Problems With TikTok? Restart It — Here’s How

When you open TikTok, it almost always works perfectly. That’s what you’d expect from a reliable social media platform.

“Stuff” happens, however. TikTok occasionally experiences system-wide problems that prevent people from accessing all of the features they’re accustomed to. Those (usually partial) outages don’t last long; an entire tech staff is available to take care of rare issues that pop up.

Other hiccups could be caused by a poor Internet connection (moving to a different location or changing networks can solve that problem), or a full TikTok cache (the app can’t function properly if its temporary storage is full, and you can clear the cache easily from the app’s settings).

In many cases, however, you can solve issues with the app just by turning it off and turning it back on again.

How To Restart TikTok

We’re not making promises; this won’t always work. You’ll be surprised at how often it does, though.

Important note: Be sure to keep your TikTok username and password available when you turn off the app. You won’t automatically be logged back on when you restart it.

On an iPhone

1. Go to your TikTok profile by clicking the “Profile” icon at the bottom right of the home screen.
2. Open the profile menu by tapping on the three horizontal lines at the top right of the profile screen.
3. Choose “Settings and privacy” from the popup that opens.
4. Scroll to the bottom of the menu and click “Log out.”
5. Close out of TikTok, then open it again and log in.

On an Android

1. Find and tap the “Settings” icon on your phone.
2. Select “Apps” from the menu.
3. Choose “See all apps,” then find and tap on “TikTok.”
4. Click “Force stop” and confirm.
5. Reopen TikTok and log in.

If this doesn’t help, you can also try restarting your phone or device.

• On an iPhone, simultaneously press one of the volume buttons and the button on the phone’s right side. Wait until the “Power Off” slider appears at the top of the screen. Once the screen goes dark, press and hold one of the buttons until the Apple logo appears.
• On an Android, press and hold the volume and side buttons together until a new window appears, and choose “Restart.” 

In the worst-case scenario, you can always delete the app and install the latest version from the App Store (for iOS devices) or Google Play Store (for Androids). That’s probably the best way to solve any issues you’re having — but once again, be careful. When you delete the app, you’ll lose any TikTok draft videos you’ve saved. Be sure to download them to your phone first.

Good luck!