Evil Week: How to View Someone Else's TikToks Anonymously (2024)

Jake Peterson

Evil Week: How to View Someone Else's TikToks Anonymously (1)

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Welcome to Evil Week, our annual dive into all the slightly sketchy hacks we’d usually refrain from recommending. Want to weasel your way into free drinks, play elaborate mind games, or, er, launder some money? We’ve got all the info you need to be successfully unsavory.

You probably don’t care if some TikTok celebrity knows you checked out their page. Out of the millions of people who do, you’d get utterly lost in the shuffle. You probably wouldn’t care if your good friends know you looked at their TikToks, either. Hell, maybe they ask you to for the views.

But they’re not why you’re here. You’re here because of the accounts you don’t want knowing you visit. Look, I’m not here to judge. I’m just here to give you the facts: It’s easy to confidently look at any account on TikTok without anyone the wiser, so long as you know what you’re doing.

TikTok used to be anonymous

This wasn’t always something you had to think about. With other social media platforms, like Facebook or Instagram, you know there’s no way for someone to know you checked out their page. Look at a story? Sure, that’s reported. Screenshot a snap? The ghost will tell on you. But simply visiting someone’s page is an anonymous exploit.

And so it was on TikTok, until “profile view history” hit the scene. This feature is a two-way street: It allows you to see all the accounts that visit your page, something many a curious TikTok user likely wants to know, at the expense of knowing that other people will be able to see when you visit their page. For some, it’s a fair trade, especially those who don’t mind being open books on social media. But plenty of you are not open books, and would prefer to stay incognito on TikTok.

How to stay private on TikTok

The key thing to do to make sure you remain private while browsing other people’s TikToks is to make sure profile view history is always kept off. To do so, go to your profile, then tap the pair of shoes at the top of the screen. If you see the “Turn on profile view history?” screen, it means the feature is turned off, and you can browse freely with no one the wiser. However, if the feature is on, you’ll need to hit the settings gear in the top-right, then disable the toggle next to “Profile view history.”

Evil Week: How to View Someone Else's TikToks Anonymously (2)

Credit: Jake Peterson

Do TikTok profile views turn on by themselves?

This is something I’ve experience before, and others have, too. It’s not clear how often it happens, or if it still does, but it does seem like profile views have switched from off to on in the past. If you’re concerned, tap those shoes in your profile from time to time to double-check the feature is off.

Don’t forget to clear your TikTok history, too

Keeping profile views off is great 99% of the time, but if someone with access to your smartphone wants to know what you’ve been watching, they’re going to find out. That’s because TikTok saves a record of both your search history and your watch history, so you’ll want to clear those if you want to stay truly anonymous in all cases.

To clear your entire search history, go to your profile, hit the hamburger menu, then head to Settings and privacy > Activity center > Search history. Here, choose Select, then Select all search history, then hit Delete All. If you’re surprised by some of the results here, remember that TikTok saves any time you tap on a searchable comment as part of your search history.

To clear your watch history, go to Settings and privacy > Activity center > Watch history. Hit Select, then Select all watch history, then Delete all.

Evil Week: How to View Someone Else's TikToks Anonymously (3)

Jake Peterson

Senior Technology Editor

Jake Peterson is Lifehacker’s Senior Technology Editor. He has a BFA in Film & TV from NYU, where he specialized in writing. Jake has been helping people with their technology professionally since 2016, beginning as technical specialist at New York’s 5th Avenue Apple Store, then as a writer for the website Gadget Hacks. In that time, he wrote and edited thousands of news and how-to articles about iPhones and Androids, including reporting on live demos from product launches from Samsung and Google. In 2021, he moved to Lifehacker and covers everything from the best uses of AI in your daily life to which MacBook to buy. His team covers all things tech, including smartphones, computers, game consoles, and subscriptions. He lives in Connecticut.

