Have you deleted a TikTok draft or the app? There is no guaranteed way to get your unfinished video back. First check the phone you used to create the video. Then look for saved videos and separate recordings. Do not delete the app as a test or clear app data.
Below, you’ll read what you can check in each situation. Start with what happened to your draft.
Can you recover deleted TikTok drafts?
That depends on what has disappeared. A draft is an unfinished video that you have not posted yet. You can still work on it. A saved video file in your photo app is different: your edits are no longer stored as separate elements.
Do not assume that your draft will automatically appear on every phone as soon as you sign in. According to TikTok’s explanation of drafts and deleted posts drafts can disappear after reinstalling or switching devices. You can recover deleted posts for up to 30 days. That recovery option does not apply to drafts.
Choose the situation that applies to you below. A draft that has disappeared on a new phone requires different checks from a draft that you deleted yourself.
| What happened? | What should you check first? |
|---|---|
| You deleted one draft. | Look for previously saved videos and original recordings. |
| You deleted TikTok from your phone. | Check your photos and other copies before deleting anything else. |
| You are using a new phone. | Check the old phone before wiping it. |
| You cannot see any drafts, but you have not deleted anything. | Check that you are using the right phone and the right account. |
| You deleted a posted video. | Look for post recovery, not draft recovery. |
Did you find a saved video? Then you may still have much of your footage. However, this does not automatically restore the separate clips, text boxes and other edits.
Finding TikTok drafts on your old phone
Have you not deleted anything yourself? Then first take the phone you used to work on the video. Do not change any settings yet, and leave an old phone as it is for now.
- Open TikTok on that phone. Go to the profile you used to create the video.
- Check the username. Do not look only at the profile picture. You may use the same picture for multiple accounts.
- View your drafts. Cannot find them? Then read where to find your TikTok drafts.
- Open the draft you are looking for. Check that it is the right video before changing anything.
- Save what you still have. Set usable files aside before searching further or clearing your phone.
Do not sign out immediately to see whether that helps. First note which account you see and which phone you are using. This information is also useful if you ask for help later.
Suppose you filmed a recipe on your old phone. You cannot see the draft on your new device. First check the old device: an empty drafts folder on your new phone does not yet tell you what is on the old one.
Lost TikTok drafts: what should you avoid doing?
Do not delete TikTok and then reinstall the app. That is not a recovery step for drafts. Also do not reset your phone to factory settings while you are still looking for your video.
On Android, you may come across settings for cache and storage. Cache means temporary data. In Google’s explanation of freeing up space on Android it says that clearing the cache deletes temporary data. Clearing storage permanently deletes all app data.
Do not use either option to recover a draft. Clearing temporary files will not bring back a deleted video. Also note that settings may have different names on different phones.
- Do not clear app data to test whether your drafts come back.
- Do not erase your old phone yet before selling or trading it in.
- Never give your password or verification code to anyone who promises recovery.
- Do not install a recovery app that asks for access to all your photos without checking it first.
Using an iPhone? Do not delete the app as a test either. Do not change the storage settings without a clear reason. First look for footage you have already saved somewhere.
Finding footage from your TikTok draft
Is the draft no longer visible anywhere? Then look for the footage you used for it. This will not recover the entire draft, but you may be able to recreate the video.
Search your photos around the recording date
Open your photo app and view the videos from around the day you filmed. Also look further back if you used older footage in the draft.
Check the folder with recently deleted photos and videos, if your photo app has one. Look there for separate files. It is not a hidden recovery folder for TikTok drafts.
Check places where you saved a copy yourself
Did you send someone a test version? Look in that conversation. Also check folders on your computer and your online photo library, if you use one.
Did you first make the video in another editing app? Check whether there is still a project there that you can work on, or a saved version of the video.
Play every file you find all the way through. Is it the right footage, and can you hear the sound? A small thumbnail cannot show whether the entire video was saved properly.
Rebuild the video using the footage you found
A fictional example: you find three recordings from a walk. The draft with the short text snippets is gone. You can combine the footage again and add the text back. That is rebuilding, not restoring the original draft.
First write down the order and the text you still remember. Keep the files you found as they are. Where possible, work with a copy so that you still have the original footage if something goes wrong.
Recovering deleted TikTok posts is different from recovering drafts
Was your video ever posted? Then it is a post, not a draft. This also applies if you posted the video so that only you could see it.
In that case, look in TikTok’s help section for recovering deleted posts. Follow the steps provided there. Checking only your drafts folder will not help you find a deleted post.
Had you not posted the video yet and planned to continue working on it later? Then you are looking for a draft. The recovery process for deleted posts is not intended for this.
Saving TikTok drafts before switching phones
Check your important videos while your old phone still works and has not been wiped. This lets you review what you want to keep.
- Save the original recordings. Put the separate footage you want to keep in a second location.
- Save a video version if possible. Use an available storage option and then open the file outside TikTok.
- Save your text separately. Note the caption and on screen text if you want to use them again later.
- Check the copy on the other device. Play the entire video and listen to make sure the sound is working properly.
- Only then wipe your old phone. First check that you have saved all the footage you want to keep.
A saved video is not an editable draft. For example, text permanently embedded in the image cannot be adjusted as a separate text box. Therefore, also save the original footage and your separate text.
Frequently asked questions about recovering TikTok drafts
Can a backup of my phone help?
Do not assume that a backup contains a usable TikTok draft. First check which files you still have. Do not restore your entire phone without knowing what will happen to your current data.
Can TikTok send my draft back?
Do not count on it. Are your drafts missing without a clear reason? You can report the issue. Mention your phone, your account and when you last saw the video. Never share your password.
What if I cannot find a copy anywhere?
Then there is no reliable recovery step you can simply carry out. Keep any fragments and write down what you still remember. Then consider whether you can continue with them or whether you want to record the video again.
