TikTok has become one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 1 billion monthly active users. One of the key features of TikTok is the ability to “favorite” videos you enjoy so you can easily find them later. However, many users have experienced issues where their favorite videos suddenly disappear from their Favorites list.
This can be frustrating, especially if you had favorite videos you wanted to rewatch or share with friends. The good news is there are several troubleshooting steps you can take to try and restore your lost favorites.
In this detailed guide, I’ll cover the main reasons TikTok favorites may disappear and walk you through various solutions to fix the issue and prevent it from happening again.
Reasons Your Favorite Videos or Collections May Have Disappeared
There are a few common reasons your favorite TikTok videos may have suddenly vanished:
The Video Was Deleted by the Creator
One of the most common reasons your favorites may disappear is if the original video creator deleted their TikTok. When a video is removed from TikTok, it’s automatically removed from all users’ Favorite lists as well.
There’s unfortunately no way to retrieve a video if the creator has deleted it. All you can do is search for similar videos or reach out to the creator on other platforms to request they repost.
The Video Was Removed for Violating Guidelines
TikTok has community guidelines that prohibit certain types of content, such as hate speech, adult nudity, illegal activities, etc. If a video you favorited got reported and removed for violating these rules, it would disappear from your Favorites.
Again, there’s usually no way to recover a video removed for rule violations. TikTok permanently takes down content that breaks their policies.
You Were Blocked by the Video Creator
If the creator of a video you favorited ended up blocking you, their video would be removed from your Favorites list.
Creators have the right to block accounts, which removes the ability to interact with their content. To restore their video, you’d have to get unblocked by reaching out to the creator directly.
TikTok Experienced a Technical Glitch
In some cases, a technical glitch on TikTok’s end could cause favorites to disappear. Issues like server outages, bugs, or app crashes can sometimes lead to data like favorites being lost.
Usually waiting or reloading the app will restore favorites if it was just a temporary technical issue on TikTok’s side.
Your Account Was Compromised
If your TikTok account was hacked or used by someone else, they may have cleared or unfavorited videos, causing them to disappear. Make sure your account is secure and hasn’t been compromised.
Reset your password and enable two-factor authentication if you suspect someone else accessed your TikTok and made changes.
How to Fix TikTok Favorite Videos or Collections Disappeared
If you notice your TikTok favorites have vanished, there are a number of troubleshooting steps you can take to attempt to restore them:
Check Your Favorites List on Other Devices
Your Favorites may still be intact on other devices where you’re logged into your TikTok account. Check your Favorites list on any other phones, tablets or computers where you use TikTok.
If the favorites are still there, you can save the videos to your camera roll to back them up. Then you’ll know the issue is isolated to just one device.
Reconnect Your TikTok Account on Your Device
On your device with the missing favorites, disconnect your TikTok account and then reconnect it:
- Go to your TikTok profile > Settings > Manage account > Remove account
- Confirm removing your connected account
- Then tap “Log in” and re-enter your TikTok username and password to reconnect your account.
Reconnecting the account forces your favorites list to fully sync again which could restore disappeared favorites.
Try TikTok Web
As another troubleshooting option, check your Favorites list on TikTok web accessed from a desktop web browser at tiktok.com.
To see your favorites on TikTok web,
- Click on your profile.
- Proceed to click on “Favorites.”
Sometimes issues with the mobile app don’t affect the web experience. If your favorites are visible on TikTok web, you can export them to your camera roll as a temporary backup.
Contact TikTok Creators
If a favorite video has disappeared because the creator deleted it, consider contacting them directly on another platform like Instagram or Twitter.
Explain you had their video as a favorite and ask if they would consider reposting it again for their followers who missed it. Some creators are willing to re-share favorites if asked politely.
Restart the TikTok App
The simplest fix is to force close and fully restart the TikTok app on your device. This will refresh the app cache and reload your data. Favorites that disappeared due to a minor glitch may reappear after a fresh app restart.
- On iPhone, double click the home button and swipe up on the TikTok app to close it. Then relaunch TikTok.
- On Android, open your recent apps list and swipe the TikTok app away to force stop. Then restart the app.
- On TikTok mobile web, refresh the page to reload your favorites list.
Restarting the app can clear out minor data issues and reconnect your Favorites list.
Log Out and Back In
If restarting didn’t work, log completely out of your TikTok account and then log back in. This will reconnect and resync your account details which may restore disappeared favorites.
- Tap the “Profile” icon in the bottom right and tap the three line menu icon in the top right. Choose “Log out”.
- Close the app fully. Then relaunch TikTok and log back into your account with your username and password.
- Check your Favorites list again to see if this fixed the issue.
Update the TikTok App
Make sure the TikTok app is updated to the latest version. App updates often contain bug fixes that could resolve favorites disappearing randomly.
On iPhone, open the App Store, tap your Profile icon, and check the Updates tab for any pending TikTok updates. On Android, open the Play Store, tap the menu icon, choose My Apps & Games > Updates to see available updates.
Install any TikTok app updates and then check your Favorites again. Updating may resolve app errors causing favorites to vanish.
Clear TikTok’s Cache and Data
If your favorites are still missing, try clearing the TikTok app’s cache and data. This erases temporary files and resets the app back to its default state which can fix favorites not showing properly.
On iPhone:
- Go to your iPhone Settings > General > iPhone Storage.
- Tap on TikTok and choose “Offload App” to delete the cache.
- Then tap “Reinstall App” to redownload a clean version of TikTok’s data.
On Android:
- Open your Android Settings > Apps & Notifications > See all apps.
- Tap TikTok, then choose Storage & Cache > Clear Cache and Clear Data.
Once the TikTok cache and data reset, open TikTok and check your Favorites again.
Contact TikTok Support
If you’ve tried all troubleshooting steps and your favorites are still missing, reach out to TikTok’s official support channels:
- In-app support – Tap your profile icon > Settings and Privacy > Report a Problem to contact TikTok support directly within the app.
- Twitter support – Tweet the details to @TikTokSupport to get help from their Twitter team.
- Email – Email [email protected] explaining the issue so they can investigate missing favorites.
TikTok may be able to restore favorites if it’s a technical issue on their end. Provide your username and details on missing favorites.
Prevent Favorites From Disappearing Again
Once you restore your TikTok favorites, follow these tips to keep them from disappearing again:
- Enable notifications for your favorite creators so you’re alerted if they delete videos.
- Use the “Share to Favorites” option to save duplicates of favorite videos.
- Export your Favorites list to camera roll periodically as a backup.
- Double check videos comply with guidelines before favoriting to avoid removals.
- Enable two-factor authentication on your TikTok account to prevent unauthorized changes.
- Keep the TikTok app updated to the latest version to avoid technical issues.
Conclusion
Having your carefully curated TikTok favorites suddenly disappear can certainly be annoying. In most cases, there are steps you can take to restore them or relocate the videos by contacting creators directly. Use the troubleshooting guide outlined here to refresh the app, update settings, clear cache, contact support, and prevent a recurring issue.
With some effort, you should be able to rebuild your Favorites list so you don’t lose those beloved viral videos and special moments. Implement the preventative tips outlined here to avoid TikTok favorites frustration in the future.
