TikTok can be an absolute goldmine of incredible content and fun videos, and sometimes you just want to keep those videos in your gallery or camera roll or save those videos to spread and share with your friends. However, sometimes downloading or saving just doesn’t work, and all you can do is share a TikTok link instead of the actual video.
Of course, that’s not exactly the same thing, but luckily, there are some ways to get that video onto your phone anyway. How to save videos on TikTok when it’s disabled? Let’s find out!
Why are TikTok videos disabled for downloading?
The default option for creators is to allow other people to download their videos on TikTok. Because there’s automatically a watermark attached with the user name of the video in question, people generally aren’t worried about the fact that some people might ‘steal’ their video. However, some TikTokkers still prefer to keep their videos on the platform itself, and won’t allow any type of downloading onto viewers’ devices.
In the end, it’s a choice that the video uploader makes. If that person doesn’t want you to save the video, they can adapt the settings when uploading the video, and TikTok will get rid of the ‘Save’ or ‘Download Video’ button.
Is it smart to disable downloading for your own videos?
Some people might prefer this, but in our opinion, the ability to download is one of the strongest points of TikTok. Because of the (rather obvious) watermark, the video will be seen amongst more users and platformers, bringing additional eyes to TikTok and to your content – all without pressuring them to install the application. Shareability on TikTok is a huge plus and one of the many reasons why the platform is so popular today.
What about saving a TikTok video in GIF format?
Interestingly, users can still ‘download’ these videos in another format, GIF. However, this is definitely not the best idea, because GIF wasn’t exactly made for moving images. Furthermore, GIF files also don’t have any sound at all. It’s just a bunch of moving pictures, not an actual video. And let’s be honest – all those cool TikTok sounds are what makes the videos special and download-worthy, right?
How to download blocked TikTok videos on your smartphone with a screen recorder
This might seem like one of the most straightforward ways to accomplish the goal of downloading TikTok videos that are disabled, but if it works, it works! How to download undownloadable Tiktok videos? The answer might be more simple than you’d think!
The method varies slightly, depending on whether you’re using an Android smartphone or an Apple iPhone. Usually, you can just swipe down from the top right side of your smartphone, and enable your built-in screen recorder software. Play the video like you usually would, and stop recording. Voila!
- Swipe down on your device to find the screen recording software (this should work on recent iPhones and Android devices)
- Enable screen recording
- Wait five seconds until the recording starts
- Go back to TikTok
- View the video you want to save
- Stop screen recording software
Can’t find a screen recorder on your Android phone?
Perhaps your phone is too old, or the manufacturer has decided not to enable a screen recording feature into the software. In any case, don’t panic! There are plenty of apps in the Google Play Store that will take care of this, such as this one.
Don’t have access to the Google Play Store? Some devices from Huawei only have an app store from the manufacturer, but you should also be able to find similar screen recording applications for free on there. They’re pretty straightforward to operate – just open the app, and press the video recording button.
