All social media platforms can be accessed from both their phone apps and websites. These days, however, almost all are designed to provide the best user experience on phones or other devices. Many features, particularly those designed for content creation and user interaction, simply perform better on apps— and some aren’t even available online.
TikTok is an excellent example. Among other disadvantages, the website won’t let you record TikTok content directly to the platform, the video editing suite is much more powerful and full-featured on the app, the TikTok algorithm-driven For You page (FYP) isn’t as robust on a browser, and you can’t easily create TikTok Live streams.
Mac users (as well as PC users) who rely on their browsers to access TikTok are often left dissatisfied and frustrated. Many ask if there’s any way to simply download the app to their computer— and the answer is a bit complicated. Let’s discuss.
How To Download TikTok on a Mac
Naturally, you don’t have to download anything to use TikTok on your Mac. You can just visit tiktok.com on Safari or another browser, and sign in with the same credentials you use on the app (or sign up, if you don’t already have a TikTok account).
If you use a MacBook with an M1 or M2 chip, you’re in luck. Those models are able to accommodate many downloaded apps, including TikTok. Just visit the App Store, download and install the TikTok app, and you’re ready to go.
You’ll have to take a couple of extra steps if you own any other type of Mac, though, because they (and PCs) aren’t designed to accommodate apps designed for use on phones. You need what’s called an “emulator,” which supports the use of mobile apps on computers. The best emulator for TikTok is known as BlueStacks. Here’s what to do.
- Open your Mac’s browser and search for BlueStacks. Visit the website and download the version labeled “For macOS.”
- When the download is complete, follow the instructions on your screen. If you get a “System Extension Blocked” error message, select “Open Security Preferences” and click on “Allow.”
- BlueStacks emulates Android phones, so you’ll be asked to enter your Google email address. If you don’t have one, there will be instructions on how to use a different address, but it will be much easier to create an account with Google Mail.
- Now, visit the Google Play Store, find the TikTok app, and install it.
Whenever you want to use the TikTok app on your Mac, just open BlueStacks on the computer and open the app from the My Apps tab.
It can be a bit of a pain to get started, but you’ll appreciate having done the extra work once you’re using the “real” TikTok app on your Mac.
About the Author
Peter Hasselworth is a contributor at iDigic, sharing valuable insights about Instagram growth and social media marketing strategies.