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Evil Week: How to View Someone Else's TikToks Anonymously (2024)

FAQs

Evil Week: How to View Someone Else's TikToks Anonymously? ›

The key thing to do to make sure you remain private while browsing other people's TikToks is to make sure profile view history is always kept off. To do so, go to your profile, then tap the pair of shoes at the top of the screen.

Can you view a TikTok story anonymously? ›

Yes, you can view a TikTok story without being seen by going to a specific website, entering the username of the account you want to view the stories of, and then pressing 'download'.

How to see someone's private TikTok videos? ›

Private TikTok accounts are only viewable by followers who have phone numbers listed on their accounts. Videos uploaded to a private account are only visible to users on the contact list. Further, the contact list receives notifications when new posts go up on the private account.

How to find the identity of a TikTok user? ›

First, enter the username of the account whose ID you want to identify in the respective form. You can use the search bar on TikTok to help you if you've forgotten the username. Then, complete the Captcha “I am not a Robot” verification challenge. Next, click on the “Find TikTok ID” button to proceed.

Can you see who views TikTok without an account? ›

The Visibility of Views on TikTok

If you watch a video without an account, the creator doesn't know you watched it. An interesting feature on TikTok is anonymous views. This means you can watch videos without anyone knowing. It's great for privacy.

How do I view someone's TikTok story? ›

You'll know if someone has posted a TikTok Story by the blue ring you'll see around their profile picture. If you want to view their Story, all you have to do is tap on their profile pic.

How do I see someone's activity on TikTok? ›

When someone is online on TikTok, then a green dot appears on their profile picture. Keep in mind, the green dot may still be visible for some time after someone becomes inactive on TikTok.

Does it show when I view someone's TikTok? ›

You can choose to turn your profile view history on or off. Turning off profile view history means you won't see who has viewed your profile, and others won't see that you've viewed theirs.

How to watch TikTok without an account? ›

How to Watch Without an App or Account
  1. Open the official TikTok website in a web browser of your choice.
  2. Select Continue as guest. ...
  3. Videos on the main feed play automatically as they appear on your screen. ...
  4. Select the video to see comments and sharing options.
Feb 26, 2024

How to see someone's TikTok reposts without following them? ›

You go into the profile, you scroll up and you look at the two revolving arrows. You press that. But as long as they've got them settings on, you will be able to see their repost. Very simple.

Can people identify you on TikTok? ›

Your name, username and profile photo will always be visible to anyone on or off TikTok. Other people will be able to search for your account. You can always restrict the visibility of your posts individually by changing your video settings, and your posts will be limited to the audience you select.

Can you be anonymous on TikTok? ›

Upon setting up your account, go directly to the privacy settings. Here, you can control who sees your content, who can send you messages, and whether your account is suggested to others. For maximum anonymity, set your account to private and carefully manage your follower requests.

Can a TikTok account be traced? ›

Can A TikTok User Be Traced? Yes, A TikTok User can be traced. TikTok does collect IP addresses for security purposes. However, TikTok does not disclose this information to its users or allow them to access it directly.

Can someone see if you search them on TikTok? ›

On TikTok, if you have your profile views turned off and view other people's accounts, they won't be notified. Even if you later turn your profile views back on, the people whose accounts you checked won't know that you viewed their profiles during the time your views were off.

Can others know when I view their profile? ›

No, Facebook does not provide a way for users to see who viewed their profile. This information is not available to users, and there is no official metric or list that tracks profile views.

Can anyone see my TikTok story? ›

If you have a public account, you can choose Everyone (people on or off TikTok), Friends (followers you follow back), or Only you. ༚ If you have a private account, you can choose Followers, Friends (followers you follow back), or Only you. To change the privacy setting on an existing Story: 1.

Can you see who screen records TikTok stories? ›

screenshotting a story? no, it does not. so.

How do I hide someone from seeing my TikTok story? ›

Click on settings, go to story, click hide story from. Replying to @Nallely♪☆ UPDATED TUTORIAL!

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