts to tracking down popular profiles you wish to follow. For each one, I‘ll provide easy step-by-step instructions coupled with screenshots so you can see exactly what to do. I‘ll also analyze the upsides and limitations of every approach to help you decide what suits your needs.
Let‘s explore the many options available for connecting with both existing and new friends on TikTok!
Overview: How To Find Friends on TikTok
While TikTok automatically suggests entertaining short videos in your For You feed, locating profiles of people you know or want to follow requires using TikTok‘s search-and-discovery tools.
Here are the top techniques available:
Sync Your Contacts: Connect instantly with friends who also use TikTok by syncing your phone or Facebook contacts.
Search by Username: Look up a specific person by typing their exact, unique TikTok username.
Scan a QR Code: Every user has a scannable QR code that links directly to their profile.
Find Profiles You Like: View a video creator‘s profile from any clip in your Liked or Favorited feeds.
The table below compares the key benefits and limitations of each method:
| Method | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Sync Contacts | Seamlessly find existing friends | Requires contacts to have TikTok too |
| Search by Username | Find anyone if you know exact handle | Usernames can change |
| Scan QR Code | Easy in-person contact adding | Must create QR code ahead of time |
| Liked/Favorited Video | Great for finding creators you enjoy | Old videos retain outdated usernames |
Now let‘s explore how to execute each approach to finding TikTok friends with detailed, step-by-step instructions!
Method 1: Sync Contacts from Your Phone
Connecting with friends who also use TikTok takes just a few taps by syncing the contacts stored on your mobile device. According to TikTok, 90% of current users have friends on the platform, so chances are high your contacts will lead to familiar faces.
Syncing checks if any saved phone numbers exist among TikTok‘s over 1 billion registered accounts. Any matches get automatically suggested to you as friends to follow.
Let‘s enable contact syncing in 4 simple steps:
Step 1: Open your TikTok app and tap on your profile icon in the bottom right corner:
Step 2: From your profile, select the "Add friends" button to access friend discovery options:
Step 3: On the Add friends page choose "Contacts" to sync friends who use TikTok via your phone contacts:
Step 4: Authorize TikTok to access your device contacts when the permission prompt appears:
Once enabled, you will immediately see a list of recommended friends already on TikTok sourced from your phone contacts!
Syncing contacts provides a fast shortcut to locating people you know who have recently joined TikTok without having to memorize usernames. However, it only works if that person has the same phone number registered with their TikTok account.
Next let‘s go beyond your phone contacts to connect with friends from other social networks too!
Method 2: Sync Friends from Facebook
In addition to linking your personal phone contacts, you can also use TikTok‘s sync features to locate friends from your Facebook account who also use TikTok.
Connecting wider social circles across multiple platforms makes it even easier to see familiar faces on new services like TikTok without having to hunt them down manually.
Let‘s walk through syncing your Facebook friend list:
Step 1: From your profile, choose "Add Friends" then select "Facebook Friends":
Step 2: Authorize data access when prompted so TikTok can pull your Facebook contacts:
Step 3: TikTok will automatically suggest current Facebook friends with accounts as TikTok friends to follow!
The more social graphs TikTok can cross-reference with its own user base, the more friends get recommended to you to stronger build your TikTok community with familiar faces.
However, Facebook syncing only works one-way: it tells you which Facebook friends use TikTok but does not reveal your TikTok activities back to Facebook. Your privacy remains secure!
Up next we‘ll shift gears to searching for specific TikTok users you want to find by name, whether friends or your favorite video creators!
Method 3: Look Up Friends by Their Username
TikTok user names act like unique page titles that identify each member of the vibrant TikTok community.
Searching directly by username offers the flexibility to find anyone on TikTok quickly – even friends who don‘t have their contact info linked or aren‘t on Facebook yet.
