Looks like you can’t save TikTok videos from the App. Here’s how to download TikTok videos.
Have you ever found yourself enjoying TikTok, just to find out that the video you want to save and watch later doesn’t actually allow you to save it?
If so, don’t feel too bad about it. TikTok provides its users with the ability to download their favorite videos from their library on TikTok.
However, not every video can be download using the TikTok app.
In this article, we would explore why you sometimes can’t save videos from TikTok and how to actually download some videos using the app.
We would also delve into how to download videos that can’t be saved.
Finally, you will discover practical fixes when TikTok videos are not downloading.
Let’s dive in!
Why you Can’t Save or Download TikTok Videos
By default, TikTok allows you to download videos by saving them to your mobile device. However, there are some instances when you cannot download some videos. Here are some things to look out for:
1. There is a Problem with Your Internet Connection
Check your internet connection. A lot of times, people think their internet is working fine when it’s not.
If you’re trying to save or download a video from Tiktok and it’s not working, it might be because your internet connection isn’t strong enough.
When you’re trying to download a video, it has to load the entire thing before it can start downloading, so if your connection is slow, it might take a while or even time out before it can start.
You may see an error message on the TikTok app, such as “No Network Connection.”
Additionally, videos are usually large files, so if your connection is weak, it might not be able to handle downloading such a big file. If you’re having trouble saving or downloading videos from Tiktok, try again when you have a stronger internet connection.
2. Your Storage Space is not Enough
One other reason why you might not be able to save or download videos from TikTok is that you don’t have enough memory space on your device.
When you try to download a video, the app will first check to see if there’s enough space on your phone or tablet.
If there isn’t, you’ll get an error message saying insufficient memory space. Another reason could be that the video is too large.
The maximum file size for videos on TikTok is 72 MB for Android phones and 287.6 MB for iPhones. If the video you’re trying to download is larger than that, you’ll need to delete some other files from your device to make room for it.
3. Download is Restricted by the Video Creator
One of the reasons you can’t save or download videos from TikTok is because of restrictions by the owner of the video or whoever uploaded it.
When you record a video on TikTok, you give the app a non-exclusive, fully paid and royalty-free, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to use, copy, modify, adapt, and prepare derivative works.
So if you’re wondering why you can’t save or download that particular video from TikTok, it’s because the creator of the video has disabled downloads.
This is likely because they don’t want their content to be downloaded and redistributed without their permission.
While it’s frustrating, it’s important to respect the creators’ wishes. As you continue to read this article, we would explore ways to download videos with such restrictions.
4. There’s a Bug in the TikTok App
If you’re trying to save or download a video from TikTok and it’s not working, it might be because of a bug in the app. Sometimes these bugs can be fixed by updating the app to the latest version.
Other times, you may need to uninstall and reinstall the app. If neither of these solutions works, then the problem may be on TikTok’s end and there’s nothing you can do about it except wait for them to fix it.
How to Save or Download TikTok Videos with the App
Let’s take a quick look at how to save TikTok videos with the built-in download functionality, on both Android phones and iPhones. The procedure below will be helpful to download just a single video at a time.
- Tap the Share icon at the right-bottom corner of the video you want to download.
- Tap on Save Video. This will download the video to your gallery. (The “Save Video” function will only be visible if the video is public).
How to Download or Save TikTok Videos Without the App
Here are three methods to download TikTok Videos that can’t be saved:
1. Method 1: Use a Third-Party App
If you are looking for a way to download a TikTok video without the app, chances are the TikTok video is allowing you to save it.
The video could be set to private, or any of the factors we discussed above could be preventing you from doing that.
The good news is that there are other apps developed by independent developers for seamlessly downloading TikTok videos.
One of these apps is Video Downloader for TikTok. Apparently, the name suggests what it does. This app also downloads TikTok videos without watermarks.
To download TikTok videos with this app:
- Install the Video Downloader for TikTok app from Google Playstore or the iOS App Store. (There are numerous TikTok downloader apps. To download this exact one, which I’ve tested to work efficiently, look out for the one by Black Technology Tools).
- Open the TikTok video you want to save.
- Tap on the Share icon at the right bottom corner.
- Tap on Copy Link.
- Once the link has been copied to the clipboard, simply launch the “Video Downloader for TikTok” app.
- Paste the TikTok video link in the text box and tap on the Paste & Download button. In most cases, the app itself automatically pastes the link and starts the download when you just open the app.
Here are two other effective Android TikTok video downloader apps:
2. Method 2: Screen Record the Video
Most recent phones allow you to record your screen and chances are your phone has this capacity too.
If you really want to save a particular video, you can try taking a screenshot or recording your screen while you watch it.
