Making TikTok Content Can Take A While: How To Edit Drafts

Some people are born broadcasters or podcasters. They can sit down in front of a live microphone and deliver a series of coherent, intelligent thoughts that keep listeners and viewers spellbound.

Some people are born videographers. They can turn on a camera and shoot a perfect, compelling video in a single take.

Most people are neither, and that’s why the majority of great TikTok videos take a while to come together.

People who speak directly to the camera may have to pause their recording midway through, so they can get their thoughts together. Others might need to reposition their camera several times to capture the video they want to include. And most have to do quite a bit of editing work before they’re satisfied that their TikTok post will accomplish everything they initially had in mind.

All of that work can take a while, and life can get in the way. A content creator may have to stop to go to the bathroom, to pick a child up at school, or go to their “real” job. They might be finished with the video, but need approval from a boss or client before it can be posted.

They also might not be happy with the way things are going and want to pause their recording or editing to find new inspiration before going back to work on the video.

That’s why TikTok allows you to save incomplete video “drafts” directly to your TikTok profile. Whenever you’d like, you can go back and pick up where you left off.

And the social media platform makes it easy.

How to Save and Edit a Draft on TikTok

One important note before we start: when you save a draft video on the app, it’s only saved in the phone you’re creating it on. It’s not available from your TikTok account if you’re using a different device; you have to resume editing on the one you started with. If you’d like, you can download a draft to your phone’s camera reel, but that still won’t let you use a different phone.

In short, don’t save a draft on your phone and expect to be able to resume work on it later using your iPad. Plan carefully.

How to Save a TikTok Draft

You can only take this action from the “Post” screen in the TikTok editor; that’s the one where you add a description and upload your content. Instead of hitting the “Post” button, tap the “Drafts” button at the bottom left of the screen. Your draft content will be saved for later revisions or posting.

How to Edit a TikTok Draft

It takes just seconds to be ready to resume your work.

1. Tap the “Profile” icon at the bottom right of your home screen to reach your TikTok profile.
2. Look in the “Drafts” section of the content grid, located in the middle of the page, and tap the thumbnail of the draft you want to resume work on. Your draft will open full-screen in the TikTok editor.
3. If you want to record more material, hit the “Back” arrow at the top left and choose “Continue recording.” Otherwise, you’re already in the Editing screen, so you can continue working on the video where you left off.
4. To post the video, click the “Next” button and proceed the way you normally would. If you still have more work to do before posting, hit the “Back” arrow and select “Save and exit.” Your new version will replace the old draft you previously saved.

Easy-peasy, right? Just one more warning before we’re done: all drafts are lost if you delete the TikTok app on your phone. Make sure to download drafts that you want to keep to your phone before removing the app. You won’t be able to access them any other way.