Let‘s run through how to pinpoint a specific person by their username:
Step 1: Tap the Search magnifying glass button at the top right of your TikTok feed:
Step 2: Type the exact username of the person you wish to find into the Search bar field:
Step 3: Tap the person‘s username from the dropdown suggestions list to open their public profile.
Step 4: Follow them or interact with any of their posted videos!
Relying on username lookups provides the most direct access to finding any specific TikTok user you wish, while only requiring knowledge of their unique handle.
However, it does mean remembering the exact, current username of each person. Usernames can occasionally change, causing old account links to break. Maintaining an updated roster of friends‘ handles keeps your search results consistent.
Now let‘s look at the secret weapon for effortlessly adding new in-person contacts to your TikTok circle: QR codes!
Method 4: Scan a TikTok QR Code
Beyond digital contact lookups, TikTok offers a seamless gateway to forging real-life connections over shared interests too.
Every TikTok user can access a custom QR code that instantly links anyone who scans it to the associated profile.
Digging up hard-to-remember usernames or asking outright for someone‘s contact information can feel awkward. But flashing QR codes helps break the ice to mutual TikTok following.
Let‘s explore how to access and share your personalized TikTok QR code:
Step 1: Tap your profile icon then choose the 3-dot settings menu in the top right:
Step 2: Select "Settings and privacy" then tap into "Privacy":
Step 3: Scroll down and tap "My QR code":
Step 4: Your unique QR code appears! Tap the Share button to text or email the image to friends:
Once received, the other person can open their TikTok camera, scan your QR snapshot, and instantly access your profile to Follow you without typing anything!
QR codes eliminate the need to exchange contact details in order to connect on TikTok. But taking full advantage means remembering to preemptively generate and distribute your code before meeting potential new friends.
Up next we‘ll explore what to do if you forgot to grab someone‘s details but still want to track them down after discovering one of their videos!
Method 5: Find a User Profile From Any Video
One of TikTok‘s greatest features is the endless stream of entertaining videos served up in your For You feed. But what if you come across an engaging creator and now hope to follow them?
Luckily, TikTok makes it easy. Any video allows quick access to the associated poster‘s profile so you can learn more about artists and personalities who catch your eye.
Let‘s break down how to pivot from a funny or insightful video clip to the creator‘s account homepage itself:
Step 1: While watching a video you enjoy, Like it by tapping the heart icon or Favorite it by tapping the bookmark icon. This saves the content to your profile for easy access later.
Step 2: Open your profile and tap into either your Liked videos or Favorited videos section to see your collected clips.
Step 3: Tap the specific video from the creator who you now wish to follow. This re-opens the video.
Step 4: Tap the username of the video creator, typically shown at the bottom left of the clip:
Step 5: You immediately enter that TikTok user‘s public profile page. Scroll through additional videos they have shared or tap their Follow button!
Tracing video creators back to their profile pages enables you to forge ongoing connections with talents who catch your eye through their artistic content contributions alone.
However, this tactic can falter if the creator later changes their username. Any old videos retain the outdated, non-functioning handle. So if you really love a newfound talent, Favorite their newest videos right away so the links remain current!
Final Tips: Personalize Your Connections
Equipped with several solid techniques for finding friends new and old on TikTok, you now hold the tools to build a rich, entertaining social feed.
As you get started connecting with other TikTok users, keep these final tips in mind:
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Check your own privacy settings if you hope for others to find you. Hiding your profile prevents contact syncing and friend searches from working effectively.
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Unlink contacts or Facebook friends at any time in your privacy settings if needed, without losing existing connections.
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Change up your username to something easy to remember. This helps friends enter it when searching profiles.
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Share your QR code organically in social settings to mutually follow cool new contacts.
Reviewing these options for finding profiles allows you to take full control over your TikTok experience. Follow old acquaintances, discover rising stars, or even broadcast your own account growth goals widely.
Connecting with the right people transforms TikTok from a passive video portal into an engaged community to participate in. Now you possess the insider knowledge to fully customize who you see and who sees you on TikTok today!