To screen-record a TikTok video
- Open the TikTok video you want to have screen recorded. You may pause it so that you can start recording from the beginning.
- Simply swipe down from the top of your phone’s screen.
- Tap on Screen record. The recording will start after the countdown.
- Tap on the TikTok video to start playing.
- You can stop recording by swiping down again from the top of your screen and tapping on Screen record. Congratulations! Your video has been saved into your gallery.
3. Method 3: Download the TikTok Video from Other Websites
There are lots of third-party websites that will enable you to download TikTok videos with ease.
One of them is Savefrom.net. With this online tool, you can download even private TikTok videos.
To download a TikTok video using this website:
- Copy the link to the TikTok video you want to download.
- Visit Savefrom.net with your phone or computer and paste the link into the text box.
- Choose video resolution and click on download.
Savefrom.net also has a browser extension (available on Chrome, Firefox and Edge) that you can install and use to download TikTok videos with just one click.
How to Fix TikTok Videos not Downloading or Saving from the App
If TikTok videos are not downloading, you might see the error message: “TikTok couldn’t save video tap to try again.”
If you still find it difficult to download these TikTok videos from the app, we encourage you to troubleshoot the problem with these practical and proven methods:
1. Check Your Internet Connection
If you’re experiencing issues with downloading or saving videos on TikTok, the first thing you should do is check your internet connection.
You can run a quick test to check the speed of your internet. To do this, simply visit speedtest.net and click on Go.
Here, you will know your network connection’s download and upload speed. If it’s extremely low, then you can take an action towards improving it.
If you’re on a public Wi-Fi network, try switching to a different network.
If you’re on a cellular data connection, try turning off your cellular data and using Wi-Fi instead. Sometimes, the problem is with your internet service provider (ISP).
If you’re still having trouble, contact your ISP and ask them if there’s anything they can do to improve your connection.
2. Update the TikTok App
As we said earlier on, there may be some glitches in the TikTok app itself that may be causing it to not download videos successfully.
To rectify this, make sure you have the latest version of the app installed.
To do this, open the App Store and tap Updates. If there’s an update available for TikTok, tap Update.
If there isn’t, please uninstall the app and reinstall it from the App Store. After that, restart your device before launching the app again.
Follow a similar procedure to update the TikTok app if you use an android phone.
3. Switch your Account from Private to Public
Changing your account’s privacy from private to public does two things:
- It enables you to download pubic videos without any limitations
- It helps others to be able to download your TikTok videos
To change your TikTok account from private to public:
- Tap on the profile icon at the right bottom corner of the screen.
- At the top right corner, tap on the hamburger symbol (☰) and tap Settings and privacy.
- Tap on Privacy, then at the discoverability tab, ensure you’ve turned off “Private account.”
4. Allow your TikTok Videos to be Downloaded
If others complain they can’t download or save your TikTok videos, it’s likely due to your privacy settings.
If want to allow others to download your videos, then you have to allow them.
To allow other users to download your TikTok videos:
- Tap the profile icon.
- Tap on the menu symbol (☰) at the top right corner and navigate to Settings and privacy.
- Tap on Privacy, then proceed to Downloads under the Satefy tab.
- There is a toggle for Video downloads. Toggle this setting on by sliding it across to the right until you see a green toggle button is active.
5. Contact the Content Creator
Check to see if the content creator has allowed downloads on their videos. If they have, you should be able to download the video by tapping the share button and selecting Save Video.
Alternatively, you can apply any of the above methods.
If you, however, prefer downloading the video using the TikTok app, then reaching out to the content creator will be the best option.
If the content creator hasn’t allowed downloads, you can contact them to request that they allow downloads on their videos in order for you to save them.
6. Report the Issue to TikTok Support Team
You can always get help from TikTok support if you’re still having issues after trying these instructions. They’ll be able to assist you in troubleshooting the problem.
To report the video saving issue to the TikTok support team:
- Tap the profile icon at the right bottom corner.
- On the top right, tap the harmbuger icon (≡) and proceed Settings and privacy.
- Under the support tab, tap on Report a problem. Under the Topics tab, tap on Videos and sounds.
- Under the Saving Video tab, select Unable to save videos.
- Since you want to actually report the problem, tap on No to the question “Is your problem resolved?“
- Finally, briefly describe the profile picture not changing issue and attach relevant screenshots.
You can be assured that TikTok’s support team will resolve the video-saving error you’re encountering.
Conclusion
In this article, we have discussed the reasons why you cannot download TikTok videos. We’ve also taken a look at practical ways to download any TikTok video, whether with the TikTok app or without the app.
You’ve also discovered actionable steps to take to fix the issue of TikTok videos not saving or downloading.
You may want to take a look at this similar article on how to fix a TikTok profile picture not changing or saving.
