Are You Allowed To Save TikTok Stories To Your Phone?

TikTok was late to the “Stories” trend. It wasn’t until 2022 that the social media platform allowed TikTok users to record 15-second videos and post them to their Story, where the clips live for only 24 hours before disappearing.

TikTok had to compete with well-established predecessors like Snapchat and Instagram, which originated the Stories format in the early 2010s. Even so, TikTok Stories have quickly become popular with the app’s 2+ billion users. Lots of great TikTok content can be found by exploring creators’ Stories.

Since the short TikTok videos vanish from the app after 24 hours, it’s crucial to save any great Stories you create or view as soon as possible. It’s fairly easy to download your own Stories to your camera reel — but can you download the ones that other content creators post?

Let’s find out.

How To Save The TikTok Stories You Produce

You can download Stories you create on the app the same way that you’d save any of your other TikTok posts. It gets a little complicated, though, if you want to save a Story without the TikTok watermark that’s automatically imprinted on videos downloaded from the platform.

1. Open the “Record” screen by tapping the “+” icon at the bottom of your home screen.
2. Record your 15-second TikTok Story by hitting the red “Record” button.
3. When done, click the red checkmark.
4. Before tapping the “Your Story” button to post, click the “Share” icon (a sweeping right arrow) toward the top of the right-hand menu.

One of the options you’ll see on the popup lets you save the Story to your camera reel, complete with the TikTok watermark. The other two require you to upload the video either as a standard post or as a Story; that’s the only way you can save the content on your phone without a watermark.

Of course, if you don’t want the Story to go live yet, you can always make the post private before uploading it, or delete it from the app after it’s been saved, so no one else can see it.

How To Save TikTok Stories That Other Users Post

Theoretically, you’re not allowed to download other TikTok users’ stories. There are two hacks you can use, though.

1. Use a screen recorder. All modern phones have screen recording features built in, so if you don’t mind a loss in quality, this is a simple way to save a Story (with the TikTok watermark).
2. Use a third-party app or website tool. Lots are available, including TTSave and SnapTik, and most allow you to save Stories without the TikTok watermark. You simply have to copy the URL of the Story by tapping the “Share” icon and choosing the “Copy link” option, and paste the URL into the app or online tool.

TikTok Stories are often nothing more than “snapshots” of a user’s life, but some are so interesting, fascinating, or funny that you feel compelled to keep them to watch again and again. It’s not the easiest thing to do on the app, but the small amount of extra work can be worth it.