Creating A TikTok Account, Step By Step

TikTok was launched in 2017 as an international version of the Chinese social Douyin, and it had fewer than 20 million users. Its growth was jumpstarted in 2018 when TikTok was merged with the social media platform musical.ly, which Douyin had purchased the year before.

TikTok grew quickly — and astronomically. The app had 350 million users in 2018, reached a million in 2020, hit 1.5 million in 2022, and there are now more than two billion users. It’s been the most-downloaded app worldwide almost every year since 2018, and its name has become synonymous with content like its uber-popular short-form dance and lip-sync TikTok videos.

Douyin says there are 150 million TikTok users in America and 25 million in the UK, so many readers of this blog don’t need help setting up an account; they’re already on the platform. For those who are late to the game, though, here’s how to put the app on your phone and create an account, step-by-step.

How to Set Up a TikTok Account

The process of getting onto TikTok is largely intuitive, but this guide will help those who prefer written instructions.

1. Download and install the TikTok app from Google Play (if you have an Android device) or the Apple App Store (if you have an iOS device).
2. Open the app and tap the “Profile” icon at the bottom right of the home screen.
3. When you’re prompted to sign up, enter either your email address or phone number, or choose to sign up through another existing account (like Facebook, Apple, or Google).
4. Enter your birthday when asked. Be careful not to make a mistake; the system will use your age to determine whether you have access to all of TikTok’s features, and if you enter the wrong birthdate when signing up, it’s not easy to correct later.
5. A confirmation code will be sent to your email or phone number (if you’ve signed up with one of those methods). Enter the code on the app screen.
6. Choose a TikTok username and password. You can change your username later if you come up with a better one.

That’s it; you’re in. You can start surfing immediately, but it’s a good idea to set up your TikTok profile before diving in.

Choosing a profile photo and entering a short TikTok bio will let people checking you out know a little about who you are (and that you’re not an anonymous user). You might also want to tap the “Add friends” icon (a silhouette with a “+” sign) next to “Share profile,” which lets you use your phone’s contact list or friend lists from other apps to find people you know on TikTok.

After that, it’s all about exploring. Have fun!