Have you deleted a TikTok draft or the app? There is no guaranteed way to recover your unfinished video. First check the phone on which you created the video. Then look for saved videos and separate recordings. Do not delete the app as a test or clear app data.
Below, you can read what to 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 components there.
Do not assume that your draft will automatically appear on every phone as soon as you log in. According to TikTok’s explanation of drafts and deleted posts drafts can disappear after reinstalling or switching devices. You can restore deleted posts for up to 30 days. That recovery option does not apply to drafts.
Choose the situation that applies to you below. A missing draft 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 whether you are using the right phone and the right account. |
| You deleted a posted video. | Look for post recovery, not draft recovery. |
If you find a saved video, you may still have much of your footage. However, this does not automatically restore the separate clips, text boxes and other edits.
Find TikTok drafts on your old phone
Have you not deleted anything yourself? Then first take the phone on which you worked 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 rely only on the profile picture. You may use the same picture on 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 useful files aside before searching further or cleaning up your phone.
Do not log 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 not do?
Do not delete TikTok and then reinstall the app. That is not a recovery step for drafts. Also do not factory reset your phone while you are still looking for your video.
On Android, you may encounter settings for cache and storage. Cache means temporary data. In Google’s explanation of freeing up space on Android it states that clearing the cache removes temporary data. Clearing storage permanently removes all app data.
Do not use either option to recover a draft. Cleaning up 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 wipe 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 carefully.
Are you 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 that you have already saved somewhere.
Find the footage from your TikTok draft
Is the draft no longer visible anywhere? Then look for the footage you used for it. This will not restore 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 a test version to someone? Check that conversation. Also check folders on your computer and your online photo library, if you use one.
Did you first create the video in another editing app? Check whether a project is still there that you can work on, or whether a saved version of the video is available.
Play every file you find all the way through. Is it the right footage, and can you hear the sound? A small preview image cannot show whether the entire video was saved correctly.
Rebuild the video using the footage you found
A fictional example: you find three recordings from a walk. The draft with the short texts is gone. You can combine the footage again and add the texts. That is rebuilding, not restoring the original draft.
First write down the order and the texts you still remember. Keep the files you found as they are. Work with a copy where possible, so you still have the original footage if something goes wrong.
Restoring 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 recovery of 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 did you want to continue working on it later? Then you are looking for a draft. The recovery option for deleted posts is not intended for this.
Save 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.
- Keep 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 texts separately. Note down the caption and the 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 check that 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 embedded in the image cannot be edited as a separate text box. That is why you should also keep the original footage and your separate texts.
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 for no clear reason? You can report the problem. 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 that you can simply perform. 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.
