How to download your TikTok data (and open it)

TikTok’s data download covers your watch history, likes, comments, searches, messages, followers and account details. The request is simple; reading the result is not. This guide covers both.

Step by step

1

Go to Settings and privacy

Profile → Menu (☰) → Settings and privacy → Account → Download your data.
2

Pick JSON

The JSON format is complete and keeps dates and links intact. TXT is readable in Notepad but far harder to search.
3

Request the file

TikTok shows “Pending”. It usually takes between a few hours and three days.
4

Download within four days

Return to the same screen and tap Download. The zip is named TikTok_Data_ followed by a number.
5

Open it

Drop the zip on the TikTok data viewer. Each section appears as a table with Excel and CSV export.

Then open it

TikTok data file viewer

Finally read the file TikTok sent you: watch history, likes, DMs and searches as clean tables, with charts.

Questions

Why does my watch history only go back a few months?

TikTok stores a limited window of watch history, about 180 days in most regions. The export cannot contain what TikTok no longer holds.

Does the download include my videos?

It includes the list of your posts with links and stats, not the video files. Download those from each video’s share menu.