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Watching TikTok Videos: No Account, No Problem!

3 min read
Peter Hasselworth

TikTok has given birth to numerous trends. Lip-synch and dance videos are the ones most identified with the social media platform, along with the periodic TikTok challenges that go viral and attract widespread media attention.

Users get the opportunity to watch and join the party when popular TikTok videos show up on their timeline. Even if their interests don’t mesh with those trending topics, it’s virtually impossible to avoid seeing at least some of the app’s most popular content.

But what if you don’t have a TikTok account and want to check out what’s hot on the platform, or someone sends you a link to a TikTok post you simply have to see?

No worries. It’s easy to watch TikTok content without signing up.

If Someone Sends You a TikTok Link

When you get a TikTok link in an email or on another social app, don’t shrug and think “I can’t watch that, since I’m not on that app.”

The system is set up to let visitors click on outside links to watch TikTok videos, even if they don’t have an account. You won’t be able to engage with the content, but you can view those posts to your heart’s content.

If You Want to Browse TikTok on Your Own

You can’t use the TikTok app without setting up an account — but you can view all of the platform’s content on a web browser without logging in.

Just visit tiktok.com (and you can do it from your phone’s browser, or an Xbox or PlayStation, as well as on a laptop or desktop) and you’re good to go. If a popup window asks you to set up an account, just click “Continue as guest” and you can do most of the things a logged-in TikTok user can — including scrolling through never-ending video feeds.

The first page you’ll see is an “Explore” page with lots of random videos, but you can narrow down your preferences by tapping any one of the video categories on the top scroll bar. To return to the main Explore page, just click the “X” at the top left of the screen.

Know someone’s TikTok username and want to find them on the app? Just enter it into the search bar on the left menu. (You can’t use TikTok search to find videos on specific topics, though.) To learn more about a video’s creator, just click on their name and you’ll be taken to their TikTok profile.

While you won’t be able to like, comment, or interact in other ways when you see a video you enjoy, you can still share it with friends or on other social media apps. And as you scroll and watch videos, the TikTok algorithms will start recommending other content similar to the vids you’ve already viewed or shared.

If You Just Want a Feel for TikTok Videos

Many content creators and influencers share their TikTok content on other social media platforms. You’ve probably seen them posted in the past and may have ignored them because you don’t have an account on the platform, but there are no restrictions on watching those videos whether they’re uploaded to the other app or directly to TikTok.

And if you want to sample specific types of TikTok videos, just do a Google search for phrases like “TikTok dance videos” or “TikTok home repair hack videos.” You’ll see plenty of options — and you can watch them all without an account on the app.

Peter Hasselworth's avatar

About the Author

Peter Hasselworth is a contributor at iDigic, sharing valuable insights about Instagram growth and social media marketing strategies.

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