You’re undoubtedly familiar with how the TikTok app works on your phone.
So, if you were using the social media platform on a computer at home or work, you’d probably think you knew exactly how to download a video that you wanted to save. You’d just click on the sweeping right arrow that opens the “Send to” popup window, and look for the “Save video” option.
Surprise! It’s not there.
You might think that the content creator had disabled downloads, so you’d try finding the “Save” option on another post, and another, and another. It’s still not there.
That’s crazy. Why aren’t you allowed to download TikTok content on a PC?
You are. You just have to do it differently than you do on the app.
How To Download TikTok Videos on a PC
Users navigate phones unlike the way they use computers, so TikTok had to create a special icon that lets them easily save videos on their devices with a single tap.
Anyone who’s saved photos or videos on a computer, however, already knows how this process works. They probably just didn’t realize that it works for TikTok posts as well.
On your PC:
- Find the video that you want to save.
- Right-click on the video and choose “Download video” from the popup menu.
- It will immediately be saved to your machine in MP4 format.
There are several things to understand about this method:
- If you’re using a Mac, you download TikTok videos with the equivalent of a right-click, holding down the “Control” key while clicking the mouse.
- If you don’t see a “Download video” option on the popup, it’s because the content creator has disabled downloads for all of their content. There’s no way to save the video you’re interested in, either on a computer or a phone.
- Just as with phone downloads, videos saved to a computer will have the TikTok logo embedded. To save a “clean” version, you’ll have to use a third-party TikTok online downloader or app. There are lots of them available, although many of them aren’t safe to use or install. Be careful if you decide to take this route.
That’s all there is to it. Didn’t think downloading TikTok videos on your PC was this easy, did you?
About the Author
Peter Hasselworth is a contributor at iDigic, sharing valuable insights about Instagram growth and social media marketing strategies.